OEA 175th Anniversary Video
Since 1847, the Ohio Education Association has been proud to lead the way for great public schools for every child. As OEA marks its 175th anniversary, members and leaders have been sharing their memories from the last several decades of serving Ohio’s students and fighting for the teaching and learning conditions all Ohioans deserve.
From the hard-won fight for collective bargaining rights in Ohio to the ongoing struggle to secure fair funding for all of our schools, these stories have been brought together in this short film.
We invite you to watch and reminisce along with the dedicated educators who have shared their perspectives in this video. As we contemplate our collective past, we are empowered to create a brighter future together for all Ohio students:
Ohio Education Association decries Gov. DeWine’s decision to sign HB 99
“Our students and educators need to be in safe environments where they can focus on teaching and learning, not on the threat of having unprepared, woefully undertrained people—regardless of their good intentions—making split-second life-or-death decisions about whether to pull the trigger in a chaotic classroom full of innocent bystanders. It would take hundreds of hours of training and firearms practice to be ready for those situations; Governor DeWine says he’s fine with just 24 hours of instruction,” said OEA President Scott DiMauro. “It’s absurd.”
OEA members have been clear that they do not want to be in the dual role of educating students and serving as armed security guards. Ohio’s educators should be trusted to do the jobs they’ve gone through years of training to do; instead, they’re being asked to shoulder the burden of potentially shooting one of their own students with just a few days of training.
“DeWine’s decision to sign this dangerous legislation on the same day that Ohio’s new law allowing just about anyone to carry a concealed weapon with zero training takes effect truly shows where his priorities lie,” DiMauro said.
DeWine himself endorsed a plan with approximately 150 hours of training for school personnel who were authorized to carry guns in schools when he was attorney general. As he stated, “It’s not just about can I [armed school staff] shoot a gun. That’s just a small part of it. It’s: Do I have enough training to be able to react so that my training goes into effect, and I don’t end up shooting someone who’s innocent?” (Dayton Daily News, Jan. 28, 2014). “His choice to sign a bill requiring just 24 hours of training now does not reflect any change in the need for rigorous training standards,” DiMauro pointed out. “It just reflects DeWine’s own lowered standards for himself and his unwillingness to stand up for Ohio’s kids.”
June 2022 OEA Retirement Systems Update
ORSC Reviews Retirement Systems’ Investment Performance
The Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) is a legislative body that provides oversight for Ohio’s public retirement plans. On May 12, 2022, the ORSC received a review of the pension systems’ investment performance by Jim Voytko, president of RVK, the council’s investment consultant.
The results showed very strong returns, net of fees, for OPERS, SERS, and STRS over the 2021 calendar year. During this period, STRS posted the highest return with 19.24%, followed by SERS with 17.13% and OPERS with 15.34%. Below is a chart that shows the net return for each of the three systems over a one, three, five, seven, and 10-year period.
| System | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 7 years | 10 years |
| OPERS | 15.34 | 14.84 | 11.41 | 9.32 | 10.08 |
| SERS | 17.13 | 15.48 | 11.99 | 9.89 | 10.48 |
| STRS | 19.24 | 16.51 | 12.42 | 10.30 | 11.04 |
Compared to pension plans across the United States, the Ohio systems performed better than most public plans with at least $1 billion in assets. These comparisons were made on gross returns because net return data is not available for all funds.
ORSC Chair Representative Phil Plummer (R- Dayton) asked Voytko to respond to concerns that STRS investment performance is particularly bad. He responded that there is no data to support those claims. “If you look at their performance versus their benchmarks…they have done well. And if you look at their returns against a large number of other public pension plans, they rank anywhere from the top quartile to top decile,” Voytko said. “There’s no number here in any form that would lead me to that conclusion” that STRS had performed badly.
2021 Investment Returns Improve OPERS Funding Status
At the May OPERS Board meeting, OPERS staff gave a review of the system’s 2021 investment returns and funding status. The OPERS Defined Benefit portfolio posted an investment return of over 15% for 2021. The overall funding of the pension plan improved from 82% to 84%.
