Suzanne Laird's Halloween speech to the STRS Board, October 20, 2022

Suzanne Laird to STRS Board 

October 20, 2022

Good Morning, Members of MY Board:

Wanna know what's really scary, in October, in Ohio?

At 275 E. Broad Street, you can play all sorts of frightening tricks, and still grab lots of treats!

You can trick active teachers into working longer for less.

You can trick retirees with a one-time, 3 percent COLA candy bar.
You can trick the public into believing your mission is to help teachers, while you steal all the goodies, and some zombies on the Board bob their heads like apples.

But who are the real vampires at STRS?

Well, since we must not use actual names, could it be the Head Jack O'Lantern, granted another raise by the zombies while the teachers of Ohio still suffer?What about our very own Voldemort, who continues to trick pre-Medicare retirees with a $450.00 a month premium and a $2,500.00 deductible; yet those retirees cannot even receive an annual physical without paying out of pocket when their doctor draws blood?

Are the real bloodsuckers the investment staff? They're certainly on a sugar-high, plugging their Teslas into the charging stations while working out at the on-site gym. What a sugar rush it must be, knowing full well that we could do better with an index fund, but you'll be rewarded with almost 10 million in treats!

I'm frightened, I'm frightened that no one here has the guts to cut unnecessary expenses, -- like the ghostly guards, extra ones hired just for Board meeting days, haunting us at every turn. That's creepy. Creepy, unnecessary, and downright insulting.

I'm begging, not for treats, but for what I and all Ohio teachers deserve: a secure and stable retirement.

I'm scared for the future of education in Ohio, and you should be, too.

I'm begging you to stop acting like zombies: speak up, and stop the bleeding.