We have worked too hard to acquiesce to such an authoritarian, antidemocratic move. We cannot, and will not let this stand.

Karen Loeffler adressed the STRS Board during Public Participation on May 15, 2025.

My name is Karen Loeffler. I retired in July 2012 with 30 years experience as a high school classroom teacher and as a middle school counselor. I have worked in three different districts, and also spent countless hours as a volunteer in Pickerington Schools, in a variety of capacities.

To address all my concerns in three minutes is an impossible task. By necessity, then, I will focus on just a few items. First, a reminder that the board's most important obligation is to act as a fiduciary for the members. A fiduciary has a legal, ethical relationship of trust with the beneficiaries. Those of you who are elected members, whether active or retired, have been given our trust and belief that you will fulfill that duty. Those of you who are appointed members have an obligation to represent those who appointed you, but that does not negate your fiduciary responsibility to the members of STRS, both active and retired.

The disinformation re: many of us who are actively trying to protect our pensions and our future financial security continues. ORTA, the Ohio Retirement for Teachers Association, continues to advocate for us. In May of 2023, they established the Pension Defense Fund to "collect and hold for disbursement financial resources for activities that would advance ORTA mission to protect pensions of STRS members." When you are accused of illegal activities, whether the claims are true or false, you must defend yourself in court, and that takes money, in large amounts. I, like so many others, have donated to this fund. I have read accusations in the press that this fund is provided by "dark money", which I would find laughable were it not so serious. All I can say to that accusation is that it must be time to donate again.

The latest threat seems to be an effort by the political powers to replace our elected board members with a board that would be a majority of appointed members. I have no polite words to express my utter and complete disgust and outrage for this. We have worked too hard to acquiesce to such an authoritarian, antidemocratic move. We cannot, and will not let this stand.

Click on this link to watch the recordings of the Board meeting on May 15th including Public Participation: https://www.strsoh.org/about/board-meetings.html