The funding period of the pension plan represents the amount of time it would take to pay off the unfunded liabilities (reach 100% funded) if all current assumptions were met. Based on the financial status of the plan at the end of calendar year 2021, the funding period of the OPERS plan was 16 years. This represents an improvement from a funding period of 21 years at the end of 2020.
Click here to download a copy of this June 2022 Report to the OEA Board of Directors. Previous Retirement Systems Updates can be viewed under the Affiliate Resources tab on the OEA website.
Ohio Federation of Teachers and Ohio Education Association Urge Gov. DeWine to Veto House Bill 99
“In the wake of the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Ohio lawmakers are rushing to take action to address school safety concerns in our state. The Ohio Education Association and the Ohio Federation of Teachers want to be clear: House Bill 99 will make Ohio’s students less safe in their schools.
The safety of Ohio’s students and educators is our utmost priority, but we know putting more guns into school buildings in the hands of people who have woefully inadequate training—regardless of their intentions—is dangerous and irresponsible. Teachers and other school employees should not be asked to serve dual roles as educators and school safety personnel armed with weapons, but, if they are, rigorous training standards, as set under current Ohio law, are essential. House Bill 99 guts those requirements, capping the state training requirements at 24 hours and putting educators in the impossible position of making split-second life-and-death decisions without sufficient training. This could undoubtedly lead to more tragedies in our schools.
Governor DeWine has acknowledged this himself. When he served as Attorney General, he stated, “It’s not just about can I [armed school staff] shoot a gun. That’s just a small part of it. It’s: Do I have enough training to be able to react so that my training goes into effect, and I don’t end up shooting someone who’s innocent?” (Dayton Daily News, Jan. 28, 2014). He then asked the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission to develop recommendations for appropriate training for school personnel, and the model curriculum was set at approximately 150 hours of training. We now ask the governor, what has changed that would make you say 24 hours of training is enough to arm educators today? The answer is nothing has changed. Twenty-four hours is not enough.
Our students need to be in safe learning environments where they can focus on getting a world-class education; they should not have to worry about what could happen with a gun in the hands of an undertrained individual in their classrooms with them. More work is needed on House Bill 99, and more work is needed by the Ohio legislature to address the needs of our students and educators, like prioritizing mental health resources and enacting common sense gun safety reform. We strongly urge Gov. DeWine to do the right thing and veto House Bill 99.”
July 2022 Ohio Schools
- COVER STORY: Award-winning art for 24th Annual Create a Cover Contest highlights what Ohio’s students love most about their schools
- SUBJECT MATTER
- OEA marks 175 years as the Voice for Public School Educators and Students
- FEATURE
- Direct Conversation
- Retirement System Update
- Political Action
Moved recently? Contact the OEA Member Hotline to update the address on file at 1-844-OEA-Info (1-844-632-4636) or email, membership@ohea.org. Representatives are available Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | OhioSchools — Past Issues
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OEA Congratulates Steve Dackin on Appointment as State Superintendent of Public Instruction
“The Ohio Education Association (OEA) looks forward to working with Steve Dackin in his new role as State Superintendent. By virtue of his former position as vice president of the State Board of Education, Mr. Dackin is well-aware of the many education issues facing Ohio’s students and public schools.
It is imperative that Ohio’s educators continue to have a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions that impact their ability to serve their students every day. All Ohio children, regardless of where they come from or what they look like, deserve an honest and reflective education that empowers them to be proud of who they are, develop critical thinking skills, and grow as strong leaders who can create a better future for all of us. The state Department of Education, under Mr. Dackin’s leadership, must lead the way to ensure Ohio’s educators can deliver on that promise of a world-class education for all.
OEA welcomes the opportunity to work collaboratively with Mr. Dackin to best meet the needs of Ohio’s students. Additionally, OEA thanks Interim Superintendent Stephanie Siddens for her leadership over the last several months.”
