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.

ORTA Chapter of the Month

Licking County is the home of Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve and the Licking County Retired Teachers Association. "Our affiliation with ORTA strengthens our voice. Because of information available to them, many of our members are politically active regarding STRS benefits and any legislation affecting them."

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Featured Post!

Governor DeWine’s Selective Red Flags and the STRS Ohio Pension System

Dean Dennis

2 days ago
5 min

Governor DeWine’s Selective Red Flags and the STRS Ohio Pension System

STRS Ohio has eleven Board members; four are appointed, and teacher members elect seven. These elections end on the first Monday in May....

1,249 views

Ohio's teachers are under attack.
Again!

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 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.

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!

Donate now!

ORTA advocates for the pensions and benefits of Ohio's educators, demands accountability from STRS Ohio, and lobbies Ohio's legislators to provide a strong and sustainable retirement system. We rely on membership dues to continue our work.

Join ORTA

The Retiree View of Ohio's Pension Drama
"I just want my COLA."

There has been a lot of disinformation in the media recently about STRS Ohio and a "private hostile takeover" of the teachers' pension fund. Find out what's really happening.

Listen to David Pepper's podcast with Robin Rayfield, Executive Director of ORTA.

Fast forward to 43:15 for Robin Rayfield's accurate account of the attempted QED presentation in November 2021.

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

AMBA Webinars 2024

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!