James Thurber: “You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.” STRS mantra, too?

Dan MacDonald's speech  to STRS Board

October 17, 2019

P.T. Barnum said: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” In 1939, James Thurber added: “You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.”

Good morning. I am Dan MacDonald, an STRS retiree and veteran. I taught in Cleveland Heights – University Heights for 38 years. I am also Executive Director of Local 279-R, AFT NEO retirees.

During last month’s Board meeting, the Finance Department gave a Scorecard forecast and actuarial assumptions update. We were told the funded ratio improved by a positive 0.6% and the funding period improved by 1.7 years from 17.8 years to 16.1 years, BUT the projected summary score went from a negative 4 to a negative 5 because of a change in metrics – the new metric based on the yield curve spread.

Our STRS in-house auditor Brian Grinnell had the audacity to remind the Board that if the summary score hit a negative 6, the Board is required to take action or make a statement why no action was being taken. Mr. Grinnell changes the metric, of course with Board approval; the scorecard goes further negative, and actives and retirees are reminded that further cuts are threatening while at the same Board meeting the Board authorizes the payment of $7.78 million in Performance-Based Incentives, bonuses, on top of the 3 percent salary increases to staff.

My oh my, Barnum and Thurber are right. The communication department furthermore puts out a front page article on the Board’s adopting amendments to its funding policy with a goal of 100% funding with the caveat “At 85% or greater, the Board may consider plan changes that in the determination of the Board’s actuary do not materially impair the fiscal integrity of the system.”

As long as I have attended Board meetings, which is several years, Mr. Grinnell has always been the albatross of the general fund and positive benefit changes. As we approach 85% funded, beware of the shell game for which actives and retirees are being set up. Mr. Grinnell might be the face of doom, but the staff and Board’s silence tells everyone they are all aligned.

In closing, as I stated last month, maybe we need to bring in a CalSTRS Board member and ask what their financial thinking is, still paying promised and legislative COLAs, having a better formula for actives, AND having inflation protection while projecting a 2046 fully funded time frame. We want better benefits for actives and our COLA back.