Will Governor Abbott declare TRS healthcare an emergency item in January?

            In 22 days, the 86^th Texas Legislature will convene in Austin.  Will Gov. Greg Abbott declare the healthcare nightmare Texas public-school retirees have been living since January an emergency item?  That is the focus of Rep. Terry Canales’ December 12 letter to the governor and the question most of us living that nightmare are asking.

            The Texas Constitution prohibits the House and Senate from passing any legislation within the first 60 days of the legislative session unless 1) four-fifths of the members of either chamber vote to bypass that law or 2) the governor declares an item an emergency.  Without a doubt, TRS healthcare is an emergency. 

            I have written extensively about how the 85^th Texas Legislature created this nightmare.  (Once again, I must stress that we are not just talking teachers here.  Although it is (mis)named the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, TRS is actually the retirement system for all public-school retirees, from teachers to custodians to secretaries to librarians to nurses to maintenance workers to bus drivers to classroom aides to sign-language interpreters to administrators.) First, they increased the deductible for those of us under 65 from $400 to $1500.  For TRS retirees who have a spouse on their plan, their deductible is now $3000—not $1500 per person but the full $3000.  In addition, that deductible applies to both healthcare and prescription drugs (except a list of standard, generic drugs).  And, we now have no copay until 100 percent of our deductible is met. 

            Take me, for example.  I avoided doctors throughout the year because of what the Texas Legislature has done.  However, there were two appointments I could not avoid.  The total cost for those two appointments was approximately $1400 after plan adjustments by the provider.  What does that mean?  That means I have had to make payments and pay 100 percent of those bills because I have not met my deductible.  TRS has not paid a single penny.  And I am one of the lucky ones.

            I have written a number of heartbreaking stories this year about TRS retirees who have suffered at the hands of our Texas Legislature.  Keep in mind that while they dramatically changed the “affordable healthcare” we were promised throughout our careers in the public-education system, the healthcare for those in ERS—the retirement system for all other state employees, including, of course, retired legislators—had no change in deductible.  Oh, and theirs was not $400.  It was $0 for healthcare and $50 for prescription drugs.  And it still is.  Guess what their monthly premium is?  That’s $0, too!  That is heartless.  It is unconscionable.  It is shameful.

            It is not only public-ed retirees who are suffering, either.  Countless public-education employees who are still working are struggling to make ends meet because of their healthcare costs.  Not so those blessed with ERS healthcare.

            Here are just a few more reasons why Gov. Abbott should have already declared TRS an emergency item for the upcoming session:

·         According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average inflation rate is 2.16 percent a year.  Nevertheless, most TRS retirees have NEVER seen a COLA (cost-of-living increase).  During the 2013 Legislative Session, legislators granted a three percent COLA, not to exceed $100 per month, to TRS members who retired on or before August 31, 2004.  TRS retirees had not seen a COLA since 2001 until SB 1458 was passed in 2013.  This means that any public-education employee who retired in the past 14 years has never seen a COLA, despite the inflation rate.  Never.

·         The State of Texas contributes only 6.8 percent to TRS pensions.  Remember that most Texas public-ed employees do not pay into Social Security.  Thus, our TRS pensions are our sole source of retirement income.  According to a July 24 article in Texas Tribune, the median state contribution to the public-ed retirees’ pensions for the other 14 non-Social-Security states is 19 percent.  That is just under three times greater than Texas’ contribution.  The state contribution for ERS—their own retirement system--is 9.5 percent. 

·         Over 30,000 TRS retirees have left TRS-Care (our healthcare) since January 1 when the nightmare began.

·         More later on what I have to do to have vision and dental coverage compared to what the state provides ERS retirees (AGAIN, which includes our retired legislators).

            Rather than summarize Rep. Canales’ letter to the governor, I am including it here.  It is powerful.  It is poignant.  It is on point.

            For an entire year, we have been living this healthcare nightmare, and Gov. Abbott has not addressed us about it.  Not once in an entire year, despite the stories, despite the suffering.  Rather, he has remained silent, as if our nightmare does not exist.

