Three unions representing educators in Ohio are suing over a provision in the state budget that changes the makeup of the board overseeing teachers’ pensions. The unions say the provision changing the State Teachers Retirement System board is unconstitutional and takes away the voices of teachers on the panel in charge of their retirement money.
There are seven educator seats on the 11-member STRS board – the budget says by 2028, there will be three educators, with the rest of the board chosen by elected officials or appointees.
The Ohio Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, joined the Ohio Federation of Teachers and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors in filing the lawsuit.
“Educators and teachers should be treated like every other retirement board," OEA President Jeff Wensing said in an interview. "Every other retirement board has the majority of those on the board that are in the system. Why are you treating us differently?”
Republican lawmakers pushed for the budget change after executive resignations within STRS, a lawsuit from Attorney General Dave Yost, an investigation following an anonymous memo claiming corruption and longstanding concerns from teachers about transparency with investments.
Wensing said he knows there have been concerns about problems with STRS, but that teachers are confident in the STRS board.
“They've been making improvements both for actives and retirees, which the actuaries hired by the State Teachers Retirement System, they're signing off," Wensing said. "They can't make these changes unless professionals, the actuaries that work for STRS, tell them that they stand behind this move.”
Gov. Mike DeWine had been asked to veto that provision in the budget, but didn't. On this lawsuit over the change to the board, DeWine said, "I don't think it was unconstitutional. But ultimately that's a decision that has to be made by the courts."
