Message from Dean Dennis

From Dean Dennis, Chair

ORTA Executive Council

From ORTA Newsletter

October 22, 2024

Greetings ORTA Members!

To clarify any possible confusion, the ORTA leadership has eliminated the positions of President, President-Elect, and Past President. These three “president” positions comprise ORTA’s Executive Council, which includes Chris DeMarco, Stephen Seagrave, and myself.

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ORTA held one of our biannual ORTA Board Council meetings this past week.  One meeting is held in the Spring and one in the Fall. The ORTA Statewide Board consists of the three Executive Council Members, the Executive Director (a non-voting position), and one representative from ORTA’s five regions; this gives the ORTA Statewide Leadership Board a total of eight voting members. The five ORTA regions are Central Ohio, Northwest Ohio, Northeast Ohio, Southwest Ohio, and Southeast Ohio. While the State Board meets biannually, the ORTA Executive Council meets monthly.

​To complete the ORTA leadership structure, the organization also has the following essential committees that shape its direction: the Nominating and Endorsement Committee, the Finance Committee, the Legislative Committee, the Technology-Public Relationship-Communication Committee, and the Membership Committee. If any members are interested in serving on these committees, please get in touch with the ORTA Office, and I will contact you.

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I’m delighted to share that our Fall meeting was incredibly productive. Our state committee members raised some important questions about how ORTA is being portrayed in the news. While some reports are accurate, others require our attention. We are confident in our ability to address these issues and move forward, which should give you all a sense of optimism and reassurance.

In May, the Ohio Attorney General reacted months ago to an “anonymous” letter that the press reported was hand-delivered by STRS staff to the Governor’s office. The letter was delivered on a Thursday; by the following Tuesday, the AG had filed a lawsuit against two STRS Board members, implying they might have been advocating for a small company, QED, for personal gains.  As of this writing, none of the innuendos in the letter have been proven. In a quirk in Ohio law, the Board members (at the time of the filing) Wade Steen and Dr. Rudy Fichtenbaum, under Ohio law, were told they had to seek their defense counsel through the AG’s office. The very office that filed the charges. 

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ORTA has been steadfast in supporting our members through the ORTA Defense Fund. When Wade Steen was illegally removed from his appointed Board position, we stood by him, and he prevailed. When the AG filed suit in May, ORTA once again stepped up to support Wade Steen and our endorsed candidate, Dr. Fichtenbaum, against what we believe to be a fishing expedition propagated by STRS management. This fund is a testament to our commitment to our members' well-being and security. 

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Because of ORTA’s unwavering commitment to our mission statement, which states that ORTA advocates for the pensions and benefits of Ohio's active and retired educators and demands accountability from the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, we cannot roll over and let STRS management work against the board members our organization has endorsed.  ORTA is seeking transparency in investments and fees. This threatens STRS management because their fees and private equity investments are not transparent. This implies that there needs to be a change in the management at STRS. This is likely why the current acting Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer have submitted their resignations at STRS. Our commitment to our mission is stronger than ever, and we will continue to fight for transparency and accountability. 

ORTA is on the right track.Through ORTA’s advocacy and coalition building, we have endorsed and played a part in electing strong STRS board members, which has paid off recently. While ORTA strongly opposes going back to a 13th check model, our current Board members know that retirees are deeply impacted by out-of-control inflation. Recently passed was a motion that will deliver some inflation relief to retirees. All retirees who have been retired for one year will be eligible. Here is the formula: add the number of years you contributed to STRS plus the number of years you have been retired, and next multiply that sum by $40. This is the amount you will receive this December on a separate check from your pension check. So, if you contributed to STRS for 30 years and have been retired for 10 years, the math will be 40 units times $40 for $1,600. In addition to the check, retirees will receive, our STRS board is looking to reduce the number of years actives have to serve down to 33 from 34. There hasn’t been a formal motion or vote, but it is being discussed. 

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Lastly, I want to thank Cindy Murphy, our Technology/PR/Communications Chair, and Brian Miller, our Communication and Marketing Consultant. ORTA's website and publications have given ORTA a strong advocacy voice. Retired teachers, active teachers, the media, and legislators have noticed. One such active group of teachers that has taken notice and joined ORTA in mass is the Springfield Local School District in Summit County.  A shout-out to Tina Hartong for her advocacy and a welcome to the 39 new ORTA members from Springfield.

Dean Dennis, Chair

ORTA Executive Council