{"id":234329,"date":"2025-09-17T17:26:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/234329\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T17:26:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:26:11","slug":"teachers-file-lawsuit-to-maintain-control-of-ohio-pension-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/234329\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers file lawsuit to maintain control of Ohio pension board"},"content":{"rendered":"

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three educators\u2019 groups have sued to stop a new law that shifts control<\/a> of Ohio\u2019s State Teachers Retirement System board from educators to political appointees.<\/p>\n

The Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors filed the case Tuesday in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. <\/p>\n

The STRS board has 11 members. Teachers and retirees elect seven members, and state officials appoint the other four. <\/p>\n

But lawmakers added four new appointees<\/a> and phased out four elected members when they passed the state\u2019s operating budget in June.<\/p>\n

That means the board will have eight appointed members and three elected members by 2028.<\/p>\n

Republicans said the change will stabilize the fund after years of controversy and leadership turnover<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand by the law that was passed,\u201d Rep. Adam Bird, a Clermont County Republican, said. \u201cWe believe the change was needed to provide stable governance to protect the pensions for hardworking teachers, current retirees, and future retirees.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawsuit says the shift unfairly targeted STRS and was unconstitutional. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis lawsuit is about restoring fairness and protecting our fundamental right to have a say in how our retirement is managed,\u201d said Cincinnati Public School teacher Glenetta Kraus, the lead plaintiff on the case.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s behind the board fight<\/p>\n

In 2024, Attorney General Dave Yost asked a court to remove two STRS board members<\/a>, Wade Steen and Rudy Fichtenbaum. <\/p>\n

He accused them of trying to steer the pension fund toward QED Technologies, a new company that Yost said had no track record managing public pensions. <\/p>\n

According to Yost, the pair pushed for QED to oversee a large share of STRS\u2019s $91 billion portfolio despite warnings from staff and outside consultants that the firm was unqualified and its investment strategy untested.<\/p>\n

Steen and Fichtenbaum denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to defend this rigorously,\u201d Steen told reporters in 2024. \u201cNone of it\u2019s true. It\u2019s all false.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men came into office as part of a push to change the board\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n

STRS didn\u2019t give out cost-of-living increases from 2017 through 2022, a fact that frustrated retirees. They filed records requests, brought lawsuits, and elected \u201creformers\u201d to the board. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think chaos strengthens the fund,\u201d Bird said in June. \u201cRetired teachers and today\u2019s teachers can be assured that the promise that was made can be kept.\u201d<\/p>\n

But David Quolke said the board had already turned the corner. <\/p>\n

The retired teacher is the past president of the Cleveland teachers\u2019 union and is a vice president for its retiree wing. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe process isn\u2019t a simple or quick fix,\u201d Quolke said. <\/p>\n

The board approved a 1.5% COLA this summer and lowered the years of service for full retirement benefits. <\/p>\n

The legal battle ahead<\/p>\n

The lawsuit lays out three main reasons why the unions believe the STRS board changes are unconstitutional:<\/p>\n