In January, the Ohio Conference AAUP Board interviewed and subsequently endorsed Pat Davidson, a candidate for the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board. We believe that he is a much-needed addition to the board to advocate for responsible change to the pension system.

Pat Davidson is a member of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT)/American Federation of Teachers (AFT). He is a 22-year business and computer teacher in the Berea City School District. For the majority of his career, he has taught Personal Finance to high school students.

Pat is running for STRS board because he has seen and heard how the 2012 and 2017 STRS reforms have dramatically affected both active members’ and retirees’ personal financial plans.

He has served on the OFT Retirement Committee for seven years. As a Retirement Committee member, he has engaged in civil discussions with STRS staff about actions STRS has taken and how they drastically affected members. He pledges to continue to pursue those types of constructive conversations as an STRS board member.

Pat believes that board members should challenge the system to address the needs of active and retired members without risking the system’s stability. If elected, he pledges to work toward restoring the promises that were made to current and retired teachers and to increase STRS transparency.

Ballots will be mailed to all active educators in the STRS system in early April. Members will have the ability to vote by mail, phone, or online. We strongly recommend voting either by phone or online.