ORTA is US, and ORTA NEEDS OUR HELP!

 

Weekly Update: November 22, 2025

Our members are doing their job. Our legislators are not. This should become a ballot-box issue.

ORTA is still awaiting a decision on the AG’s case against former STRS Board member Wade Steen and our current Board Chair, Dr. Rudy Fichtenbaum. We weren't expecting a decision before the Thanksgiving holiday.

On a positive note, our new STRS Executive Director, Steven Toole, has decided to hold semi-annual meetings with STRS “stakeholders.” The first of these meetings was held on November 20th, and Robin Rayfield and I attended. All major stakeholder organizations were represented, including our unions. Roughly 25 stakeholders were in attendance, and approximately 8 STRS staff members. STRS laid out an agenda covering topics such as diversification of our investments and active versus passive management. What was refreshing was that stakeholders could signal that they had a question at any time, and staff and stakeholders could engage in a discussion.

My impression was positive. It was a nice gesture that moved towards transparency and opened the door for frank discussion—a tip of the hat to Executive Director Toole for starting some honest dialogue.

My overriding takeaway from the two-hour meeting remains that the pain that members feel, and many of the investment allocations they are uncomfortable with, are a result of the Ohio Legislature's underfunding of our pension.

In a non-Social Security State such as ours, members rely upon their pension plan for inflation relief. This is why, in the other non-Social Security states, the combined Employer and Employee Contributions average 38%. Public pension plans in which employees do not participate in Social Security require higher employer contributions to provide inflation protection. In Ohio, the Employer side of the contribution is dropping the ball. Legislators control this.

In Ohio, the Employer Contribution is 14% and the Employee Contribution is 14% for a total contribution of 28%. Outside of Ohio, in the other non-Social-Security states, the average Employer Contribution is 30% and the average Employee Contribution is 8% for a total contribution of 38%. Ohio’s Employer Contribution rate is more than 50% behind other non-Social-Security states (14% compared to 30%). Legislative inaction has forced cuts to our benefits.

Our members are doing their job; our legislators are not. This should become a ballot-box issue.

My best, and I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving.

Dean Dennis, Chair

ORTA Executive Council

ORTA needs your help. Please make a donation to the Pension Defense Fund to help pay legal fees to defend and protect our pension and retirement benefits from current and future legal attacks. We are seeking 1,000 members to contribute $10 per month to the fund. This would enable us to pay attorney fees and rebuild the Pension Defense Fund

Click HERE to donate to the Pension Defense Fund.