The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) has decided to grant retired Ohio teachers a 1.6% cost-of-living increase starting July 1, starting from July 1. The system, one of the largest in the state, manages about $91 billion in retirement savings for a half-a-million current and retired teachers. The board also delayed a planned increase in the minimum number of years a teacher must work before being eligible for a pension. The Ohio Federation of Teachers praised these decisions. Ohio schools are asking voters in May for earned income taxes to fund ongoing operations and building improvements, and a 1924 Ohio law change is being used to challenge new jail construction in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has halted parking rate increases in the Hingetown neighborhood and reduced rates on low-demand downtown streets to a flat $1.50 with no time limits. The Oil and Gas Land Management Commission has approved making more than 9,000 acres of state land available for fracking at Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park despite over 1,300 objections.