ORTA Needs YOUR Help!
- STRS Ohio Watchdogs
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
ORTA advocates for the pensions and benefits of Ohio's active and retired educators.
Every STRS board candidate we have endorsed since 2012 has been elected by STRS membership. These board members have responsibly granted a COLA three times and reduced active teachers’ years of service for a full retirement by 3 years after the drastic cuts that began in 2012.
An ORTA membership costs only $30 per year, and our total staff operating budget is less than $120,000 annually. ORTA is a 77-year-old shoestring operation. In years past, we survived well with a frugal budget, but that was yesterday.
Today, the climate is very different. Teachers are under attack. Politicians seem willing to neglect public education, and those who choose to pursue a career in our field. When our members elect board members who responsibly restore modest lost benefits and look out for us, we witness the political powers surface and knock us backward.
The Midnight Massacre was the latest overt act.
First, it was the illegal removal of an appointed board member before his term was over.
Second, there were frivolous charges by the AG against two board members based on an “anonymous” letter.
Now, it’s reconfiguring the balance of power of our STRS Board by introducing language into the Ohio Budget Bill at 1:30 in the morning—all these attacks on our pension need to be challenged.
ORTA is ready to meet the challenge, but we can’t do it on a shoestring budget.
A couple of years ago, ORTA had the foresight to establish the Pension Defense Fund. We aimed to fulfill our mission of advocating for the pensions and benefits of Ohio’s active and retired educators. To date, members have contributed nearly $110,000; however, we have incurred approximately $260,000 in legal expenses.
The trial of Ohio Attorney General Yost versus Wade Steen and Rudy Fichtenbaum is scheduled to begin in October 2025. When a legal issue involving the STRS Board arises, the only recourse for a board member is to seek defense from the Ohio Attorney General. This doesn’t seem like a reasonable option when it is the Ohio Attorney General himself who is bringing the charges. Bypassing the Ohio Attorney General negates the board members' insurance safety net. Challenging this, of course, would result in yet more legal action.
ORTA needs your help. This is genuinely a truth-to-power issue. As in the case with the Governor, it takes money to stand up for what is right. ORTA wants to fight for your right to have a voice.
This is why we are asking members to make a sustaining contribution to the Pension Defense Fund for the next 24 months to fight current and future lawsuits. We are iseeking 1,000 members to contribute $10 per month to the fund. This would enable us to pay attorney fees and rebuild the Pension Defense Fund.
Thank you!
Dr. Robin Rayfield, Executive Director
Dean Dennis, Executive Council Chair