            So the question remains—will he declare our nightmare an emergency now?

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. She is also the retiree representative for McAllen AFT.  Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)

All I want for Christmas is for the 86th Texas Legislature to restore what the 85th stole

            As I sit down to write this blog post, I can’t help but think about how difficult 2018 has been for so many of my fellow retired public educators—teachers, bus drivers, secretaries, librarians, classroom aides, custodians, maintenance workers, sign-language interpreters, nurses, cafeteria workers, police officers, and administrators.  And as I look ahead to 2019, I can’t help but hang on to a glimmer of hope that the 86^th Texas Legislature, which convenes January 8, 2019, will restore what the 85^th Texas Legislature took from us during the 2017 Legislative Session.

            They took our faith that the promises made to us throughout our careers in Texas public education would be kept.

            They took our affordable healthcare and created a healthcare nightmare.

            They took our belief that the state would offer us comparable benefits, through TRS (Teachers Retirement System of Texas, which is a misnomer since it covers all public-education employees/retirees), that all other retired state employees--including retired legislators--receive through ERS (Employees Retirement System of Texas).

            They took our trust that we were trading higher salaries throughout our careers for a decent pension and that affordable healthcare. 

            The 85^th Texas Legislature took so much from us.  The 86^th Texas Legislature has the opportunity to restore our benefits…and our trust in them.

            I have not been able to stop thinking about my fellow retired public educators because of what I have experienced.  All year, I avoided going to the doctor.  No annual physical and no doctor visits when my throat was so sore I couldn’t swallow and when my elbow, first injured in a serious car accident, caused excruciating pain.  Nevertheless, there were three visits I could not avoid as they could have led to physical conditions far, far worse. 

            Because of the 85^th Texas Legislature, I am still paying for all three of those visits because they took our $400 deductible from us and turned it into a $1500 deductible with no copay at all until we reach the entire $1500.  (For retirees who have their spouse on their TRS healthcare, that deductible is $3000—not $1500 per person but $3000 before a single penny is paid.)  Thus, I am required to pay 100 percent of these visits, with a TRS pension that has never seen a cost-of-living adjustment.  And just when I am within one month of paying these bills off, my deductible resets in January.

            Meanwhile, all ERS retirees—including our retired legislators—have a $0 deductible. 

            How any member of the Texas Legislature can find this equitable or ethical is beyond my understanding.

            As I look at what I have faced this year, at the hands of the 85^th Texas Legislature, I think about my fellow retirees who have faced far worse medical issues than I have, retired public educators who have been unable to get critical hip replacements because they cannot afford the out-of-pocket expense, who have had to deal not only with the physical suffering that comes with cancer treatments but with the emotional trauma of how they will be able to pay their monthly bills, and who have had to practically beg pharmaceutical companies for help because that $1500 deductible also applies to prescriptions. 

            We already know How the Grinches Stole TRS Healthcare.  All I want for Christmas is for the 86^th Texas Legislature to return what was stolen from us. 

 Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)

Active and Retired Texas Public-School Employees - This is OUR DAY, our CHANCE! WE CAN DO THIS!

            For all of our fellow active and retired public school employees who have suffered throughout this year due to the TRS healthcare nightmare created during the 2017 Legislative Session…this is OUR day!

            For all retired public school teachers, bus drivers, secretaries, sign-language interpreters, nurses, custodians, librarians, cafeteria workers, police officers, maintenance workers, classroom aides, social workers, counselors, and administrators who retired after September 1, 2004, and have NEVER received a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment)…this is OUR DAY!

            For public school students and employees across our state who have had to make due with less and less from our state because of Texas' school-funding conundrum…this is OUR DAY!

            For everyone in Texas who is tired of seeing our property taxes increase while the state’s share of school funding continues to decrease…this is OUR DAY!

            OUR DAY begins with MIKE COLLIER as our new lieutenant governor, and 1.5 MILLION TRS MEMBERS (along with our family members, former or current students, friends, and community members) CAN make this happen.

