RH Jones: STRS is a retirement system, Social Security is not

From RH Jones, November 16, 2008
Subject: STRS is a retirement system

STRS is a retirement system, Social Security is not. Plus: School consolidation

Dear Molly and all:

I agree with many of your recommendations, however, the Social Security (SS) was established to keep working American’s out of poverty. It was never meant to be the total support for persons in retirement -- Unfortunately many citizens thought that it was just that! On the other hand, the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Ohio was, and is, a retirement system, for sure. Our STRS was founded on principles that were to provide for our retirement, survivor and disability benefits to qualified members and their beneficiaries. Note: Albeit, paying more benefits than SS, or STRS, the Federal Government’s employees have a retirement system also separate from SS. Postal Employees have a separate system as well -- By the way, my mailman has full Health Care (HC) benefits in retirement. As everyone knows, our STRS does not.

I think that, as you stated in your e-mail: “Those high ride times will probably never be seen again.” probably could be somewhat of an underestimate. Optimistically, speaking, I think we will see “high ride times” very soon again. Our whole universe is created based on mathematics. And America has super computers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and one at Los Alamos National Laboratory that compute about I-quadrillion times faster than the computer that I am presently typing on. It is, therefore, my thinking that this recession that we are now experiencing will soon be solved. We are just at the dawn of a world so fantastic the average person cannot now envision.

On the state level, I think our Governor Strickland can turnaround public school funding profoundly by consolidating school districts into one for each county. Local control can still be a factor. Only it would now be on a county level, rather than a jumble of so many separate systems overburdening taxpayers. Each district has separate infrastructures, administrative, department heads, purchasing agents and many other duplicative personnel. A study of the local budgets could determine who would be transferred in light of these newfound efficiencies. Sensible curriculum would largely remain intact. In the end, everyone gains: the public, the students and their teachers. Perhaps even we retired teachers could, finally, get better HC and could keep up with inflation. Further, there are benefits for all Ohioans in this change. We cannot assume a federal bailout. Most certainly, all the taxpaying and voting public can see the common sense of the money saved by consolidation and the streamlining of the existing archaic system. These are absolutely appropriate actions can demonstrate that the present Ohio leadership is moving forward in solving the school-funding problem.

At this captivating time, everyone needs to be cooperative with the governor and his committee as they get Ohio education moving forward. The people are ready for a change and will be better for it.

The learned opinion of a 77-yr.-old retired Ohio teacher,

Robert H. Jones of Norton, OH