Denny Jordan to STRS Board: I’m looking for heroes. Maybe the STRS staff would like to step forward??? Maybe say no thanks to bonuses when they see there isn’t enough to go around.

From Denny Jordan

STRS BOARD Public Commentary 5/16/24

Mr. Chairman, members of the Board.

I am Denny Jordan, retired Science Teacher from Wooster City Schools. I retired with 20 years service.

Hero.

Long ago I read a quote by E. W. Howe and it has stuck with me. He said, “A boy does not have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn’t like pie when he sees there isn’t enough to go around.”

It may sound silly at first but to me it means that a simple personal sacrifice, for the good of others, can be an act of heroism.

That idea is not an uncommon one in the world of education. Teachers especially are known for this attitude. Even when it comes to settling differences in opinion I’ve heard a thousand times, “let’s do what is best for the kids.” We make sacrifices for the good of others. I have over $1,000 in uncollected lunch money loans. Money I knew was never coming back, but I knew a kid with food in their stomach would be a better student.

I’m always looking for heroes. There are a bunch of them sitting on the other side of that glass wall. People who took time out of their day to fight for what all educators deserve. A dignified and adequate retirement after 30 years of service. We don’t want more than what we earned. Exactly what we were promised.

There are thousands of educators in Ohio that walked through the doors of their schools this morning. Heroes. And there are a few heroes in front of me who have been fighting hard for us. And I thank them.

STRS staff are supposed to be working for our benefit and well being. Fiduciaries. Each staff member should realize that the numbers, charts and graphs represent people. Those numbers are people’s faces, lives and dreams. The staff’s goal should be doing what is best for us, not how much they can get away with. I think every staff member should be assigned an educator. Have their face as their computer background picture. Much like when my students collected money and adopted a manatee.

Right now the teachers seem to be better fiduciaries than the STRS staff. We sacrifice so that they can be outrageously compensated. I don’t know a single teacher who met their year goals and had their salary matched with a performance bonus. And the artwork in my classroom consisted of the posters that I bought.

I’m looking for heroes. Maybe the STRS staff would like to step forward??? Maybe say no thanks to bonuses when they see there isn’t enough to go around.

Thank you for three minutes of your time.