Have you hugged your attorney today? I'll bet you have in the past and didn't even know it!

From John Curry, February 8, 2009

Just a little 'ol bonus for an STRS paid attorney just doin' his job........the $66,640 hug!

STRS Cuddly Bonus Hug (CBH) →

Retirees (and active educators as well),

Below, from line 32 of an STRS spreadsheet, comes this revelation. The "R/E Counsel" listed below really means the STRS "real estate attorney." You know, the attorney who oversees STRS's real estate purchases, sales, and so on? Just his "bonus" for one year's work is listed as $66,640! That's $66,640 on top his "regular" STRS salary of $170,000 for a total annual salary of $236,640! I'll bet that bonus alone is significantly more than most educators (active and retired alike) ever see in one year's worth of educating, isn't it?

Well, not to worry as finally STRS Board member Dr. Leone's motion to quash the bonuses at STRS finally sunk into the skulls of most of the STRS Board members. I say "finally" because Dennis initiated this motion to quash the bonuses several months back AND DIDN'T EVEN GET A SECOND TO HIS MOTION. This time 'round reality finally sunk in...the Board voted 6-3-1 to do away with the bonuses (yes, even the bonus for the real estate attorney as listed below)!

Maybe the "3" STRS Board members above (Meuser, Cervantes, and Myers) who voted to keep the bonuses can explain to you why they felt that these bonuses (paid for by you-the educator) were of necessity....should you decide to ask. While you're at it, you might even want to "drop an email" to STRS Board member Conni Ramser since she was the "1" abstaining vote in the tally above. She did not take a stand on this issue. You might want to drop an email off to her to ask why. I'll even make it easy for you...here are their respective email addresses:

Mark Meuser mmeuser@hotmail.com [voted to KEEP the bonuses]

Mary Ann Cervantes cervantm@strsoh.org [voted to KEEP the bonuses]

Tim Myers tmyers@bright.net [voted to KEEP the bonuses]

Conni Ramser ramserc@strsoh.org [ABSTAINED]

John

P.S. Is the culture of entitlement finally dead at STRS? CORE members will be watching, won't they? If you want to see the "others" on this quashed bonus list just email me and I'll gladly send it to you - here's my email address: curryjo@watchtv.net
P.S. #2 Please share this with an active educator as I have a hunch they don't even have the slightest idea of where some of their 10% salary contributions to STRS WERE going.

(Line 32 of Bonus chart; click image below to enlarge)