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Ohio Retirement for Teachers Association
Fighting for Ohio's teachers since 1947!
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.
Weekly Update: January 3, 2026
Happy New Year to everybody!
To begin your update, ORTA is still waiting on the judge’s ruling in the Wade Steen and Dr. Rudy Fichtenbaum case. ORTA really wasn’t expecting a decision over the holidays.
What is noteworthy is that the new membership fee structure approved by ORTA’s state-wide council went into effect at the beginning of the year. The base membership increased modestly, increasing from $30 to $36. The last membership fee increase was 15 years ago, in 2011. There is a discount option that lets members purchase 3 years for $90, which still allows them to receive an annual membership at the old rate.
Also new, is the introduction of an ORTA Sustaining Membership. A “sustaining” membership, for those who choose to pay more, helps ORTA better cover the increase in operating expenses. ORTA will acknowledge sustaining members with a small gift. All of the above is now posted on the ORTA website.
As we enter 2026, ORTA is well aware that this is an election year. ORTA will ensure that legislators are well aware that our pension is drastically underfunded, that our retirees lack consistent inflation protection, and that members aren’t happy with education dollars being diverted from public schools through vouchers.
Dean Dennis, Chair
ORTA Executive Council
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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ORTA Pension Defense Fund
ORTA is continuing to collect donations for our Pension Defense Fund to pay for the ongoing lawsuit brought against current Board Chair Rudy Fichtenbaum and former Board member Wade Steen by Ohio AG Yost.
Please consider making a donation to the Pension Defense Fund to help pay legal fees to defend and protect our pension and retirement benefits from current and future legal attacks.
Join ORTA today! Take advantage of all of our member benefits!
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!
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 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