            OUR DAY continues with the election of “FRIENDLY-to-public-ed” state representatives, senators, and State Board of Education members being elected!

            OUR DAY requires us to know where to vote  and to remind each of us that…

and that we deserve

            OUR DAY is POSSIBLE, but it requires that each one of us GETS OUT TO VOTE and GETS OUT THE VOTE!

            This is OUR DAY! 

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Chris' photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)

Early Voting Starts TOMORROW - 1.5 MILLION MEMBERS STRONG!

            Tomorrow, Monday, October 22, the first day of Early Voting in the 2018 General Election, is being called EDUCATOR VOTING DAY!  This is OUR day—ALL public-school employees/retirees, including teachers, bus drivers, custodians, sign-language interpreters, classroom aides, librarians, counselors, maintenance workers, cafeteria personnel, secretaries, nurses, police officers, administrators, and social workers—and we are being called to show up to the polls tomorrow to send a STRONG MESSAGE to Austin that WE HAVE A VOICE!  Don't give anyone else the privilege of being YOUR voice! 
            TRS of Texas has 1.5 MILLION members right now.  I can only imagine the power in the voices of 1.5 MILLION educators from across the state!

     I agree with Texans for Public Education (T4PE) when they say to WEAR PURPLE tomorrow to show we are NON-PARTISAN!  We are looking at the individual candidate, regardless of party, and at his/her record and affiliations in order to elect the PRO-PUBLIC-EDUCATION CANDIDATES who will restore funding to our schools and the TRS healthcare we were promised throughout our careers!  We want healthcare as good as the healthcare our state provides for ERS, which is the retirement system for all other state employees AND our legislators!  The differences between THEIR healthcare and OUR healthcare are shocking, and that needs to end!  THIS IS OUR ALAMO!
     T4PE did extensive research on all candidates running for state offices and had all of their members vote, based on this research.  Our goal is to BLOCK VOTE, regardless of party, for the candidates in each office who are the most PUBLIC-ED FRIENDLY!  Here are the ratings:  

Recommended Texas House candidates
Recommended Texas Senate candidates
Recommended candidates for governor, lt. governor, and State Board of Education

(Note:  If you would like to see the more detailed findings on each candidate, click here, scroll down to "Our Ratings," and look at the section that indicates where the research on the candidates can be downloaded.)

In case you need inspiration, here are a few items for you to peruse:

     And YES, it IS true--ERS retirees (all state employees but public-ed employees), including our retired legislators pay $0 per month for THEIR health insurance. They also have a $0 per month deductible for healthcare and a $50 deductible for prescription drugs, while TRS retirees not yet eligible for Medicare have a $1500 deductible for BOTH and NO co-pay.  TRS healthcare does not pay ONE PENNY until we reach the entire $1500 deductible, and for married couples on TRS, they must reach a $3000 deductible--NOT $1500 per person.  NOT ONE PENNY!  Meanwhile, in ERSville, no worries about meeting a deductible!!!!

     Let's show up IN FORCE tomorrow!  

     

     I can safely say the #1 race for us is for lt. governor.  GO, MIKE COLLIER!  But EVERY race is important leading up to the 2019 Legislative Session, which begins in January!
     TEXAS EDUCATORS CARE ENOUGH TO VOTE, AND WE ARE 1.5 MILLION MEMBERS STRONG, and that doesn't count our students, their parents, and everyone else who supports us!

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)

CALLING EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS TEXAS PUBLIC EDUCATION: ONE MORE WEEK!

Early Voting Starts Next Monday, October 22

ROLLBACK!  ROLLBACK!  ROLLBACK!

            Wednesday, September 19, I drove to Austin to attend Teacher Retirement System of Texas board meetings September 20 and 21, as well as a Texas AFT press conference at the capitol September 20.  (Remember that TRS is a misnomer; it is the retirement system for all public-education employees, not only teachers.)

