Just who is Bob Buerkle? And how the heck do you pronounce that last name?

December 19, 2021

Well, if you've been to any STRS Board meetings and heard him introduce himself at the beginning of his speeches, you know how to pronounce "Buerkle". It sounds like "Berkley", plain and simple. 

Bob retired from the Cincinnati Public Schools in 2003 after 35 years of service. He served on the Retirement Committee with the CPS and the OFT for many years before becoming chairman of the committee for about 15 years.

He has been attending STRS Board meetings for over 30 years, and actually had his first meeting with an STRS Director, James Grothaus, in 1983. He has been involved in fighting against STRS takeaways since noticing the first one in 1992, the elimination of free healthcare in retirement, which was a promise made to teachers in 1974.

In 1994 Bob was involved with and supported the future retirees under the "Money Purchase Plan", which was similar to a 401k plan. STRS changed two legs of this plan. First, they greatly reduced the interest rate paid on their accounts, but then they also lowered the annuity payout factor by 50%, which ruined the plan. The closest explanation he can offer is that the immediate effect was similar to the Social Security offset that Ohio teachers suffer from WEP, the Windfall Elimination Provision.

These retirees had their pension payments reduced by 55 - 60% if they were under age 60 before the plan change went into effect. When implemented, it immediately affected about 16,000 future retirees. They sued and eventually lost their case in the Ohio Supreme Court.

Since 2012 Bob has been working to restore the STRS-promised COLA so our retirees do not also lose half of the lifetime value of our pensions, like the smaller group of "Money Purchase Retirees" did.

Bob says, "Never give up!"