ORTA to monitor which legislators respond to and support our issues -- and which ones don't; and will share the information with us

From ORTA Blog

December 20, 2025

ORTA Weekly Update - December 20, 2025

This will be the last weekend update of 2025 unless there is breaking news. We hope everyone enjoys the final days of 2025.

As mentioned last week, the arguments in the Wade Steen and Dr. Rudy Fichtenbaum case were submitted to Judge Karen Held Phipps on Monday, December 15, for adjudication. The Judge does not have a timeline for a decision.

The most recent ORTA news is that the ORTA Executive Council held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 17th. The most relevant information to share is that ORTA is convinced that the 2026 election year is crucial for its members. Three key issues separate themselves. The first is that Ohio retired teachers lack adequate inflation protection. The second issue goes hand in hand with the first: Ohio legislators are underfunding the STRS pension plan because their Employer Contribution Rate lags the national average by a wide margin. The third issue is that the Ohio Legislature is using taxpayer dollars for vouchers, thereby diverting money away from public education.

The ORTA Executive Council has determined that we need to keep these critical issues in front of Ohio legislators every month. The first correspondence will be sent out before the end of the year. ORTA will keep a record of who is responding to and supporting our issues, and who isn’t. When we have enough data, we will be sharing the information with you.

My Best,

Dean Dennis, Chair
ORTA Executive Council