FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2026
Contacts: OFT: Neil Bhaerman, nbhaerman@oft-aft.org
Ohio Educators Hold Virtual Hearing on HB 719 After Being Denied Statehouse Hearing
COLUMBUS — Members of the Ohio Education Association (OEA), the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP) spoke today at a virtual mock hearing on House Bill 719, which would reverse the legislature’s unconstitutional move to strip educators of their rightful voice on the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board by eliminating most elected Board positions and replacing them with political appointees.
Educators took the initiative to organize a mock hearing on HB 719 after the Ohio General Assembly went into recess on June 10 without holding a hearing allowing proponents of the bill to testify. All Ohio legislators were invited to join and hear the testimony that educators would have shared in the House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee, had they been given the opportunity.
Copies of each speaker’s testimony, as well as testimonies from many other educators, can be found here. A recording of the virtual hearing can be found here.
Paul Peters, with the Ohio Public Pension Coalition, moderated the event. The following quotes were provided by speakers at the hearing:
“Last summer, the legislature slipped in an amendment to the state budget bill at the very last minute that radically changed the composition of the State Teachers Retirement System Board…House Bill 719 seeks to ‘hit the reset button’ and undo the change. We’re thankful to Representative Jim Hoops and the bipartisan cosponsors of the bill,” said Jeff Wensing, Parma City Schools teacher and OEA President.
“When the legislature came – in the middle of the night – to take over our pensions, it was not an isolated act. It was part of an ongoing attack on educators and on public education…We gathered today to speak out because we will not stay quiet while the legislature heaps insult on top of injury.” said Melissa Cropper, library media specialist in Georgetown Exempted Village Schools and OFT President.
“Educators bring a perspective to the STRS Board that cannot be replaced by financial expertise alone. Faculty members and teachers understand the realities of working in public education—the commitment required, the challenges of attracting and retaining talented professionals, and the importance of a stable retirement system in encouraging people to build lifelong careers serving Ohio,” said Steve Mockabee, University of Cincinnati professor and OCAAUP Government Relations Co-Chair.
“As I prepared for retirement, I was shocked by the legislature’s takeover of the STRS Board. They took something steady and dependable and changed it to something political and precarious. They made me feel less confident that there will be people at STRS looking out for me and my fellow colleagues.” said Tamar Gray, newly-retired Cleveland Heights-University Heights City Schools teacher and OFT member.
“The work of the STRS Board is vital to our economic security in retirement. Educators, active and retired, need and deserve a meaningful voice in the direction of the retirement system. After all, it’s our money. Elected Board members give us that voice, and this is what the legislature tried to take away in last year's budget bill…HB 719 seeks to undo that wrong ,” said Mary Binegar, retired Urbana City Schools teacher and OEA-Retired Chair.
“A strong retirement benefit that is free from political interference is one way that can help Ohio recruit and retain the faculty needed to educate students and support the state’s workforce. That’s already a very uphill battle thanks to Senate Bill 1. The legislature’s one-two punch to the professoriate has made recruiting top academics, scholars, and researchers to Ohio’s public institutions very difficult,” said David Jackson, faculty member at Bowling Green State University and OCAAUP Government Relations Co-Chair.
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ABOUT OFT
The Ohio Federation of Teachers is a state federation of 65 local unions representing active and retired public school teachers and staff, higher education faculty and staff, social workers, library workers, and public employees. OFT works to advance quality public education and higher education, intellectual freedom, and a voice in the workplace for Ohio’s education, public service, and social work professionals.
ABOUT OEA
OEA represents approximately 120,000 teachers, faculty members, and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
ABOUT OCAAUP
The mission of the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP) is to preserve and advance academic freedom, shared governance, the general welfare of college and university professors, and to promote the greater social good that comes from a dynamic, active professoriat.