School district treasurer calls out a legislator for not fixing school funding.....compares it to STRS

From William L. Phillis

March 2, 2014

School treasurer/CFO Brett Griffith took Representative Lynn Wachtmann to task (via email) for chastising STRS for not submitting a hard-and-fast, long-term funding plan but not discerning that legislators have no plan to fix the school funding system that was declared unconstitutional 17 years ago. With the treasurer's permission, the email is being forwarded.

Brett Griffith to Representative Lynn Wachtmann:

I read an article today that earlier this week you were quoted in an article about pension oversight. The article said: The state's lead lawmaker on pension oversight (State Representative Lynn Wachtmann) said this week that leaders at the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) are "thumbing their nose at the Legislature" by not submitting a hard-and-fast plan to improve long-term funding. 

I find this very amusing because it is like the kettle calling the pot black. The State Legislature has been told by the Ohio Supreme Court of Ohio to fix school funding, not once but FOUR times over the last 10 or so years and yet you and the rest of the State Legislatures have thumbed your nose at the highest state court in Ohio. Looks like STRS has learned from you. If you are not embarrassed over the comments you made, you should be.

William L. :Phillis is Executive Director of The Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding.