The November 1, 2021, General Meeting of the HCRTA, was held at the Pricetown Church of Christ. We had 63 members and invited guests, in attendance! Mike Alering of All Seasons Catering, out of Leesburg, Ohio provided a very tasty and satisfying meal. Our guest speaker was Gary Russell, Deputy Director of Member Benefits for Ohio STRS. Originally we were told that our speakers would include the top three executive from STRS' however, Mr. Russell explained that the STRS executives felt it was redundant to have all three executives attend local ORTA meetings, and therefore decided to split the meetings among them. Mr. Russell spoke to his qualifications to answer any of the member benefit and pension fund questions we might have. During his presentation, Mr. Russell discussed the following:
Mr Russel also fielded questions from the audience which included:
During the business meeting Treasurer, Doris Pulse reported scholarship donations of $270 mailed in and $137 collected at the meeting. The Monkey Beans Giving Tree Project donations included $285 mail-in and $46 at the meeting. Thirty-nine (39) local dues were collected along with 13 ORTA dues. Doris also reported that one of the CD’s has been moved into checking account to cover recent expenses. Secretary Kevin Black noted that the October Newsletter was sent to about 400 individuals in addition to the usual HCRTA members. He also suggested that future mailings be sent without envelopes or return envelopes. Members were in favor of this cost saving change. President Faust declared both the Treasurer’s Report and the August Meeting Minutes approved. The Necrology Report was given by Leone Bihl. The following individuals were remembered in the report:
In other reports, Scholarship Chair, Mary Black, reported that all three 2021 scholarship recipients are currently carrying straight A grades. Joyce Baker, Highland County Historical Society Christmas Tree Chairperson, mentioned that the Christmas trees are decorated and will be on display at the Highland House until the week of Christmas. Pat Gall, Pre-Retirement Chairperson, reported that this year the pre-retirement meeting would be held as a Zoom Meeting on November 16th at 5:00 PM for those anticipating retirement within 3-5 years, and on November 18th at 5:00 PM for teachers planning to retire within 1 or 2 years. New business included
The next executive meeting will be held at 9:30 am on January 3, 2022, at the Hillsboro Frisch’s. The next HCRTA General Meeting will be February 7, 2022, at 11:00 AM Update 1-6-21
The November HCRTA General Meeting has been scheduled to take place at the Pricetown Church of Christ, 2070 SR 131, Hillsboro, OH 45133. The meeting will be on Monday November 1, 2021 with social hour at 11:00 AM and a lunch at noon. The meal will be catered by All Seasons Catering of Leesburg. The menu includes a choice of Ham Loaf or Lasagna, Potatoes Au Gratin, Green Beans, Tossed Salad, Garlic Bread, Tea or Lemonade, and Apple Cake with Butter Cream Sauce. The cost is $15.00. After hearing from Dr. Robin Rayfield, Executive Director of ORTA, last month, the program section of the meeting should be of great interest to all retired educators. Each November we invite STRS to speak to us regarding changes to our STRS Member and Healthcare Benefits. This year in the wake of the Ohio Retired Teachers’ Association Forensic Audit, STRS has deemed it appropriate to send their most senior executives to address our group. STRS officials presenting will include Bill Neville, STRS Executive Director, Nick Treneff, STRS Director of Communications, and Gary Russell, Deputy Director of Member Benefits. We want to welcome all interested individuals to be a part of this conversation. The STRS officials will not only speak to our group but will also present an opportunity for attendees to ask the “tough questions” you have regarding what is happening with your retirement investments and your withheld COLA’s. Please consider joining us for this very important meeting. For more information and the reservation form see our newsletter at hcrta.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/9/5/25959872/hcrta_newsletter_2021-10-10.pdf. The Highland County Retired Teachers' Association has plans to meet on August 2, 2021. The meeting will be held at the popular Old Y Restaurant, about 12 south of Hillsboro on State Route 62, at the intersection of Route 371 near Mowrystown.
The featured speaker will be Dr. Robin Rayfield, Executive Director of the Ohio Retire Teachers" Association. Among other topics, Dr. Rayfield will discuss the recent ORTA sponsored forensic audit of Ohio STRS, and the concerns surrounding teacher pensions in light of the audit findings. For more information about HCRTA, or to register your plan to attend, see the July 2021 HCRTA Newsletter (click here.) The May 3rd, 2021, General Meeting of the HCRTA, held at “the Old Y Restaurant’ near Mowrystown, was called to order by President Jim Faust. This was the first in-person meeting in over a year and was attended by 14 members and 1 guest.
For the meeting minutes click here. The February 1, 2021 On-Line Meeting fo the Highland County Retired Teachers Association was lots of fun. LuAnn Roe of the Greenfield Area Christian Center Food Pantry was our guest speaker. Her presentation was interesting, informative, and inspiring! We have opted to continue collecting donations until February 15th. These donations will be divided between the Greenfield Area Christian Center Food Pantry and the Lynchburg Because He Lives Food Pantry. This is a very worthy project and we are hopeful that we will have several more donations made by members. You may view the meeting minutes here. You can also watch a recording of the meeting by clicking below. Please note that the February Zoom Meeting ID HAS CHANGED! The new Meeting ID is 937 402 7642.
On November 2, 2020 the Highland County Retired Teachers Association met on the Zoom platform. The meeting was attended by 8 members, 2 guest observers and our featured guest speaker Tamla Cole. As a first ever venture into online meeting, the meeting went smoothly, and was well received. During the program portion of the meeting, guest speaker Tamla Cole provided informative updates regarding STRS member pension and healthcare benefits. The business meeting included election of officers and discussions regarding committee needs, future meeting plans and upcoming service projects. The full meeting can be viewed below (full discloser, this is the full 1hr 46 minutes of the meeting); Once again in the interest of member health and safety there will be no August 2020 HCRTA General Meeting.
See the latest newsletter here. See the 2020 Scholarship Award News here. (Left to right: Heather Parker, Sara Free, and Ciara Colwell) The Highland County Retired Teachers Association has awarded three scholarships for the 2020-2021 school year. Ciara Colwell, Hillsboro, will receive the $500 Harold W. Spargur Memorial Scholarship. Miss Colwell is the daughter of Anthony and April Colwell of Hillsboro. She is a graduate of Fairfield Local High School and plans to attend Ohio University in the fall to pursue a degree in Music Education. Sara Free and Heather Parker will each receive a $500 HCRTA Scholarship. Miss Free is the daughter of Craig and Stephanie Miley of Greenfield. She graduated from Greenfield McClain High School and plans to attend Wilmington College in the fall to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Special Education. Miss Parker is the daughter of Chris and Sherry Parker of Greenfield. She graduated from Greenfield McClain High School and plans to attend The Ohio State University in the fall to pursue a degree in English Education. Heather also looks forward to coaching during her career. Congratulations to these deserving future educators. Anyone wishing to support the HCRTA scholarship program can do so by contacting Mary Black at [email protected].
The February General Meeting of the Highland County Retired Teachers Association was held on February 3, 2020 at the Hillsboro Ponderosa Banquet Center. The meeting was attended by 22 members and guests. After social time, introductions and singing, members indulged in a buffet meal consisting of ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, tossed salad, rolls, butter, drinks, and assorted desserts. Program: At the conclusion of the meal Hillsboro City Police Chief Eric Daniels spoke to the membership about “School Safety”. Chief Daniels noted that the Hillsboro City Schools have two fully empowered and armed police officers on campus any time that school is in session. He noted that the officers' presence helps build rapport between the students and the officers and assists to prevent problems such as bullying and aggression. Other school safety measures include a locked-door policy, periodic safety drills, an occasional canine presence, officers on duty during after-school activities, strict school zone traffic enforcement, and an increase of police supervision before and after school in student congregation areas. Also addressing the membership was, Bianca Walsh, a Recruiter for US Census Bureau from Chillicothe. She spoke to the membership about the importance of 2020 census effort. She highlighted the need for some 300 Census Workers for Highland County and provided information about the application process. Reports: In the business meeting November Meeting Minutes were approved as we'll as the January Treasurer's Report. Scholarship Chairperson Mary Black reported that there were no updates regarding scholarship recipients and thanked the membership for their continued support of the HCRTA Scholarship fund. Cindy Eigel delivered the Necrology report, eulogizing Nancy Porter Campbell Hicks, former employee of Greenfield Ex Village Schools; Robert Watts, 19 years of teaching and Coach: Mary Jane Burgess, former third- grade teacher at Blanchester; Richard Hill, longtime educator and coach at multiple districts including Miami Trace; Melinda Yankee, former Fayetteville school employee; Barbara Ann Sayer, of Bainbridge, who taught for 30 years in Chillicothe; Arthur Alexander, former teacher at Greenfield Bible Institute and substitute teacher at Hillsboro City Schools; Glenn M. Moore, bus driver for Hillsboro City Schools for 40 years; Mary E. Lauderback, retired Lynchburg-Clay bus driver; Phyllis A Crabtree, former Fairfield Local cafeteria employee; Hellen Sprinkle, mother of Linda and Kathy Sprinkle, former cook a Webster Elementary in Hillsboro; and Chad Hodson, son of former county official Ike Hodson and coach of youth sports for many years. During the Legislative Report, Charlie Newland discussed the lawsuit filed by Dean Dennis over the the STRS failure to deliver on promised COLA’s. Charlie also discussed a number of large financial bonuses (over 37 bonuses of $100,000 or more) paid to STRS investment employees. Old Business:
Joyce Baker, liaison for the Highland County Historical Society, reminded retirees that the theme for the 2020 Christmas Tree is “Collections”, and that she is seeking to create a collection of pictures showing past and present school buildings in Highland County. New Business: Prior to adjournment, members were reminded of the Executive Meeting at Bell Gardens Place on April 6th and the next General Meeting on May 4, again at the Hillsboro Ponderosa Banquet Center. The program for May will likely be a presentation by one of the area choral music departments. The May service project will be determined at the April Executive Meeting. For the complete meeting minutes click here. Meeting Handouts: Agenda Handout 1 Handout 2 Handout 3 |
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