ORTA NEWS:
RETIRED TEACHERS. . .
STAY ACTIVE - STAY INFORMED!!
www.orta.org (register for the Members' Only)
IMPORTANT:
ORTA IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH POP5
ORTA is NOT affiliated with POP5. Please read this statement from our executive director:
Many of you have reached out to the ORTA office asking about a recent mailing you have received from ‘Protect Ohio Pensions’. This group seeks your membership suggesting that the pension system is in danger. Further, this group claims that your membership will help to protect you public pension.
As Executive Director of ORTA, I am concerned with the STRS pension system. I am not very familiar with the other 4 public pension systems in Ohio, but I can assure all STRS members that ORTA is actively engaged in advocacy on behalf of STRS retirees. I can also say that, during my four years as the leader at ORTA, I have never seen anyone from POP5 at any STRS meeting. To my knowledge, they have never offered any support at any STRS meeting, have never attended an STRS meeting, have never attended an HPA meeting, nor spoken out at any meeting of retired teachers. Of course, ORTA welcomes everyone that works on behalf of STRS retirees. ORTA has embraced partnerships with STRS Watchdogs and STRS Members Only Forum. Both of these groups are actively engaged in advocacy on behalf of STRS retirees. ORTA is NOT affiliated in any fashion with Protect Ohio Pensions. In fact each of the 5 public pension system advocacy groups have asked Protect Ohio Pensions to stop hinting as though there is a relationship between Protect Ohio Pensions and the advocacy groups.
I am asked questions such as “ Is ORTA working with Protect Ohio Pensions?’ The answer is No.’ What does Protect Ohio Pensions do in the way of advocacy?’ My answer is I see no evidence of advocacy from Protect Ohio Pensions. If they are engaged in advocacy, I am unaware of their efforts.
I hope this helps each retiree decide what to do with the offer from POP5 to join their organization. My advice is ‘Join the proven group engaged in advocacy since 1947. Join ORTA’. After all, ORTA has a track record of advocacy including:
• Serving as the collection point for the recent forensic audit
• Attendance at ALL STRS Meetings
• Offering testimony at STRS meetings
• Meeting with elected officials in the Ohio House and Senate. Providing copies of the Forensic Audit to all elected officials, including the governor, and attorney general.
In Solidarity,
Robin Rayfield, ORTA Executive Director
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Message from the President
Greeting ORTA members,
I am pleased to be greeting you for the first time as the ORTA President. It is especially exciting to be serving in the year of our 75th Anniversary of the establishment of the Ohio Retired Teachers Association.
I am looking forward, with great anticipation, to serving with our new President-Elect, Dean Dennis, a man of unique talents and dedication to the retired teachers of Ohio.
In the upcoming year, I look forward continuing our progress for our membership and all of the retired teachers of our State. To continue our work we need the efforts, support, and input of our membership – a constituency of many and varied talents. I also look forward to visiting our local Chapters and meeting our members. I hope to meet many of you at our upcoming 75th Anniversary celebration, October 12th. This is your organization, and we have much to celebrate and of which to be proud.
Message from the President
Greeting ORTA members,
I am pleased to be greeting you for the first time as the ORTA President. It is especially exciting to be serving in the year of our 75th Anniversary of the establishment of the Ohio Retired Teachers Association.
I am looking forward, with great anticipation, to serving with our new President-Elect, Dean Dennis, a man of unique talents and dedication to the retired teachers of Ohio.
In the upcoming year, I look forward continuing our progress for our membership and all of the retired teachers of our State. To continue our work we need the efforts, support, and input of our membership – a constituency of many and varied talents. I also look forward to visiting our local Chapters and meeting our members. I hope to meet many of you at our upcoming 75th Anniversary celebration, October 12th. This is your organization, and we have much to celebrate and of which to be proud.
Latest STRS News
OHIO ADOPTS UNIVERSAL SCHOOL VOUCHERS
The Ohio legislature recently passed its two-year operating budget. Included in that budget was a major change in providing public tax dollars (vouchers) for students to attend private schools. Historically, Ohio’s vouchers were only available to students who had been attending an “under-performing” public school.
Ohio’s voucher program (known as EdChoice scholarships) beginning with this 2023-24 school year, will now provide annual tuition assistance to ALL of Ohio’s school-age students to attend a private school.
The amount of tuition assistance depends upon: annual family income, family size and the student’s grade level. The maximum $ assistance amount (per student/per year) is $6,165 for grades K-8 and $8,407 for grades 9-12. The maximum amount would be received by a family of two at or below the $78,880 income level or $120,000 for a family of four.
For parents interested in EdChoice scholarships contact the private school desired for enrollment forms and specific financial assistance data. To receive your full (non-prorated) tuition assistance payment, your application must be submitted by October 15th. ** (Source of financial data , ABJ (8/18/23).
