Ohio Retirement for Teachers Association
ORTA advocates for the pensions and benefits of Ohio's active and retired educators; demands accountability from the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio; and lobbies 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.
ORTA’s Pension Defense Fund was established in May 2023 to assist Wade Steen in his legal battle with Governor DeWine to retain his voice for reforms at STRS.
Now the governor is calling on Attorney General Yost to ‘investigate’ the hostile takeover of the STRS board. The A.G. is turning his sights on the very people the membership has elected to force transparency on issues like:
Investment strategies that have failed the members but enriched the investment staff, their friends on Wall St., and the politicians in Ohio.
Investment fees and costs that are considered ‘private documents.’
The relationship between STRS’ high priced outside lobbyists and the makeup of the STRS board of trustees.
STRS Ohio Board members Wade Steen and Rudy Fichtenbaum are incurring legal fees as they defend themselves against the Ohio Attorney General's lawsuit.
Your continued support of ORTA’s Pension Defense Fund is essential to ORTA’s efforts to reform STRS and build a culture at STRS that values its members over the highly paid staff at STRS. Please consider a donation.
Please donate today to help support our democratically elected reformers and ensure their ability to bring about real change at STRS.
Every dollar will be critical in this fight!
ORTA is excited to introduce a new benefit to protect our active teachers.
Protect your reputation and your career today with professional liability coverage.
Become a member of ORTA and qualify for the new Educators Professional Liability Policy provided through our trusted benefits partner, AMBA.
Explore coverages and get started.
Visit AMBA Benefits and apply online today!
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. Retirees often tell us that they are thankful for the overview and knowledge they gain. Join us for the next one, and invite a friend!
April: Emergency Transportaion Issues in Ohio
May: Preparing for Summer - Discounts
August: Protecting Your Nest Egg
October: The Basics of Medicare
November: All About Long Term Care
December: Holiday Discounts for ORTA members
David Pepper has published three videos within the past year about STRS Ohio. Pepper talks about Governor DeWine's removal of Wade Steen from the STRS Ohio Board in May 2023, DeWine's subsequent appointment of a second repacement for Steen, and the Ohio Attorney General's recent lawsuit against Board members Rudy Fichtenbaum and Wade Steen.
Retiree View of Ohio's Pension Drama
David Pepper
May 23, 2024
Pension Election Denial, Deja Vu
David Pepper
May 15, 2024
When there's smoke...
David Pepper
Jul 1, 2023
ORTA Position on the Election of STRS Ohio Board Candidates and Pension Investments
The mission of ORTA is to monitor, advocate for, and protect the pensions and benefits of its members. The Association shall encourage individuals to improve the social and economic changes and issues relevant to their retirement.
ORTA will endorse STRS Ohio Board candidates who actively advocate for transparency of investments and business practices for the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio Pension System. Transparency of Investment practices shall not conflict with Ohio Revised Code 3307.15. In particular, Section 3307.15. (e), states, “Any statement of financial position distributed by the board shall include the fair value, as of the statement date, of all investments held by the board under this section.”
ORTA believes that once elected, Board members serving as our fiduciaries should adopt a prudent investor approach and avoid investments where the investment’s fair value cannot be independently determined. ORTA supports Board members and STRS management in exploring investments and investment strategies that might bring additional revenues into the pension plan to restore, maintain, or enhance member benefits. ORTA encourages the Board to predetermine a reasonable dollar allocation while vetting such investments and investment strategies to avoid jeopardizing the fiscal integrity of the pension system.
Approved by ORTA Executive Council 5/21/2024