May 2022 OEA Retirement Systems Update
STRS Board Increases Health Care Subsidies for Retirees and Makes Plan Improvements
At its April meeting, the STRS Board approved an increase in health care premium subsidies for retirees and made several improvements to the health care program. These changes will lower costs for STRS retirees. Plan changes will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
The Board voted to increase the premium subsidy to 2.2% per year of service from 2.1% per year of service (up to 30 years maximum). For retirees with 30 or more years of service this means that STRS would pay 66% of the monthly premium, up from 63%. Additionally, the current Medicare Part B reimbursement will be converted to a premium credit of $30 and will now be applied to eligible surviving spouses who do not currently receive the reimbursement.
Changes in plan design include: a decrease in the maximum out-of-pocket drug costs to $4,000 from $5,100; improvement to the primary care physician copay in the Medical Mutual and Aetna Basic plans to a $20 copay for each visit; and a change in the pharmacy network that will reduce costs by $2.4 million a year. Savings from the change in the pharmacy network will be used to lower member premiums.
Health care premiums will be approved at the June meeting. However, initial estimates show over a 14% reduction in the premium for the Aetna Medicare Advantage plan and a slight increase of 1% in the most popular plan for pre-65 retirees. When factoring in the change in subsidies, a retiree with 30 or more years of service is projected to pay $23 less a month in the Medicare Advantage plan and $30 less a month in the most popular pre-Medicare plans.
SERS to Extend Health Care Contracts
At its March meeting, the SERS Board approved recommendations to extend contracts with Aetna to provide Medicare Advantage PPO and non-Medicare services to SERS retirees. Buck consulting, which reviewed SERS medical plans, concluded that the current program structure was financially positive, and that SERS should re-negotiate with the provider for cost savings. SERS is expected to realize $21.5 million in savings over the length of a new five-year contract. Additionally, Aetna agreed to no increase in administrative fees for the duration of the contract.
At its April meeting, the SERS Board directed staff to negotiate a new three-year contract with Express Scripts to provide pharmacy management services. Express Scripts has provided these services to SERS since 2008 and offered the lowest net pricing of five respondents to a request for proposals.–
Click here to download a copy of this May 2022 Report to the OEA Board of Directors. Previous Retirement Systems Updates can be viewed under the Affiliate Resources tab on the OEA website.
April – May 2022 Ohio Schools
- COVER STORY: Prioritizing Student Health – When COVID-19 threatened those under his care, district school nurse David Pryer made sure Allen East students, teachers, and staff could return to school safely
- MAKING THE GRADE
- Oberlin’s Kurt Russell Named Finalist for 2022 National Teacher of the Year
- Association
- OEA to Hold In-Person 2022 Spring Representative Assembly with Virtual Component on May 7
- Candidates of OEA Statewide Election
- Proposed Amendments to the OEA Amended and Restated Constitution and Bylaws Spring 2022
Moved recently? Contact the OEA Member Hotline to update the address on file at 1-844-OEA-Info (1-844-632-4636) or email, membership@ohea.org. Representatives are available Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | OhioSchools — Past Issues
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OEA denounces House Bill 616
“These politicians are continuing to use race and sexual orientation as wedge issues to score cheap political points, and they should be ashamed of themselves,” OEA President Scott DiMauro said. “Rather than persisting with these disingenuous attacks on educators and public schools, we need pro-public education policies that enable students to think critically about the world around them and empower them to be proud of who they are, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they express their gender identities, or who they – or their parents – love.”
“House Bill 616 represents yet another example of how a national network of extremists is seeking to hijack the education conversation in our state to control a political narrative and distract Ohioans from the real issues facing our public schools,” DiMauro added. “The architects of this bill, who have decided to copy and paste some of the most damaging parts of Florida’s ultra-divisive legislation, are targeting some of Ohio’s most vulnerable students and families and setting Ohio up for a Florida-like showdown with the businesses our state leaders have been working so hard to attract.”
“Why would Ohio want to follow in Florida’s footsteps after it forced a showdown with Disney, one of the state’s biggest employers?” DiMauro questioned. “HB 616 is exactly the kind of legislation that could send Intel and other major employers running, hurting our students’ future job prospects for decades to come.”
