COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – When the State Teacher’s Retirement System (STRS) board meets Thursday, there will once again be a new board member – appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine – and once again, active and retired teachers are angry about that.
Last week, an appeals court magistrate said DeWine lacked “constitutional and legal authority” last September when he removed investment expert Wade Steen from the board. That case is still making its way through the courts, but when Steen’s “replacement” stepped down last week, the governor immediately appointed Ohio State University lobbyist Brian Perera to the position, in defiance of the magistrate’s recommendation.
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Retirees and active teachers said DeWine missed an opportunity to help them by reappointing Steen to the board.
“We’re always pleased with the fact that Wade Steen advocated on behalf of the people who are contributing to the system, so it was a real disappointment to us when he was taken off the board,” Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper. “We were happy to see that the decision was made that he should be restored to the board, so yes, it’s disappointing that the governor has appointed someone else.”