"Ohio teachers are the only public employees in the country contributing more than their pension is worth, and many of our retirees are unable to enjoy a dignified retirement because we've broken our promises. This is going badly, and it's our job to fix it. Fiduciaries have a duty of loyalty to the beneficiaries, not to the employees who serve at the membership's pleasure." - Wade Steen, 2021
Wade Steen was twice appointed to the STRS Ohio Retirement Board. First by John Kasich, in 2016, and then reappointed by Mike DeWine in 2020.
In 2023, Governor DeWine attempted to remove reform-minded Steen from the Board. He failed. Now, after an STRS Ohio management, self-serving letter submitted to the Governor, the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed suit against Wade Steen. Yost has stated that, despite filing the lawsuit, he believes that there hasn’t necessarily been any wrongdoing.
Steen's term as an advocate for Ohio's teachers will end with his last Board meeting on Friday, September 20. Governor Mike DeWine will appoint his replacement.
As a member of the STRS Ohio Retirement Board, Wade Steen has worked for the past eight years to restore retirement benefits that have been taken away from Ohio's teachers.
Show your support for Wade by attending the STRS Ohio Retirement Board meeting this Friday, in-person or via Zoom.
Click on the following link for information about attending Friday's meeting: https://www.strsoh.org/about/retirement-board/board-meetings.html
STRS Ohio Board members Rudy Fichtenbaum and Wade Steen are incurring legal fees, defending themselves against the lawsuit brought against them by A.G. Dave Yost. ORTA will use donations from the Pension Defense Fund to help them, if needed, pay their legal expenses. They have volunteered their time to support Ohio's teachers. Now it's time for us to show our support for them! Make a donation today to the ORTA Pension Defense Fund