RH Jones re: Take Action to Oppose House Bill 242: Subsidizing Private Education at Taxpayer

From RH Jones, April 17, 2012

To all:

Retired teachers, please support the OEA in their opposition to House Bill (HB) 242. As you may agree after reading about it below, their reasoning makes sense.

My justification for this request is that HB 242 will weaken, even further, the Ohio Public School System. When the system is weakened (as is happening already) due to the national, state and local cuts in funding, our OH STRS suffers less funding as well. Less coming in; less to invest; less to support retirees.

However, make no mistake, if OEA cannot back retired members in our fight to maintain, and to improve our current retired teacher pension, would it not be awful if the retired were to reciprocate and not back actives? This would be terribly polarizing for both groups. As reasonable and educated people, the best that we can do for each other is to be in solidarity. Therefore, as a paid up for life member of OEA, OEA-R, NEOEA, and ORTA, I plead with all of the officials of these unions to be insolid solidarity in also sustaining the backing of retiree issues such as our HC/Rx, simple 3% COLA, death benefits, restoring spousal and dependent HC/Rx, and supporting the 30-year funding goal of the STRS, rather than their attempt to create the goal of 32-years or so. This is being considered, I believe, so that retired teachers will never again see the very fairly calculated supplemental 13th check that helped us stay up with inflation.

Together, we shall overcome the privatization threat and the threat to our delayed compensated pension system (Defined Benefit). Everyone just do the right thing and support our public school system that made this country great - For education for all, benefits all. That is my opinion.

Note: the media is reporting that at the last Barberton school board meeting one of this small town's board members was brought to tears due to having to cut 30-teachers from their staff. This is happening all over the state and will severely impact our STRS. Whatever happened to "pursuit of happiness" for everyone?

RHJones, a proud CORE member