ORTA demands transparency surrounding investments and fees, moving the pension towards safer investments, and responsibly restoring lost benefits.

Greetings, Members!

I want to share a brief history of ORTA. Much of the information below can be found on the ORTA website under the ABOUT tab.

The Ohio General Assembly created the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) in 1920. Once established, STRS guaranteed that the retirement benefit could not be reduced for the recipient's life.

In the decade of the 1940s, retired teachers began to feel the impact of inflation. Their small ($35 to $50 a month) retirement benefits suddenly became even smaller as their buying power diminished.

Individual retired teachers began to approach legislators, asking for help increasing retirement benefits to keep pace with inflation, with no success. Active teachers were organized and successfully obtained modest salary increases, which increased their retirement benefits. Retired teachers soon concluded they had to organize and provide a united front to negotiate with legislators and the retirement system.

In 1947, several separate groups of retired Ohio teachers joined forces and formed the Ohio Retired Teachers Association (ORTA) to represent their interests at the General Assembly and STRS. About the same time, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus organized the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), and Ohio joined California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to become the first affiliates of NRTA.

Of interest is why Dr. Andrus organized the NRTA. In 1944, upon retirement, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a volunteer with the California Retired Teachers Association, decided to visit one of her former teachers. She discovered her former teacher living in a backyard chicken coop because her income was too meager to afford decent housing. This inspired Dr. Andrus to establish the NRTA to give retired teachers a national voice and lobby for basic needs such as affordable health care insurance.

As you may know, five regions comprise ORTA's structure, holding over 80 local county/area chapters. These regions are the state's Northwest, Southwest, Central, Northeast, and Southeastern sections. These regions are led by "Regional Liaisons", who help provide leadership, direction, and a voice for their counties as a whole and individually. This structure was adopted in the fall of 2017.

ORTA has grown, and ORTA’s mission is to advocate for Ohio’s retired and active educators. We seek accountability from our pension system and monitor educational issues that impact our pension plan. The chapters throughout Ohio are the backbone of ORTA.  

ORTA is organized as a nonprofit 501(c)(4). This allows ORTA to endorse candidates and participate in politics that might impact our pension system, which leads back to our organization's roots. ORTA’s Executive Director, Dr. Robin Rayfield, covers the state and speaks at ORTA chapter meetings, often joined by members from our Executive Council. The number one reason for inviting ORTA is to learn the updates surrounding what is happening with our pension. ORTA attends approximately 45 of these chapter meetings annually.

Of note, ORTA-endorsed candidates have won the last seven elections. ORTA sought candidates who would demand transparency surrounding investments and fees, move the pension towards safer investments, and responsibly restore lost benefits without jeopardizing retirement.

Please visit the ORTA website and follow the latest breaking news; you’ll be surprised by the amount of information. Please scroll to the bottom, sign up for our blog, and have news directly emailed to you. 

Dean Dennis, Chair

ORTA Executive Committee May 27, 2025