Protecting the people who pay into the system should always be a priority, not an after-thought.

Dr. Robin Rayfield addressed the STRS Ohio Board on June 25, 2026.

Good morning. My name is Robin Rayfield. I am a member of STRS and the Executive Director of ORTA.

I would like to offer comments on the 2027 fiscal budget for STRS. I am concerned that the increase in compensation for STRS employees is significant across all areas including salaries and benefits. 

We are aware that STRS is underfunded, and I am glad that, although decades late to the party, STRS has made the fact that the system is underfunded known to the legislative bodies in Ohio. Although not optimistic that the elected officials in Ohio will offer any assistance, it is encouraging that the discussions surrounding STRS include the fact that Ohio does less than any other state in the US to support teacher pensions. 

Knowing that there is a shortfall in income, the prudent move would be to reduce expenses to close the gap. 

Obviously, strategies to reduce expenses involve many moving parts. What steps have been taken thus far?

    •    Reduce payments to retirees – been there, done that, still doing it.

    •    Change formulas to reduce benefits – been there, done that, still doing it.

What steps to close the gap have not been taken?

    •    Reduce expenditures at STRS such as salaries, benefits, PBI. Instead of making those difficult decisions, we see a budget that contains increases.

When school districts get into financial trouble, the leaders must make tough decisions. Good teachers are laid off, programs are eliminated, and other basic aspects of an educational delivery system are eliminated or reduced. What is almost always at the heart of these decisions to cut expenses is to protect the children from feeling the impact of the cuts.

I suggest that STRS take an approach to its decision-making process to place a priority on protecting the STRS members over everything else. If employees suffer loss of salary or benefits, that is unfortunate. If other perks are eliminated this is also unfortunate. But protecting the people who pay into the system should always be a priority, not an after-thought.