Another viewpoint on OEA's list of STRS Board 'attributes'

By Kathie Bracy, April 12, 2008

Board A
• Obsessed with trivial concerns: Insists on policies that clearly address ALL matters, large and small.

• Short-term focus: Alert to constant efforts by some to ignore policies already in place or efforts by those who attempt to fix defective wording in existing policies; those who would move on without fixing what's "broke." Ignore it, in other words, for reasons known only to them.

• Reactive stance: .....only to those who attempt to use steamroller and/or rubber-stamp tactics to bypass the spirit and/or the letter and the law of the Ohio Revised Code, Section 3307.15.

• Reviews, rehashes staff work: ....as well they darned well better -- until we have every reason to believe everything they do is on the up-and-up. As it was stressed in the 2008 retreat, IT'S THE BOARD'S JOB TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON.

• Driven by single agendas: ONE SINGLE agenda: to follow the letter and the spirit and the law of the Ohio Revised Code, Scection 3307.15, a concept which certain Board members never bring up.

• Consistent split vote: Yes, over and over and over. Brains/background/experience vs. mindless, spineless, gutless, OEA-directed sheep.

• Grandstanding How else to wake up those who are asleep? Maybe somebody needs to blow whistles, crash cymbals, blast sirens, ring bells, pound away on a steam calliope, beat drums and set off fireworks to get their attention.

• Plays to the audience: Necessary because the "audience" (CORE) "gets it" while certain Board members' ears are deaf and eyes glazed over since their minds are totally incapable of recognizing brains and leadership and true reform.

• Violates confidence: No examples cited. Obviously made up.

• Individual directives: No examples cited. Again, made up.

• No chain of command: What does THIS mean? What are the Board chair and vice-chair there for?

• "Fix it" mentality Far better than the "ignore it" mentality any day!

• Focused on day-to-day operations: .....until we get an executive director we can TRUST to handle the day-to-day operations properly; not one who considers as a normal day-to-day operation the actions of surreptitiously slipping credit cards to certain Board members without the knowledge and consent of the full Board and the approval of the STRS membership.

Board B

• Governs lawfully: Yes, I'd like that. Will never happen, however, till certain Board members wake up or are replaced with intelligent, independent-thinking individuals, which isn't likely any time in the foreseeable future (YES!! -- a SURE VICTORY for the OEA leaders!!).

• Primary emphasis on results for members: Hey, we had that five years ago, with DISASTROUS results for members. Current Board headed for same thing with the OEA-directed members aboard. Same ole', same ole'.

• Encourages full exploration of diverse viewpoints: I'd like to see this Board in agreement in more instances -- but ONLY when they can adhere to the spirit, the letter and the law of ORC 3307.15.

• Focus on strategic governance matters rather than operational issues: Hey, we ALL want THAT!! But straighten out any operational issues first, if they are wrong. Start with a competent executive director whose integrity and honesty are beyond reproach so we don't HAVE to worry about operational stuff.

• Observes clear separation of board and CEO roles: Excellent idea!! As long as it doesn't mean "Allow the executive director and his staff to do anything they please while the Board looks the other way!" Deja vu!! (Meaning "been there, done that.")

• Makes all decisions by formal vote of the board: They already do this. They're always voting, in case anybody hasn't noticed.

• Governs with long-term vision: ......which is exactly what the more intelligent and insightful members of the Board have been trying all along to do, even though they are constantly stonewalled by those with lesser intellectual and visionary capabilities, whose words and actions speak but one mantra -- the OEA mantra -- the very mentality that plunged our retirement to its lowest depths ever, and which would be FAR LOWER were it not for the brains and the perseverance of Board members such as Dennis Leone and John Lazares.