Jim Kimmel: An Open Letter to All Ohio Senators

October 24, 2007
(Street address)
Mason, OH 45040

Ohio Senate
Columbus, Ohio

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL OHIO SENATORS

Dear Senators:

I am writing to request your support for Senate Bill 315. It is imperative that legislation is passed for a dedicated revenue stream to the STRS Healthcare Stabilization Fund. This is supported by virtually all retired and active educators in this state as well as OEA, AFT, ORTA and others. There are very good reasons for supporting 315. I realize that you are being lobbied by the OSBA and others who oppose the bill. They need to realize how shortsighted opposition to the bill really is. As will be indicated below, 315 will actually save school districts money.

HERE ARE REASONS WHY SB 315 SHOULD BE SUPPORTED BY ALL OF YOU.

1. There has been NO increase in the school board contribution to STRS in over 20 years! School districts have seen increased expenses in everything from chalk to textbooks in that time. Why do they think it should be any different for STRS contributions?

2. There are many negative consequences of 315's failure for school districts which will cost them more than a .5 percent increase a year for 5 years. They can pay that now or a lot more later:

• Teachers will continue to teach into their 60's and 70's because they won't be able to afford health insurance in retirement. That will cost the districts more due to an older staff, more sick days, more substitute teachers, and higher group health insurance premiums for the district based on industry standards. This is already happening throughout Ohio.

• Older teachers' salaries are often twice that of a beginning teacher. Put another way, a district can hire at least two new teachers for every veteran who retires.

• Teachers will demand higher salaries because they would look forward to NO health insurance in retirement. This could lead to strikes, impasse, and other unpleasant and disruptive labor difficulties.

• Teacher candidates will seek employment in other states where they can be more confident in their future retirement status because THERE CAN BE NO RETIREMENT WITHOUT ADEQUATE HEALTH INSURANCE. Beginning teachers today are much more aware of retirement details than we retirees were when we began. .

• College students will change majors for other professions . Few go into education now because they will leave college with $100,000 or more of debt and would begin teaching for $35,000 or perhaps less. Not many feel comfortable with that in their future, let alone a retirement 30 years later with no health insurance.

• The violence in our schools causes increased peril for both students and teachers. We have recently seen in Cleveland two teachers shot in the line of duty and an Akron teacher stabbed. Professionals facing this (in both poor and wealthy districts) should be able to look forward to a retirement that includes adequate and affordable health care.

There are those who say that teachers "retire too early. Let them teach until they are 65 and get Medicare!" Most of these are members of the business and corporate community who, unless they are war veterans, have never been shot at in their lives. What many forget is that in the middle 1930's STRS was established because of the special nature of the teaching profession. It was decided that 30 years was sufficient for full retirement because teaching is stressful and because the low pay made it necessary to have a system with a better return than Social Security. It is a good thing, too, because teachers who do other work in summers and pay into Social Security receive only one third of their actual Social Security benefit in retirement if they get a teaching pension. Most would be willing to teach summers if they were paid for it. Police and Fire personnel also can retire after 20 or 30 years because of the strenuous and dangerous nature of their work. How many of you would like to teach junior high students into your '60's, afraid to retire because you couldn't afford health insurance? It is one thing to be an accountant,lawyer, or corporate manager into your 60's and beyond. Quite another to be a teacher, police officer, or firefighter at that age.

The vast majority of active and retired educators in your districts support SB 315. Probably many OSBA and local school board members do not. Which group do you think will have more votes to cast in the ballot box come November ?

Please Support SB 315. It is the RIGHT thing to do!!

Respectfully,

James O. Kimmel, M.Ed
Proud CORE member
STRS Retiree
Ohio Air National Guard 1963-1969