            The TRS Board’s agenda item that was important enough for me to drive to Austin was the proposed $50 increase in premium for TRS retirees under the age of 65.  Although this increase was part of a four-year step increase decided upon during the 2017 Legislative Session, an outcry from those of us living what I call the #TRShealthcarenightmare caused TRS administrators and board members to reconsider. 

            I attended the TRS Benefits Committee meeting Thursday, September 20.  When the committee got to the agenda item regarding the premium increase, Brian Guthrie, executive director of TRS, told the committee he was not recommending any changes to the plan.  He said the plan was in better shape than it had been, primarily because of TRS negotiations with healthcare providers.  Because Brian was not recommending any change, a vote would not be required the following day during the TRS Board’s official meeting.

            I then made my way to the capitol for the press conference called by the Texas AFT Retiree Committee.  Cheryl Anderson, a retired teacher from Houston, chairs this committee.  She told the assembled group the committee would be delivering a letter to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick “respectfully requesting a sit-down meeting” with him to hear his plan regarding the changes to TRS retirees’ healthcare plans that went into effect January 1.  The lt. governor has broken countless promises to Texas public-education employees and retirees and has done anything BUT support public education in Texas, despite being charged with following the Texas Constitution:

            Cheryl said the Texas AFT Retiree Committee was calling for a rollback of the devastating cuts to benefits imposed during the 2017 Legislative Session. 

ROLLBACK!  ROLLBACK!  ROLLBACK!

             “You changed the rules in the middle of our game,” Cheryl said.  She said--and I agree 100 percent--that many of us would not have retired had we known how dramatically the cost of our healthcare would increase.  “They violated our social contract…and broke the bond that they would take care of retired educators,” she added.

            Rita Runnels, a Cypress-Fairbanks ISD retiree, also spoke at the press conference.  Rita worked as a teacher and an administrator, serving Texas students for over 30 years. She correctly said Texas retired educators are “at the breaking point” and that TRS pensions do not keep up with inflation because there are no cost-of-living increases.  She also said, “We had a reasonable expectation when we retired” that our healthcare would be affordable.  Boy, were we duped!

            Daryl Jones, who taught in Austin for 40 years, spoke next, discussing the critical need for the Texas Legislature to significantly increase the state’s contribution to TRS.  He called for our state’s leaders to fund TRS Care and TRS ActiveCare (for those still working) appropriately.  Like many others, I call for them to fund TRS like they fund the state’s other retirement system, ERS.  The Employee Retirement System of Texas is for all other state employees and for our legislators.  (More on that later.)

            Finally, Charles Reynolds spoke at the Texas AFT Retiree Committee’s press conference at the capitol.  Charles is a retired bus driver from Cy-Fair. 

            “When the health insurance premium goes up,” he said, “it hits us the hardest.  Our lifetime annuity is not the same since we are not certified teachers.”  Charles went on to say that many custodians and bus drivers often find summer jobs in an attempt to supplement their income.

            It’s important here to note the pension distribution for TRS retirees:

            Imagine earning less than $1000 per month after working in our schools for your entire career and then dealing with this devastating change to your healthcare, after the fact. 

            Let me give you a quick example of how my own healthcare has been affected by what Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and several other Texas legislators did to TRS during the 2017 Legislative Session.

            When I retired in 2013, I was told my monthly premium would be $295 and that I would have a $400 deductible.  I figured out my retirement budget with this in mind, and the state kept its promise to me for four years.  Then, in year five of retirement, everything changed.  Suddenly, my premium changed to $200 per month (with a four-year step increase that would take it to $370 by 2021) for a nearly worthless, high-deductible plan.  That deductible went from $400 to $1500, and instead of having a co-pay until I reach my deductible, I now have to pay 100 percent of all healthcare and prescription costs out of pocket until I reach my $1500 deductible.  (For married couples covered under TRS, their deductible is now $3000—NOT $1500 per person, either.  They must reach the entire $3000 before TRS Care pays a penny of their healthcare and prescription costs, with the exception of a list of “standard generic drugs” that are covered.)

