Mary Gierhart shares her observations and pointed questions regarding the lopsided structure of the STRS pension system at the October board meeting and urges the board to make the necessary changes

Mary Gierhart's speech to the STRS board

October 16, 2025

Suzanne Laird to STRS board: What will it take for STRS to see the light? It is now time to stop the subterfuge and begin working with us, the very teachers who belong on this Board. There is strength in numbers, there is strength in truth.

From Suzanne Laird

October 16, 2025

Speech to STRS board 10/16/2025: What will it take to move forward?

Good Morning, Members of MY Board:

I wonder, what will it take?

What will it take until all members of my Board and all 500 employees begin taking us seriously? We have quite a few new people in this room who seem to continue to promote the false narrative that we present “misinformation.” For example, despite actual physical proof, vanity town halls are claiming that the COLA was never guaranteed. Is this simple ignorance or willful ignorance?

What will it take? Your own governance advisors (GGA, p. 25, last month), suggest transparency on fees and cutting costs, yet later today I notice you will discuss continuing to replace retiring staff, instead of cross-training and downsizing.

If you won’t listen to your own advisors, how about the magistrates, judges and courts?

Colluding with senior research advisors, lobbyists, and legislators to violate constitutional law borders on more than ignorance, it implies arrogance.

I, myself  (and my famous sign), have been attending these Board meetings for more than 10 years and am fortified by the recent joining of OFT, OEA, and AAUP in current and upcoming lawsuits.

What will it take for STRS to see the light? It is now time to stop the subterfuge and begin working with us, the very teachers who belong on this Board. There is strength in numbers, there is strength in truth.

What will it take to move forward?

Colleen Marshall: Judge grants preliminary injunction in lawsuit over Ohio teachers retirement system

Colleen Marshall

NBC4 Columbus

October 15, 2025

Judge grants preliminary injunction in lawsuit over Ohio teachers retirement system

Click HERE to view Colleen Marshall's video where she tells this story. 

From David Pepper: Breaking! Ohio Statehouse Caught Violating the Constitution....Again

Caught Stealing Teachers' Pension Fund in the Dead of Night

By David Pepper

Oct 15, 2025

It’s as egregious and lawless of a power grab as I’ve ever witnessed.

Here and elsewhere, I have detailed the saga of how Ohio’s always lawless lawmakers have spent years attempting to steal the power of teacher and retirees over their own ($100B) pension fund. And how a number of their attacks have been in clear violation of Ohio law and the constitution.

Ohio lawmakers set to remove majority of educators from retired teachers' pension fund board

A few years back, it was the Governor himself who was found to have violated the law in how he replaced one pension board member with another—egregiously skirting Ohio law in the way he did so.

Well, just hours ago, a Court confirmed yet another egregious law violation.

This time, as I’ve written previously, it was the lawless way that the legislature replaced almost all the members of the pension board that teacher and retirees elect with…you guessed it…appointees by the politicians themselves. Essentially, the politicians stole the board majority from teachers and retirees and gave it to themselves.

But since they tried to pull off this undemocratic coup in the early morning hours of the final day of the budget process—giving no opportunity to have a hearing on such a sweeping (and non-budget related) change—it turns out they violated the Ohio Constitution in several ways.

I argued this a few weeks back HERE.

There I walk through the painful history of illegality and backroom shenanigans that culminated in the 11th hour (actually 1:00-am hour) stripping of the pension board from control of the teachers and retirees who built it.

And today, a Court agreed.

Its key findings:

•  throughout the entire budget process, the makeup of the teachers pension board had not once appeared in any version of either the House or Senate version

•  this isn’t a surprise, since no part of Ohio’s budget appropriates dollars to the teachers pension or its operation or management (because the system is entirely self-funded by the pension itself—either contributions, or investment income)

•  nonetheless, the non-budgetary amendment replacing most of the elected members of the board first appeared at 1:00 a.m. of a conference committee on the final day of the budget— “introduced and approved without prior hearings, public notice, or deliberation.” There were no hearings, testimony or debate on the proposed change at any point of the budget process.

•  It was approved several hours later by the Senate and House.

•  * Specifically, the changes altered the board makeup from being seven to three members elected by teachers and retirees, to be replaced by four political appointees (from 7-4 to 3-8). Not only would teacher and retirees now be confined to a permanent superminority, but those they elect would also be barred from serving as the board’s president or vice president.

The Law

As I explained in my prior post, to forbid maneuvers like this, Ohio’s Constitution requires that all bills be:

1) presented as a single subject

and

2) be up for consideration on three different days.

The facts above are pretty clear that both were violated by the lawless legislature, and the Court didn’t mince words in confirming this was the case:

•  Single Subject Rule Violation: the amendments to the pension board “have no logical nexus to the roughly 3,000 surrounding pages of the appropriations bill”—“Simply put, the [pension] amendments are a mere second-subject, non-appropriations rider wrongly grafted onto the otherwise wholly separate single-subject appropriations bill.”

•  Three Considerations Violation: “it would be impossible to argue that this second, freestanding subject received three considerations on three separate days by each house. To the contrary, the bill…received no further deliberation in either house after 1:00 a.m.”

The Court ordered that any implementation of the takeover of the board be halted immediately.

Boom!

Now let me summarize in plain speak: because this gerrymandered statehouse was so afraid of the blowback from teachers and retirees for a blatant political takeover of their pension, these feckless politicians tried to pull it off at 1:00 a,m. in the morning and give no opportunity for those retirees and teachers to speak out against it.

But in their fear of teachers and retirees from across Ohio, the country’s most corrupt legislature once again broke the law. Egregiously.

Their plan, for now, is stopped.

But….if this gets appealed to higher courts, and the Ohio Supreme Court in particular, keep showing up and speaking out.

And please give a big shout out to Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio Education Association, and the American Association of University Professors, for coming together to challenge this lawless takeover.

OEA letter to members: update on the attempted takeover of the STRS board by Ohio legislators

From OEA

October 16, 2025

Dear KATHERINE, 

We want to inform you of a significant legal development in the ongoing case involving the State Teachers Retirement System Board (STRS). 

On September 16, 2025, members of the Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors filed the lawsuit in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, challenging legislation passed in the 11th hour of the state budget process that would add more politically-appointed members to the board and then gradually eliminate four elected positions. The State filed an appeal of the temporary restraining order, to try to ram through the changes to the STRS Board now, while the court process continues to unfold and on September 30, 2025, the State’s appeal was denied. Judge Aveni of the Franklin County Common Pleas court entered an order formally extending the TRO until Wednesday, October 15, 2025. 

And today, Wednesday, October 15, 2025, a judge granted a preliminary injunction in the case brought against the STRS. This decision temporarily halts specific actions by the Board while the legal process continues. The injunction represents an important step in holding the STRS accountable and ensuring that transparency, responsible governance, and the protection of your retirement benefits remain a top priority. 

The Ohio Education Association has long advocated for reforms at STRS that prioritize the interests of active and retired educators. We view this ruling as a positive development in that fight. It underscores the seriousness of the issues raised in the case and reflects the court’s recognition that immediate relief was necessary to prevent potential harm while the case proceeds. 

We will continue to monitor this situation closely and keep you updated as more information becomes available. In the meantime, we remain committed to advocating for retirement security, transparency, and accountability on your behalf. 

Thank you for your continued support and for all you do for Ohio’s students and communities. 

Please click here to send a message to your members of the Ohio General Assembly today! 

In solidarity, 

Jeff Wensing, OEA President

STRS Gravy Train