Ohio state government salary

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This page describes the compensation, salaries, and benefits that Ohio's public employees receive from state and local government.

Twelve percent of Ohioans identify themselves as working for federal, state, or local government.^[1] Although Ohio is the seventh most populous state, it has the lowest percentage of government workers among the 50 states, according to a Gallup study.^[1]

The Ohio Citizens Accounting Standards Board has provided a state employee salary database based upon records from the state Department of Administrative services.

The median personal income for all Ohioans is $31,284, but public employees of the state of Ohio had a median pay about 33 percent higher at $41,350 last year. And nearly 1,000 state employees made more than $100,000 in 2010, according to a Dayton Business Journal review of state worker pay provided by the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. This does not include employees of state colleges, which often have administration officials and even athletic department employees who earn more than $100,000. ^[2] A database of Ohio public employee salaries can be found here. The Buckeye Institute has also provided information on certain salaries received by Ohio State University employees. The database is available here. It has also found that Ohio state workers today receive approximately 34% more in total compensation than their private-sector counterparts.^[3]

Elected officials' salaries

The salary of Ohio's governor ranks 14th among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors is $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors is $129,962.^[6]

Legislators' salary

Ohio state legislators receive a salary of $60,584 per year.^[7] Legislators do not receive a per diem.^[7]

Judicial salaries

The salary of Ohio's chief justice ranks 28th among U.S. chief justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $151,284.^[8]

The salary of Ohio's associate justices ranks 31st among U.S. associate justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $151,142. The median salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $145,984.^[8]

State and local employees

According to 2008 Census data, the state of Ohio and local governments in the state employed a total of 750,760 people.^[9] Of those employees, 539,008 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $2,188,567,523 per month and 211,752 were part-time employees paid $208,806,484 per month.^[9] More than 54% of those employees, or 409,618 employees, were in education or higher education.^[9]

Mental health professionals and IT workers are the most highly paid public salaries in the state, exceeding $100,000 annually.^[10]

The Buckeye Institute posted a state employee salary database here and a local employee salary database here.

Teacher Salaries

Teacher salaries are negotiated through collective bargaining agreements. A bill defeated in the legislature in 2011 would have blocked bargaining over class sizes, school assignments, and provisions that restrict principals from assigning workloads and job responsibilities. It also would have given school boards broad powers to put in place their final offer in negotiations with unions if the two sides could not come to an agreement. Additionally, the measure would have forbidden districts from giving preference in layoff decisions to teachers with more seniority, a provision similar to those approved in a number of other states this year, such as Florida and Idaho. The law also would have created a merit-pay system for teachers, though it was unclear how educators' performance would be judged. A separate law approved by Ohio's legislature this year also established a performance-pay system, so that pay model appears set to become reality in the state's schools soon. ^[11]

For higher education, the OSU president is the most highly paid public university president in the nation, earning $8.6 million annually, and expensing $7.7 million in travel during 2011.^[13]

Senate Bill 5 and union issues

Sen. Shannon Jones introduced Senate Bill 5, the text of which can be found here. The Ohio legislature approved the bill and Governor John Kasich signed it into law.^[14][15] Senate Bill 5 limits the collective-bargaining rights of 400,000 public employees^[16] including 42,000 state workers in addition to 19,500 workers in the state's university and college system.^[17] It also requires state employees to pay at least 20% of their health insurance premiums, eliminates tenure as a consideration when deciding on layoffs, and institutes merit-based pay for some public sector workers.^[18] The bill also ends salary schedules.^[19] In addition, public employees who strike would have two days of wages deducted from their paychecks for each day of a strike, and public employees violating a court injunction against a strike would face additional fines and jail time.^[20] Opponents have vowed to have a referendum on the bill on the November ballot^[21]

Union Provisions in House Budget The House budget proposal includes provisions on merit pay for public workers similar to those in Senate Bill 5. The House budget includes a measure that would end continuing contracts for new teachers and include criteria for teacher performance evaluations that appear similar to what is in Senate Bill 5. Some questions whether the inclusion of such provisions is meant to counter the referendum on Senate Bill 5.^[22]

State employee benefits

Employees of the State of Ohio receive many benefits in addition to their salary.

Paid days off

Holidays

State employees receive 10 paid holidays^[23]

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Presidents' Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans' Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Insurance

Medical Employees who are a permanent full-time or permanent part-time employee are eligible for medical insurance.^[24] Employees may choose among PPO and HMO offerings from five providers. The premiums paid by employees for individual coverage range from $26.74 to $30.50 per month.^[25] For family coverage, employees pay between $78.91 and $89.25.^[25] The state pays the remainder of the premium cost.^[25]

Employees who are enrolled in any of the health plans are automatically enrolled in pharmacy benefits.^[26]

Dental If an exempt employee has one year of continuous state service, the state pays the full cost for the employee and eligible dependents to participate in a dental plan.^[27]

Vision The State of Ohio provides exempt employees who have more than one year of continuous state service with vision care benefits at no cost. Employees may choose between two vision plans.^[28]

Life The State of Ohio provides certain exempt employees who have more than one year of continuous state service with basic term life insurance benefits. The amount of life insurance is equal to one times the employee’s annual salary, rounded up to the next closest $1,000.^[29] Employees are eligible to enroll in a supplemental life insurance program, administered by Prudential, at their own cost.^[30]

Long Term Care State of Ohio employees may purchase long term care through the State's provider.^[31]

Retirement

Employees participate in Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.^[32] Staff contribute 10% of their salary each pay period to the retirement plan, which is deducted on a pre-tax basis, and the state contributes 14% of the employee's salary.^[33][34]

Employees may also participate in the Ohio Public Employees Deferred Compensation Plan.

The state legislatures earn $19,605 in gross retirement benefits annually, typically what a teacher or a police officer would make.^[35]

Journalists denied pension records

Eight newspapers were denied access to the state's public employee pension.^[36] State Reps. Stephen Dyer and Matt Lundy were both troubled about the denial of the request, and would like to open the records to the public.

The newspapers requested records of salaries, benefits, ages, years of service and contributions to the systems by individual. There are 400,000 people receiving benefits in Ohio currently. The newspapers asked the systems to withhold names, addresses and any information that would identify individuals.^[37]

Other benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts - Employees can establish a dependent care spending account and a health care spending account.^[38]

• Employee Assistant Program is a screening, information, referral and support service for state employees and their family members. The Ohio EAP is designed to help you cope with personal problems.^[39]

• For employees with a federal adjusted gross income of under $35,000, the state offers childcare vouchers that are cash grants once a year for work-related child care expenses.^[40]

Public employee salary databases

See also

• Public employee salary

External links

• Ohio Government Jobs
• Government Pay
• FOIA Ohio Information
• See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
• State Budget Solutions, Ohio

References

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