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Lloyd Knudsen, MCRTA Legislative Chair
This bill passed!
Backpack Bill House Bill 11 – This bill would provide universal vouchers to all students in Ohio. In essence, this bill would provide between $6500 and $7500 to each school aged child in Ohio to attend any school in Ohio, public, private, or home school. At a cost of over $1 billion this legislation would significantly undercut the public schools in Ohio. As you may recall, the vouchers program began in Cleveland several years ago costing around $42 million. This year the vouchers programs in Ohio cost about $350 million. With the proposed legislation in SB 5 this would triple to over $1 billion. There are several reasons ORTA opposes this legislation:
- Every dollar that goes towards funding private educational organizations is a dollar that is not sent to our constitutionally mandated system of public schools. With our schools struggling to accomplish the monumental task of educating Ohio’s children, any diversion of resources designated for education is unthinkable.
- Since 2000 approximately $25 billion has been directed to private schools undermining support for public schools.
- Originally, the voucher program was developed to assist impoverished students in pursuit of a private education. Currently, the majority of the money is directed to families that have already decided to send children to private schools in the form of a rebate for costs paid to private schools.
- SB 11 would open the doors to home schooled parents to receive vouchers to educate their children at home.
- This legislation is the biggest threat to the common public school and will devastate the public school as we know it.
- As STRS retirees, SB 11 will have a negative impact on our pension system. By incentivizing parents to choose private schools over public schools fewer educators are needed as student enrollment in public schools dwindles. Fewer educators paying in to the STRS system means less contributions into the STRS system.
Accordingly, ORTA is strongly opposed to HB 11.
SB 1 – This bill has already passed the senate and is being worked on in the Ohio House. This bill would strip the State Board of Education of its power to regulate public schools in Ohio and place the control of our public schools in the hands of the governor. This would reverse a constitutional amendment voted on by the people of Ohio. In recent meetings of the Ohio State Board of Education, legal challenges to SB 1 were discussed. It may well be that this bill is on a fast track to passage, however ORTA is opposed to such a power grab by the executive branch of our state government. This bill is known as House bill 12 in the house. Both versions move the department of education into the governor’s control.
HB 1 – This bill would reduce the ‘assessment level’ on property tax from the current 35% level down to 31.5%. The net effect of HB 1 would be that property owners would pay less in taxes each year. This bill also would change the rates Ohio citizens would pay on income. Interesting to note is that projections from Ohio Policy Matters indicate that most of the reductions in taxes would go to the very wealthy. Perhaps this is a good thing, however, schools (and other municipalities) would receive less revenue. This would force more and more schools to seek tax increases to maintain current levels of funding. ORTA’s Legislative Committee did not take a firm stand on this issue, however, we do believe that all citizens should be aware of this legislation.
HB 78 – House Bill 78 concerns STRS elections. Currently the STRS board has 7 elected seats and 4 appointed seats. Of the elected seats, 5 are seats held by ‘active contributing members’ and 2 elected seats are held by ‘retirees’. With a split of 49% retirees and 51% active members, ORTA has lobbied for a more representative board at STRS. ORTA has requested that 1 of the active seats become a retiree seat. What is worse, is that currently people that retired from teaching and were re-employed in an educator’s role were unable to run for ANY seat on the STRS board. HB 78 is a compromise piece of legislation that allows a retiree/rehire person to run for either a retiree or an active seat on the STRS board. STRS management opposes this legislation and has attempted to amend the legislation to allow retired/rehired people to ONLY run for a retiree seat. ORTA supports the bill in its current form which would allow retirees to have a CHANCE at having more representation on the STRS board. This bill has been introduced but has not had any hearing to date.
Finally, ORTA has ‘heard through the legislative grapevine’ that the Fair School Funding Bill (Cupp-Patterson) is included in Ohio’s budget. As I understand this bill, the phase 1 portion is included in Ohio’s budget. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but this looks promising for the schools in Ohio. ORTA is supportive of the Fair School Funding Bill
So the question becomes, ‘What do we do with this information’? ORTA has a history of influence with state level politicians. We ask that each chapter leader forward this to the legislative committee of your local RTA. We further ask that each chapter reach out to their local state representative and Senator to let our voices be heard. A simple phone call or email to your local elected officials is extremely effective. Listed below is a step by step process to have a significant impact.
- Determine who your local state officials are. You can find your representative or senator here
- Write or call your elected official and voice your opinion on the legislative proposals.
- Remember, it is far more effective if multiple people make contact with an elected official one time than if 1 person makes contact several times.
- Ask about any town halls, or regular office hours your elected official has in your area. Attend one of these opportunities and voice your concerns.
- Another place to locate your elected official using your address is here:
- https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