            I have avoided going to the doctor the entire year.  No annual check-up, for sure.   However, I could not avoid two things—a thyroid sonogram I must have due to a large number of nodules and a retina specialist visit because I had the symptoms of a retinal detachment.  As a result, I have paid over $1000 out of pocket without TRS Care paying a single penny.  So tell me again, Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick, why, exactly, I have to pay a monthly premium when I cannot even USE my health insurance, health insurance I was PROMISED throughout my career and again BEFORE I made the decision to retire??

            And I am one of the blessed ones.  I have read endless stories of active and retired educators across the state who are battling cancer, who need hip replacements, and who have children battling critical health issues who now are also facing financial ruin because they must choose between paying their monthly bills or paying for their healthcare.

            Meanwhile, retired legislators and all other state employees fortunate enough to be covered by ERS not only are paying a $0-per-month premium but also have a $0 deductible for healthcare.  ZERO-DOLLAR PREMIUM and ZERO-DOLLAR DEDUCTIBLE!  ZERO!  They also have a $50 deductible for prescriptions, while those of us who dedicated our lives to the children of Texas and who believed in the promises made to us have a $1500 deductible with NO CO-PAY! 

ROLLBACK!  ROLLBACK!  ROLLBACK!

            While the rollback cannot happen until January when the 2019 Legislative Session begins, VOTING begins NEXT MONDAY, October 22!!!  IT’S TIME FOR OUR VOICES TO BE 

HEARD---AT THE VOTING BOOTHS!

            1.  Go to texansforpubliceducation.com.

            2. Scroll down on their home page to “Our Ratings.”
            3.  Carefully read the list of candidates who, after extensive research and voting by T4PE members, have been rated “FRIENDLY,” “NEUTRAL,” or “UNFRIENDLY” to public education (which includes to public-ed employees).  BLOCK VOTE, regardless of party, for the PUBLIC-ED FRIENDLY candidates!

            4.  Find out where to vote in your area and vote during EARLY VOTING!  Call friends and family members and ask them to do the same.  Ask your former students and their parents for their support, too.  Post on social media.  Do whatever you have to do to let our Texas legislators know ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! 

            According to the TRS website, there are currently 1.5 million TRS members, both active and retired.  IMAGINE WHAT IS POSSIBLE!!!  THEN, MAKE IT HAPPEN!  While our call for a rollback will get louder come January, this is our battle cry now:

BLOCK VOTE!  BLOCK VOTE!  BLOCK VOTE!

Cheryl Anderson, chair of the Texas AFT Retiree Committee, delivers a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's Office in September.

The letter Cheryl delivered to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's office

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)

Advice for New Teachers - 2018

            For more years than I can possibly remember, I have written an annual column to new teachers.  It’s hard to believe I have now been retired for five years. Nevertheless, I remain in close enough contact with active teachers and students that I still feel comfortable giving you advice.

    ·         Don’t let anyone tell you not to teach.  The fact that you are teaching right now tells me you have already followed your own path rather than allowing other people to convince you to follow theirs. Teaching IS difficult.  The work of teachers often isn’t valued the way it once was.  But if your heart tells you to teach, by all means, teach!

   ·         You have an enormous responsibility.  Every day, your students deserve your best when they walk into your classroom.  They deserve your undivided attention, your knowledge, your passion for your subject area and for teaching, and your ability to make what they are learning relevant. 

·         Get to know your students, and let them get to know you.  Go to their extracurricular activities when you can.  Sing happy birthday on each student’s special day.  Post news articles or other announcements that highlight their accomplishments.  Call home to check on them when they are absent more than one day.  Talk to them if you notice a change in personality or mood.  Invite them to community events that are important to you.  Let them see your true personality.

