Suzanne Laird to STRS board: A challenge to STRS employees to put their raises and their bonuses to compassionate use

Suzanne Laird's speech to STRS board

August 18, 2026

Good Afternoon, Members of MY Board:

Well, we saw quite a show last week at the ORSC meeting. I will reserve my comments regarding the Heritage Foundation journal article for another time, once the Math starts “Mathing.”

You may start your timer now.

Let’s set aside the manufactured outrage on that, and instead, focus on the comparison brief of the five pension systems in the state of Ohio: the one which stated that STRS retirees have the lowest purchasing power, without a dependable COLA, and that our purchasing power has degraded more than all others. Where was the outrage when it was revealed that our assumed future COLA rate is zero?!

As my 10 year old sign says: Do the Math: no 3% COLAs….. no bonuses. No matter how many times we drag ourselves and our tattered signs down here, we know you will still award the ridiculous raises and bonuses.

At the March meeting, one of the highest paid STRS employees approached me and said he’d done some investigating. Had I taught in the school district from which he graduated? We determined yes, while I had not taught him, I taught some of his siblings. I’d like to remind this employee, as well as all the overly-well compensated employees here, what our Worthington City Schools treasurer did, once.

This school treasurer won an award for having prudently managed the taxpayer’s money. The award came with a monetary bonus. Instead of pocketing that bonus, he anonymously donated it to the lowest-paid employee of the district.

Now, if you have attended any of the town hall meetings, you’ve heard that STRS is still paying benefits to some teachers over the age of one hundred years. No mention is ever made of their final average salary.

I challenge any of you in this building to donate this year’s raise to a one hundred (or more) year old retiree. How about one tenth of your bonus? Or how about your entire TWO hundred fifty thousand dollar bonus?

Who is really worthy of that amount? You, or a hundred year old teacher you purportedly work for?