Sharon Wiehe to STRS Board: DO THE RIGHT THING!

Sharyn Wiehe's speech to the STRS Board

May 16, 2019 

What you are doing to our COLA is unconscionable. I am a retired teacher and guidance counselor. I was told by a STRS counselor that part of my retirement package was a COLA. Your STRS employee told me that. I planned my retirement based on my pension and COLA. The absence of this promised COLA has affected my buying power. 

My husband has a medical condition that has required him to be on a medication for the last 9 months that costs between $500.00 and $600.00 a month. You do the math to see how my promised COLA would have affected my buying power for this medication. When I retired I factored in unexpected health costs that my pension and COLA would hopefully cover what our health insurance would not. I planned. You did not. 

There is money to reinstate our promised COLA as part of our retirement package. If you have to make adjustments, make them to future retirees. They will have time to adjust their retirement plans.DO THE RIGHT THING. It is within your power to do so.