HB 616 would also have a serious chilling effect on Ohio’s education profession, which is already facing a recruitment crisis. At a time when it has become increasingly difficult to attract new educators to our classrooms to ensure the adequate staffing levels our students need to receive a world-class education, Ohio lawmakers are sending exactly the wrong message to the state’s education workforce. “Our students and educators cannot be pawns in these ongoing political games,” DiMauro said. “House Bill 616 would have grave consequences for Ohio’s children, public schools, and wider economy. We all deserve better.”
March 2022 OEA Retirement Systems Update
VICTORY: STRS Board Votes to Pay a 3% COLA, Improves Retirement Eligibility
On Thursday, March 17, 2022, the STRS Board voted to approve a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to eligible retirees for the 2022-2023 fiscal year and remove the age 60 requirement for retirement eligibility with full benefits that was scheduled to take effect in 2026. OEA members on the STRS Board championed these changes and OEA and its members have advocated for them. OEA welcomes this action that benefit both active and retired teachers in the system.
After the Great Recession, the STRS fund was projected to run out of money. This required changes for both active and retired members to improve the funding status of the plan so that reliable benefits would continue to be available for all current and future retirees. Because of the stewardship of OEA members on the STRS Board, the fund is in a healthier financial position, enabling the restoration of some benefits now.
The cost-of-living adjustment of 3% will be calculated on a retiree’s base benefit and will be added to each monthly payment beginning on their anniversary date during the next fiscal year (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023). Under Ohio law, STRS members who have been retired for 60 months are eligible for the COLA. STRS Board member Rita Walters proposed costing out a COLA amount of 3% rather than 2%. The STRS actuary stated that this change coupled with the change in retirement eligibility would not materially impair the fiscal integrity of pension leading to its approval by the Board.
The change in retirement eligibility will provide some needed relief to teachers who saw their possible retirement date pushed out by seven or eight years by pension reform legislation. Under current law, in addition to being eligible to retire at age 65 with at least five years of service, STRS members are eligible to retire with 34 years of service at any age. On August 1, 2023 through July 1, 2026 eligibility will be 35 years of service at any age. Prior to this change by the Board, a requirement of having 35 years of service and being at least age 60 was set to go into effect August 1, 2026 and thereafter. The Board removing the age 60 requirement means that the eligibility for full benefits with 35 years of service and beyond will be in effect from August 1, 2023 and thereafter.
STRS Board Election is Approaching: OEA Recommends McFee, Rhodes and Walters
There is an important election for the STRS Board coming up. OEA’s recommended candidates are Robert McFee and Jeffrey Rhodes for two seats on the Board representing active members and Rita Walters for a seat representing STRS retirees. Each of them currently serve on the STRS Board and are seeking re-election. As demonstrated by their time on the Board and by their recent vote on benefits, they are committed to ensuring the long-term stability of our pension plan as well as restoring benefits for active and retired teachers when finances of the fund allow.
Rita Walters, Robert McFee, and Jeffrey Rhodes were selected as OEA’s member-recommended candidates for the STRS Board seats based on a screening interview by OEA active and retired members and a vote of the OEA Board of Directors. They are proven leaders who are looking out for the best interests of their fellow educators. Ballots will be mailed out in early April, with all active employees – those currently paying into STRS – eligible to vote for the active seats; retired OEA members are eligible to vote for the retired seat.
OPERS Reports 15.3% Investment Return in 2021
The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) received an investment return of 15.3% for the pension fund during the 2021 calendar year. The pension fund ended the year with $109.3 billion in assets.
OPERS has an annualized investment return of 14.9% for the past three years, 11.4% for the past five years, and 10.1% for the past ten years.
The investment return for the OPERS health care fund was 14.3% for calendar year 2021. The health care fund has a different asset allocation than the pension fund based on taking on less risk due to the expected solvency of the fund. The health care fund ended 2021 with $14.5 billion in assets.–
Click here to download a copy of this March 2022 Report to the OEA Board of Directors. Previous Retirement Systems Updates can be viewed under the Affiliate Resources tab on the OEA website.