STRS Board Chair "hammers" Dr. Fluke out-of-order

From RH Jones, January 19, 2007
Subject: STRS Board Chair "hammers" Dr. Fluke out-of-order

To all:

At yesterday's STRS meeting, as the SummitCRTA Legislative Committee Chair, Dr.K. Fluke, was giving his important speech concerning STRS military veterans benefits, the Active Teacher Member, Constance K. Ramser, Chair, gaveled him out-of-order for going past his allotted 3-minute time limit.

Retired educator Dr. Fluke has been a vocal ORTA and CORE leader and has previously made many speeches before the board. In past times, usually a bell was rung from the left of the podium. This time, it was not expected that any out-of-order would come from a gavel at the front chair. Dr. Fluke, being 75-years of age quite understandably does not hear as well as he did years before. Nevertheless, after Ms Ramser's verbal alert -- which Fluke could did not hear -- telling him that his time was up, he continued with his speech. It was at that time that Ramser quite loudly banged the gavel. Fluke continued on for a brief moment to explain that perhaps ROTC would quite possibly be a part of STRS military credit.

Note: Earlier in the meeting, this came to Fluke's attention after Dr. Damon Asbury, Exec. Dir., had passed out his report that included the mentioning of ROTC.

To the STRS members who are military veterans, knowing about this ROTC service time is important not only to active educators, but to those retired as well. With only 4-speakers at the public participation period of the STRS meeting, allowing 3-minutes each is only 16-minutes altogether. It is quite unusual, therefore, that a STRS retired member would not be allowed a little extra time. After all, the public speaking portion allotted for the meeting is 1-hour. It would, therefore, not be unreasonable to expect some grace in extending the rather limited 3-minute period, just a little. Dr. Fluke is gifted with the ability to talk "on-his-feet" extemporaneously. That said, you can understand that it would be difficult for him to judge his time.

Personally, my topic of public school district and state colleges, "picking-up part of some active members' retirement contribution" is a quite complicated matter to explain simply in 3-minutes. Therefore, I had to read it. Of late, the STRS meetings have grown somewhat longer and one should sympathize with the chair wishing to move the agenda.

Whatever the case, Dr. Fluke drove me on the 4-hour round trip drive from Akron to Columbus, and back, in poor driving conditions. In spite of the weather forecasts of no snow until late evening, we ran into some heavy hail going, snow and "black ice" returning. (Gas and car maintenance "ain't" cheap, either.) STRS board members, please be considerate of our sacrifices in trying to make STRS a better retirement system for all members, both active and retired.

RHJones, SummitCRTA Legislative CMTE member & a very proud CORE