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OEA Suing for our voices on STRS Board
This message is being sent to OEA Board of Directors, District Leaders, Local Presidents and all OEA Staff.
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Dear OEA Member,
Today, Tuesday, September 16, 2025, active and retired members of OEA, OFT, and AAUP filed a lawsuit in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas challenging House Bill 96’s elimination of educator representation on the STRS Board. On behalf of the nearly 120,000 OEA members, I want to thank retired members Kevin Cain and Becky Brown, and the active STRS-contributing educators from OFT and AAUP who are serving as plaintiffs.Why we’re suing:
- Republican legislative leaders inserted the STRS Board change into the state budget at the last minute, denying any public comment on the policy amendment. The change was engineered by House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), drafted by State Representative Adam Bird (R-New Richmond), and was added to the budget by the majority members on the HB 96 conference committee in the 11th hour of the budget process.
- The complaint argues the change is unlawful because it:
- Violates equal protection by singling out STRS members;
- Violates the Ohio Constitution’s three-reading rule; and
- Violates the Ohio Constitution’s single-subject rule.
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| The bigger picture:
These actions are part of a broader pattern of political attacks on public education and educators by the majority party in Columbus—underfunding public schools, weakening contract safeguards, silencing higher ed faculties, and eliminating elected State Board of Education members. We will not allow politicians to erase educators’ voices.
What’s next & how can you help:
- Stay tuned for updates as the case moves through the courts.
- Please contact your legislators and urge them to restore educator representation on the STRS Board by using OEA’s STRS action alert.
Thank you for all you do for public education, the students you serve, and your colleagues.
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| Yours in solidarity,
Jeff Wensing
President, OEA |
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