Some comments following the 7.25.2023 Neville talk at the Maumee Library, Toledo, OH

           

This post is likely to get longer in the next few days. I will be adding newer comments at the bottom of this post. KBB

STRS seems to have a problem trying to figure out what it means to have a base salary distributed bi-weekly. Here is a simple solution. Pay the employees twice a month on the 1st and the 15th. Twenty-four pay periods evenly divided into their base salaries. No more "extra pay checks". If Dale Price wants to give them a little extra, fine. He can write them a check from his own personal account.

Neville claims it's common practice all employees on bi-weekly checks get a 27th check.. he's so out of touch. Dale Price supported this check by stating they are get bi-weekly checks, they aren't salary. When I asked what that bi-weekly check was based on.... following up with Hours worked? His reply, "I don't know, I don't work in the payroll dept." Time for Neville and Price to go!!

It really is pretty simple. You have an ANNUAL salary that is divided between the number of paydays for the year!

Neville is delusional if he actually believes that. A salaried employee is entitled only to the amount that they are contracted to earn in a given year. If Neville is that ******* negligent and that ******* stupid, he needs to be fired for cause.

Sounds like 27th check has been “common practice” at STRS for quite some time. It just got exposed this year because of the timing when many of us had to wait 3 weeks for a paycheck - with no additional money above our regular annual salary.

They sure seem to claim ignorance a lot...or maybe it really is ignorance!

It is amazing how hard STRS tries to justify the mismanagement. Bottom line: actives work longer and pay more in contributions than any other retirement. Do not get social security. Retirees do not have inflation protection. Until STRS grants the membership what STRS set for them at the time they started their career and retired, everything else they say means nothing. The sad part is everyone ( STRS, the board, politicians and OEA) knows Ohio educators have been treated unfairly, they continue to try and justify their actions.

I taught for 35 years and NEVER got a 27th check.

Duh- not sounding smart, are they?

I think what he means is that in some years there are 27 Friday paydays in the calendar year.

True. It happens every 7 years. When it does, those of us who have their salaries divided evenly into 26 bi-weekly checks have one month in which we have to wait 3 weeks instead of getting our next check in 2 weeks resulting in receiving 27 check that year.That happened this year.

Dale Price is aware of how this works given he just had this happen. He works for the same school district I do.

So hourly employees get extravagant benefits and bonuses? Why are their salaries listed on documents? And these two mathematical geniuses don't know the difference between salary and hourly wages?

But, as a Board member, wouldn't it be exactly Dale Price's job TO know that, especially if it was a controversial issue (on which HE voted)? I don't think I can be astounded any more by what the non-reform Board members say, and then I hear something like this!

I am so thankful for the groups because facts were presented and Billy boy had no answers. Before this meeting I thought Billy boy and Dale Price didn’t know what they were doing. Now I am sure Billy boy and Dale don’t have a clue. There is no plan to cut expenses on STRS side. Billy was asked many times and told that his advisors said that expenses needed to be cut but I guess he was asleep during that presentation at two board meeting because there was no response other than raising the contribution from the state government or local districts. A comment was made that this money would only go to padding STRS pockets, not to retirees. Again no comment. Billy didn’t know that he was paying two communication directors over 400,000 dollars. When asked why he hired the guy for over 190,000 he again could not answer. The communications department alone costs us over 1 million dollars.

Price was adamant they weren't salaried employees, but when pressed what the bi-weekly check was based on he played stupid! When pressed whether it was based on hours worked, he played serious stupid again.

There were several people he didn't want to answer. Just [glossed] over OR went on to another question. Or tried to…

In a way it was like watching a stand up comedian…the guy with the microphone gets to choose who he answers and who he does not.

I think he thought he'd show up, go over his PowerPoint, and say, "any questions?" We'd all clap and tell him what a great job they've done and ask softball questions about retirement options, insurance benefits, etc, etc. We're getting more informed and educated about the way they waste and/or mismanage our money. They can't run roughshod over us anymore.

We ended up going to a 2 paydays per month cycle instead of every other week to avoid that issue.

Us too. So much easier and simple to calculate

So did our district after people were upset about the three week pay period one year. It’s not hard, even for a history teacher to figure out!

Neville confirmed that as of 12/31/23, the child care will cease to exist at STRS.

Dale needs to step down from his TFT duties as well…poor representation!

They would have told you if the salary was evenly divided in 27 checks. No answer is basically saying, "we aren't going to admit that we paid them extra". Of course they gave them an extra check.

If they get paid every two weeks and are hourly employees why did they need an extra check. Everything should have worked out without needing the approval for an extra check. It just shows you how competent Dale Price is. Oh he is a math teacher by the way.

There were several grills lit up in that room. I'm surprised the fire alarm didn't go off ?? Did you notice many times when Neville answered people on the left/right he walked away from the person who posed the question... with his back to that person. He kept trying to get through his PowerPoint and the masses wouldn't let him.

...gaslighting at its finest.

The only reason every one of us is talking about alternatives to a 27th check is that none of us have ever gotten one! But according to STRS it is common practice...then why do we all, retired and active, not get a 27th check?