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Ohio Retirement for Teachers Association
Fighting for Ohio's teachers since 1947!
The mission of ORTA is to monitor, advocate for, and protect the pensions and benefits of its members. ORTA demands accountability from the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio andlobbies Ohio's legislators to provide a strong and sustainable retirement system for all Ohio educators, Pre-K through higher education. We rely on membership dues to continue our work.
Weekly Update: February 7, 2026
This weekend update is a Call To Action directed to our ORTA retirees.
This Spring, there are two STRS Board seats up for grabs. One seat to be filled by an elected active member, and one seat to be filled by an elected retiree. The only two candidates who have approached ORTA are Julie Sellers (active) and Elizabeth Jones (retiree). In the past, ORTA has endorsed both candidates.
To be on the ballot, a candidate needs 500 petition signatures, including 20 from at least 10 counties. It is always easier to get signatures from active teachers for obvious reasons. The signed petitions must be submitted to STRS by February 27 to be on the ballot. Elizabeth Jones has approached ORTA for help to be sure she has the required signatures.
To date, every candidate ORTA has endorsed has been elected. Supporting elected members is important because they are our direct representation. Appointed board members often don’t understand our working conditions or the importance of restoring lost benefits responsibly. Some examples include that, since 2017, our elected board members have voted for 5.5% COLA increases and reduced the number of years required for full retirement. Appointed board members often resisted these measures, seeking 100% full funding before any benefits were restored. Retirees are already 25% behind in their purchasing power since 2017. If it weren’t for the teacher board members, this would be even more dire.
Elizabeth Jones needs your help. Please click the link below and sign her petition this weekend.
Click here to print and sign Elizabeth's nomination petition.
Thank you,
Dean Dennis, Chair
ORTA Executive Council
ORTA Pension Defense Fund
Please consider making a donation to the Pension Defense Fund to help pay legal fees and expenses to defend and protect our pension and retirement benefits from current and future legal attacks.
Judge grants preliminary injunction in lawsuit over Ohio teachers retirement system
On October 15th, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas issued a preliminary injunction preventing changes to the composition of the STRS Board while litigation is in progress.
ORTA wishes to thank the organizations and individuals who have engaged in our fight to retain elected teachers on the STRS Ohio Retirement Board.
The Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Education Association, and Ohio Conference of American Association of University Professors funded the injunction to stop the removal of elected teachers to the STRS Ohio Board. They released this statement:
“We are thankful for Judge Aveni’s ruling to grant a preliminary injunction. This determination confirms what retired and active members of STRS have known since June: this is an unconstitutional power grab by the legislature. Educators, just like all other public employees in Ohio, deserve a meaningful voice in our pension plan.” — Statement from OEA President Jeff Wensing, OFT President Melissa Cropper, and OC AAUP Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick.
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Colleen Marshall, NBC4 Columbus, has reported factually and without bias on STRS Ohio since the Governor's failed attempt to remove Wade Steen from the STRS Board in May 2023. Watch her report on Judge Aveni's decision to support the preliminary injunction.
David Pepper has dedicated many of his Substack articles to the state's ongoing attack on members of the STRS Ohio Board.
"I have detailed the saga of how Ohio’s always lawless lawmakers have spent years attempting to steal the power of teachers and retirees over their own ($100B) pension fund. And how a number of their attacks have been in clear violation of Ohio law and the constitution." - David Pepper
And above all, we want to thank all of Ohio's teachers who contacted their legislators, asking them not to support this attempt by a small group of politicians to remove democratically elected members from our pension Board.
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Join ORTA today! Take advantage of all of our member benefits!
Free AMBA Webinars
ORTA has partnered with AMBA to offer a series of short webinars about important topics like long term care, Medicare, medical transportation, and more. The talks are educational and informative. Join us for the next one, and invite a friend! āā
Each webinar begins with an ORTA update by Dr. Robin Rayfield, Executive Director.āā
ORTA County Chapters
Join your local county chapter of ORTA for social, educational, and volunteer activities, as well as presentations about STRS Ohio and your retirement benefits. Check our list of county chapters for links to chapter websites and Facebook groups. If your county doesn't have an active chapter, contact ORTA about starting one!
ORTA Facebook Group
We created this new Facebook group to make Ohio's retired and active teachers aware of all of the opportunities available to them at our county chapters throughout the state. Chapters can submit posts about monthly meetings, classroom grants and student scholarships, volunteer opportunities, events and activities.
AMBA Benefits
ORTA has partnered with Association Member Benefits Advisors, to offer our members exclusive group rates on health, Medicare supplement, life, dental, vision, and professional liability insurance. AMBA focuses on providing customized coverage through top-rated insurance providers, with options often available to members who may not otherwise qualify for group rates. ā
ORTA Video Library