Update from Robin Rayfield (April 2023 ORTA Newsletter)
Spring is springing and I trust everyone is ready for some nice weather. ORTA has been active this winter advocating for our STRS members. Over last couple of months ORTA has presented information at local chapters, STRS meetings, meetings of the Ohio Board of Education, and the State Treasurer’s office.
ORTA Update
The Technology and Public Relations Committee met on March 21, 2023. The newly designed website was discussed and a few changes were suggested. The main concern is making sure ORTA’s information is consistent and accurate. To that end ORTA welcomes any information that might help us to accomplish the task of providing accurate and consistent information.
Additionally, ORTA member Cindy Murphy has stepped forward to assist any chapters that want to update their website. This could be a brand new website or simply updating an existing website.
Cindy will be offering online training for chapters that would like to build a website with the new Google Sites. Google Sites is free and easy to use.
Cindy is a Certified Google Educator. She has taught Google Sites at Portland Community College in Portland, OR, and helped friends and colleagues build their own websites with Google Sites.
Contact publications@orta.org if you would like to attend one of the workshops or if you have questions.
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
The Legislative Committee also met last month to discuss several pending legislative measures. Listed below are the notes and positions from our committee meeting:
Backpack Bill House Bill 11
This bill would provide universal vouchers to all students in Ohio. In essence, this bill would provide between $6500 and $7500 to each school aged child in Ohio to attend any school in Ohio, public, private, or home school. At a cost of over $1 billion this legislation would significantly undercut the public schools in Ohio. As you may recall, the vouchers program began in Cleveland several years ago costing around $42 million. This year the vouchers programs in Ohio cost about $350 million. With the proposed legislation in SB 5 this would triple to over $1 billion. There are several reasons ORTA opposes this legislation:
Every dollar that goes towards funding private educational organizations is a dollar that is not sent to our constitutionally mandated system of public schools. With our schools struggling to accomplish the monumental task of educating Ohio’s children, any diversion of resources designated for education is unthinkable.
Since 2000 approximately $25 billion has been directed to private schools undermining support for public schools.
Originally, the voucher program was developed to assist impoverished students in pursuit of a private education. Currently, the majority of the money is directed to families that have already decided to send children to private schools in the form of a rebate for costs paid to private schools.
SB 11 would open the doors to home schooled parents to receive vouchers to educate their children at home.
This legislation is the biggest threat to the common public school and will devastate the public school as we know it.
As STRS retirees, SB 11 will have a negative impact on our pension system. By incentivizing parents to choose private schools over public schools fewer educators are needed as student enrollment in public schools dwindles. Fewer educators paying in to the STRS system means less contributions into the STRS system.
Accordingly, ORTA is strongly opposed to HB 11.
SB 1
This bill has already passed the senate and is being worked on in the Ohio House. This bill would strip the State Board of Education of its power to regulate public schools in Ohio and place the control of our public schools in the hands of the governor. This would reverse a constitutional amendment voted on by the people of Ohio. In recent meetings of the Ohio State Board of Education, legal challenges to SB 1 were discussed. It may well be that this bill is on a fast track to passage, however ORTA is opposed to such a power grab by the executive branch of our state government. This bill is known as House bill 12 in the house. Both versions move the department of education into the governor’s control.
HB 1
This bill would reduce the ‘assessment level’ on property tax from the current 35% level down to 31.5%. The net effect of HB 1 would be that property owners would pay less in taxes each year. This bill also would change the rates Ohio citizens would pay on income. Interesting to note is that projections from Ohio Policy Matters indicate that most of the reductions in taxes would go to the very wealthy. Perhaps this is a good thing, however, schools (and other municipalities) would receive less revenue. This would force more and more schools to seek tax increases to maintain current levels of funding. ORTA’s Legislative Committee did not take a firm stand on this issue, however, we do believe that all citizens should be aware of this legislation.
HB 78
House Bill 78 concerns STRS elections. Currently the STRS board has 7 elected seats and 4 appointed seats. Of the elected seats, 5 are seats held by ‘active contributing members’ and 2 elected seats are held by ‘retirees’. With a split of 49% retirees and 51% active members, ORTA has lobbied for a more representative board at STRS. ORTA has requested that 1 of the active seats become a retiree seat. What is worse, is that currently people that retired from teaching and were re-employed in an educator’s role were unable to run for ANY seat on the STRS board. HB 78 is a compromise piece of legislation that allows a retiree/rehire person to run for either a retiree or an active seat on the STRS board. STRS management opposes this legislation and has attempted to amend the legislation to allow retired/rehired people to ONLY run for a retiree seat. ORTA supports the bill in its current form which would allow retirees to have a CHANCE at having more representation on the STRS board. This bill has been introduced but has not had any hearing to date.
Finally, ORTA has ‘heard through the legislative grapevine’ that the Fair School Funding Bill (Cupp-Patterson) is included in Ohio’s budget. As I understand this bill, the phase 1 portion is included in Ohio’s budget. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but this looks promising for the schools in Ohio. ORTA is supportive of the Fair School Funding Bill
So, the question becomes, ‘What do we do with this information’?
ORTA has a history of influence with state level politicians. We ask that each chapter leader forward this to the legislative committee of your local RTA. We further ask that each chapter reach out to their local state representative and Senator to let our voices be heard. A simple phone call or email to your local elected officials is extremely effective. Listed below is a step by step process to have a significant impact.
Determine who your local state officials are. You can find your representative or senator here:
- https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/members/house-directory
- https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/members/senate-directory
Write or call your elected official and voice your opinion on the legislative proposals.
Remember, it is far more effective if multiple people make contact with an elected official one time than if 1 person makes contact several times.
Ask about any town halls, or regular office hours your elected official has in your area. Attend one of these opportunities and voice your concerns.
Another place to locate your elected official using your address is here: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
STRS Election
A reminder that ORTA has joined with STRS Members Only Facebook Group, STRS Watchdogs, and the OFT in endorsing Pat Davidson for the active seat on the STRS Board of Trustees. Although retirees are not allowed to vote on ‘active member seats’ ORTA encourages all retirees to talk with their active member friends and encourage them to support Pat Davidson for this seat. The reform minded board members are 1 seat away from a majority. Mr. Davidson could prove to swing STRS in the right direction.
- Dr. Robin Rayfield
posted by Kathie Bracy at 7:28 PM
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