RH Jones to educators of District 91 re: HB 315

From RH Jones, November 4, 2007

Active & retired educators of Ohio District 91

To all:

When you vote for the state representative in District 91 keep in mind Rep. Dan Dodd’s answered my letter asking for support of HB 315. To his credit, although I am not in his district, he gracefully was the only representative on the Financial Institutions, Real Estate& Securities (FIRES) Committee to do so. The letter was noncommittal but surely he, as a conscientious person, will do the right thing and vote the bill out of committee with a recommendation of passage of the house floor. Nevertheless, I thank him profusely for taking the time and expense write me.

Without passage of HB 315, our state will lose young professional educators to states offering health care when they retire from their careers. For without good retirement health care, more expensive older teachers will stay in their positions longer; and, additionally, as they age, school boards will have to pay even more for their insurance.

As you may know this very moderate increase is phased in over a 5-yr. period. Inflation will more than likely take care of any costs. And, I might add, that it has been over 30-yrs. since the employers have had any increase in the STRS contribution - active teachers contributions have been raised at least 3-times since. School boards did tell us educators, now retired, that we had health care in retirement.

And finally, lawfully, there is no other way that the health care can be provided by the STRS without the employer/employee increase provided in HB 315.

With respect,

Robert Hudson Jones, a retired STRS member