·         Classroom management plays a significant role in learning.  Expect, and give, respect in your classroom.  Teach, and use, good manners.  Please, thank you, yes (instead of yeah), and excuse me go a long way, not only in the classroom but in life.  Avoid using curse words in front of your students and expect the same from them.  If you spend your time writing referrals, students learn quickly you are not in control of your classroom.  When you don’t have a well-managed classroom, it affects your students’ ability to learn.  My first two years of retirement, I worked for an alternative certification company. As part of their course on Classroom Management, they used the book The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry and Rosemary Wong.  Oh how I wish this book had been available when I started teaching.  If you master the techniques taught in this book, your classroom-management game should be on point.

·         There IS a line between you and your students.  Stay on your side.  My last few years of teaching, I was shocked to hear of teachers I knew losing their jobs because they crossed the line on social media or by texting their students.  First, always make sure you are following your district’s policy as it relates to communication with students.  If your district does not have a policy, act as if it does.  To give you an idea how serious this is, read School District Employees and Electronic Media put out by the Texas Association of School Boards in November of 2017.  Please trust me when I tell you that you do not want to risk your teacher certification and your reputation by crossing the line.

·         Live by the words of Pastor Tony Evans.  Years ago, I heard Pastor Tony Evans on the radio.  “We should not lower our standards for our children.  Instead, we should raise our children to meet the high standards we have set for them.”  As I was driving, I gave an AMEN!  Do you know about the Texas Truth-in-Grading Law and how it has withstood court challenges by districts determined to lower standards for their students?  My advice is to ask yourself every day, what should your standards be if you truly want to prepare your students for college and the workforce?

·         Call your students’ parents.  At the beginning of the school year, I made a list of all of my students’ parents’ phone numbers I would have them readily available.  I developed the habit of calling them not only when I needed their assistance with behavioral issues or to get their children to tutoring but also to share good news about their children.  As I look back on my teaching career, I wish I had done this even more.  It’s amazing what it meant to the parents and to my students.

·         Ask questions.  A lot of them.  As I said at the beginning of this blog post, teaching is difficult.  Don’t try to do it alone.  Ask your colleagues, administrators, school secretaries, counselors, librarians, and anyone else on your campus for help and guidance.  One day, a new teacher will be asking you.

·         Get to know your colleagues on campus.  You will find out quickly that your custodians, your school secretaries, the school nurse, the librarian, your cafeteria workers, and every other member of your staff plays a critical role in your success and your students’ success.  Drop them a note to say thank you, bake for them, say “Good morning,” and do whatever else you can to let them know you appreciate them.

·         JOIN A TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION/UNION!  I would not teach today without belonging to one.  Though you may think you will never be one who is targeted by an administrator, a parent, or a student, belonging to an association/union is like having car insurance.  Hopefully, you will never have a wreck, but if you do, you will be protected.  You will also learn through the group you join about things like the Texas law on planning periods and on lesson plans (commonly referred to as the Paperwork Reduction Act).  Belonging to an association/union will also (hopefully) motivate you to get engaged, politically.  Current and retired public-education employees need to be aware of how this November’s election and the 2019 Legislative Session will affect our healthcare and our pensions.  I cannot tell you enough how important it is for you to get engaged NOW!

·         Invest in a 401K.  Retirement may be a long way off for you, but don’t be stuck depending only on your TRS pension.  While having a pension (IF you still have one---again, you better get involved in the legislative process NOW!) is nice, it is best to have supplemental income, as well.  Find a local financial advisor who is well-versed on TRS to help you begin investing in a 401K now.  Carlos Cantu, the migrant counselor at Brown Junior High (now Brown Middle School) in McAllen, where I started my teaching career, began hounding me to invest that first year, stressing that if I put it off, I would regret it.  I finally listened to him about three years later.  I should have started that first year because I would have that much more invested, but now that I am retired, I am sincerely grateful to him for continuing to hound me.  What a difference those investments will make for me in the not-to-distant future!

            CONGRATULATIONS on choosing to teach!  Regardless of the negativity often surrounding the profession today, it remains an honorable, rewarding job.  Imagine what a difference you can make in the lives of your students. Have a great year!

