Trina Kay Prufer: What I learned (after attending two STRS town hall meetings) is that the STRS system, under its current management, is too far beyond redemption to ever meet the needs of teachers.

From Trina Kay Prufer

October 5, 2023

What I learned after attending two STRS town hall meetings…

I must admit that after attending two STRS town hall meetings in two weeks that my negative opinions of STRS have only intensified. On the positive side, it was wonderful being able to meet and talk with so many retired and active teachers about our experiences and mutual concerns. Teachers are truly dedicated, hard working and smart…. and no one is being fooled by the dog and pony show presentation.

On the negative side, I was able to see up close the personalities involved with the institution. There is an almost surreal cheerfulness and friendliness evidenced by the staff who accompany Neville. I don’t doubt that they are probably very nice people in their personal and professional lives, however the “willful blindness” to the financial plight of teachers can’t be hidden behind a facade of being helpful. They are smart and know exactly what our financial futures will hold. Despite this knowledge, the STRS position is that not fulfilling promised obligations is perfectly acceptable and normal. To staff, the written word in STRS documents mean nothing of any consequence.

Perhaps most significantly, I learned that Neville functions in an ethical and moral realm devoid of integrity. He seems to have no qualms about shading the truth, manipulating the facts and statistics and outright lying to attain a financial advantage. That is what his presentation tells us.

At his most egregious, why aim for 100% funding, which will take another 11 years, when you know the losses for teachers grow exponentially, leaving teachers in financial peril? Why tell teachers they were never entitled to the benefits plainly written into STRS documents? He knows perfectly well the cola was guaranteed, as the actuarial amounts owed were programed into STRS computers and calculated at the time of retirement. It was the law; it was the pension plan design approved by the State of Ohio. Does he have no conscience at all?

Neville belongs in the private sector, perhaps representing the corporate interests of the rich and powerful. He should have no place in a retirement system created to pay benefits to teachers. STRS has lost the trust of teachers as it abandoned its core mission decades ago. What I learned is that the STRS system, under its current management, is too far beyond redemption to ever meet the needs of teachers.