Elected members can't be removed from Ohio teachers retirement board, judge rules

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked portions of Ohio's budget that would have removed some elected educators from the State Teachers Retirement System Board.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Andy Miller blocked those portions of the budget from taking effect until there can be a hearing for a preliminary injunction, according to the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

Provisions in the state budget reduce the number of elected teachers on the STRS board from seven to three and adding four new political appointees. Critics said the provision in the budget, which was added at the last minute, was an effort to silence teachers.

The Ohio Federation of Teachers celebrated Wednesday's ruling.

"Ohio's educators have dedicated their lives and careers to serving students; they deserve to retire with dignity and financial security, and to have a meaningful voice in their retirement system," a spokesperson said in a statement.

The Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, and the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, calling the provisions unconstitutional. Those groups are the three largest education unions in Ohio.

The group argues that educators' rights were violated because the law only targets STRS, and not the other four public pension systems in Ohio, which get to keep their elected members as the majority.

There have been several years of chaos at the massive pension system, with retired teachers denied cost-of-living increases and the Ohio attorney general filing a civil complaint against two board members.

NBC4 reached out to a STRS spokesperson for comment and has not received a response.