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)

IT’S TIME, PUBLIC EDUCATION EMPLOYEES and RETIREES

            There is so much to share with you in this blog post.  The 2018 General Election is just around the corner (November 6), and this is a critical election for public education employees and retirees.  Two months after this election, January 8, 2019, the 86^th Legislature will convene.  “Critical” doesn’t even begin to describe what this session means for all of us.

            So let’s get started on what we all need to know.  PLEASE NOTE that wherever you see blue words in the paragraphs below that are underlined, there is a LINK to the website/video/article I am discussing.  Click on them!

1.  According to the TRS website, there are currently 1.5 MILLION TRS members.  Can you all imagine the force we would be if even half of us were to get engaged?  What about one million?  (We can dream, can’t we?)  Heck, let’s shoot for all 1.5 MILLION members!  Each of us plays a role in making this happen.

2.  If you haven’t studied the Texans for Public Education ratings of our governor, lieutenant governor, senators, representatives, and State Board of Education members, start NOW!  We need to 1) keep/elect the “friendly” ones, 2) block vote against those rated “unfriendly,” and 3) elect “neutral” candidates if their opponent is “unfriendly” or block vote against them if their opponents are “unfriendly.”  (To see the ratings, scroll down on the T4PE home page—link above--until you see “Our Ratings.”  They did extensive research on each candidate and had members vote on the ratings, as well.)  SHARE!  SHARE!  SHARE!  November 6 will be here before you know it.

3.  As those of us in public education know, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has played a significant role in the decline of our benefits.  Last weekend, I had the opportunity to join an active McAllen ISD teacher and a McAllen ISD high school senior for an interview with his opponent, Mike Collier. That interview is an hour long, but I URGE you to listen to it in its entirety. He explains the predicament we are in, how he can turn it around, what property taxes have to do with it, and much more.  Once you have listened to it, please share with other voters!  Remember our goal—1.5 MILLION TRS MEMBERS…AND more!

4.  I cannot express enough how strongly I feel that every public school superintendent and every public school board trustee should be in this fight with us.  They are supposed to lead us, protect us, and support us.  Therefore, I was thrilled to hear about the courage and the conviction Dr. Kent P. Scribner, superintendent of Fort Worth ISD, showed by inviting Pastor Charles Johnson, founder of Pastors for Texas Children, to speak at the district's convocation.  (Listen from 44:54 to 1:10:30.)  This proves we are not alone!  Now we ALL need to get OUR superintendents, OUR board trustees, OUR former students and their families, OUR families, and OUR communities to stand with us!

5.  Here are more of the endless stories of the healthcare nightmare active and retired public education employees are living (I removed their last names):

 
         (Ernestina taught 18 years in Houston and then moved
                                                                     to the RGV, where she completed her career.  She is
                                                                     under 65.)

 (Faith has been teaching for 20 years; 

                            employees in her district are covered under TRS ActiveCare. )                                                

6.  A fellow TRS member posted on FB this week about something Gov. Greg Abbott said.  It happened yesterday during a roundtable discussion in Comal ISD, where the governor was joined by Sen. Donna Campbell, State Rep. Kyle Biedermann, and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. During that discussion, Gov. Abbott had the audacity to say, “We want to structure the compensation plan that would be the very best educators on the pathway to earning a six-figure salary.”  I would be the first one in line to thank the governor…if I bought it.  But this is the same elected official who allowed this nightmare to happen to us.  It has happened under HIS watch!  And while we have shouted from the rooftops for the past EIGHT MONTHS about our healthcare nightmare, he has not so much as ACKNOWLEDGED our cries for help!  Calls, posts, emails—he has addressed none of them.  Story after story after story has been posted, yet he has remained silent.

            We have just a little over two months, My Colleagues.  It’s time.  We are 1.5-MILLION-MEMBERS STRONG—and that doesn’t include our family members, friends, former students and their families, superintendents, board trustees, and communities.  IT’S TIME!

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)