RH Jones: Retirees carrying the burden

From RH Jones, November 5, 2007

To all:

To the STRS, members, the board and employees:

A supine STRS board enabled the Executive Director to have unnecessary power to skirt the checks and balances of the STRS guidelines, especially concerning the STRS employee compensation. I strongly suggest that the STRS board members endorse Dr. Leone’s corrective initiatives.

For too long retirees have had to shoulder the increasingly heavy burden of supporting the devaluation of the dollar, far right wing-controlled school district boards and a similarly controlled State Board of Education, enabling unions, and a passive STRS board.

Too many board/employee extravagances have been allowed. While the great STRS financial return of the 27.7% is very commendable, my STRS board and employees should not, by their actions, jeopardize the sorely needed HB 315. Without HB 315, even with continued great financial returns, the STRS will not be able to sustain retired educator health care (HC). Consequently, everyone in Ohio loses.

I urge you not to marginalize the importance to all the STRS members of the passage of HB 315. By your passivity, do not ignore your shared responsibility to follow the ORC 3307.15. We may expect some members of school district boards to be ignorant and supine toward retired educators, but not those of you who have the awesome responsibility of serving on the STRS board. You are educated, and should not be fooled by the far-right wing philosophic rhetoric. They would think nothing of having retired educators, as in the Great Depression, once again selling apples on street corners.

Being alert to the proper checks and balances of proper STRS guidelines will keep negative publicity from endangering passage of HB 315. Please be aware of that.

Sincerely,

Robert Hudson Jones, a retired STRS member