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Dr. Fichtenbaum pulls back the curtain on why he believes due to the legislative underfunding, Ohio educators are facing the worst retirement deal in the country.

The conclusion of testimony against two board members of the State Teachers Retirement System, Wade Steen and Rudy Fichtenbaum, leads us to believe that the case is full of holes and should not have been brought in the first place.

The conclusion of testimony against two board members of the State Teachers Retirement System, Wade Steen and Rudy Fichtenbaum, leads us to believe that the case is full of holes and should not have been brought in the first place.

Wondering about long-term care? Many retirees are surprised by what Medicare and health insurance don't cover. Join us to learn the facts, bust the myths, and explore options to protect your health, finances, and family. In addition to learning about long-term care, you will receive an ORTA Update by Dr. Robin Rayfield, ORTA Executive Director.

“When I think of STRS, I think of the beneficiaries, the teachers,” Steen testified Friday. “The rest of us are all support staff, whether we’re board, whether we’re investment staff, whether we’re helping process claims — whatever we do, we’re support staff to the teachers.”

“We’re looking forward to the trial, because that’s when the rubber meets the road,” Abood said. “It’s no longer going to be a question of innuendo or rumor.”

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. Give a big shout out to the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Education Association, and the American Association of University Professors, for coming together to challenge this

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.

In addition to valuable information about Medicare, you'll receive an ORTA Update from Dr. Robin Rayfield.

Was it legal to add an amendment to Ohio’s biennial operating budget bill, Ohio House Bill 69, when essentially no legislators were even aware that it was in Ohio House Bill 69?

The Governor’s signing into law HB 69, containing the Adam Bird amendment, left unchallenged, would change the composition of the STRS Pension Board from seven elected pension members and four political appointees to three elected pension members and eight political appointees. This is unacceptable.

Watch the recording of this free AMBA webinar that was live-streamed on September 16, 2025. In addition to valuable information about life insurance, you'll receive an ORTA Update from Dr. Robin Rayfield.

The Governor’s signing into law HB 69, containing the Adam Bird amendment, left unchallenged, would change the composition of the STRS Pension Board from seven elected pension members and four political appointees to three elected pension members and eight political appointees. This is unacceptable.

Rather than worry about the composition of the STRS board, Ohio lawmakers should be forcing reforms that produce better investment returns. The 10-year cumulative return for the S&P 500 is 290.76 percent, more than double STRS’ assumed rate of return. Additional dollars from taxpayers would not be needed if Ohio was matching market returns, showing where state pension reform should focus.

This change risks politicizing the STRS board. Retirement security should never be treated as a partisan issue. Decisions about teachers’ pensions should be guided by sound financial stewardship and the long-term well-being of retirees — not by shifting political winds. Appointees chosen by politicians risk undermining confidence in the board and eroding the trust educators must have in their retirement system.

The Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Education Association, and the Ohio Conference of American Association of University Professors...

The Board’s consultants are consistently telling the STRS board, the STRS staff, and STRS members that the main problem is the Ohio Legislature. Simply put, Ohio legislators are, and have been, underfunding the pension system.

We are left feeling isolated, unheard, and deeply troubled. We cannot afford to be silent. We will stand together, demand transparency, and fight to restore our voice in how our hard-earned retirement is managed. This is about our dignity and the respect we deserve as Ohio's educators.

This fight has morphed from a ‘fight for inflation protection’ for retired teachers to a fight for what is right and just for people. Instead of eliminating opposing points of view, our elected officials should develop solutions or better responses to the challenges we face.