The post had a profound effect on me. I thought about the promises made to me and my fellow public education employees--teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, school nurses, librarians, classroom aides, secretaries, administrators, social workers, maintenance workers, police officers, sign-language interpreters--throughout our careers, the promise of a decent pension (because most of us will not receive any social security) and affordable healthcare. I also thought about my drive to Austin in 2013 to meet with a Teacher Retirement System of Texas representative before making my decision to retire. I made my decision based on a promise--a CONTRACT--that I could budget my finances according to my pension AND that I could afford my healthcare.
Look at us now. The largest percentage of TRS members, 32 percent, only earn $1 - $1,000 a month!!! How in the world can ANYONE making $1,000 a month afford a $1500 ($3000 if he/she is married) deductible that requires him/her to pay 100 PERCENT OUT OF POCKET on all doctors' visits, exams, AND prescriptions (except for a list of standard, generic drugs)??
This healthcare nightmare began for us in January of 2018 following the 2017 Texas Legislative Session when the Texas Legislature appropriated DOUBLE the amount of money to ERS (Employees Retirement System of Texas, a retirement system for all OTHER state employees AND our legislators) that they gave to TRS, even though ERS has HALF the number of members. In addition, the Texas Legislature also let ERS members keep their $0 monthly healthcare premium (ours is $200 and will go up over the next four years until it is $370 per month), their $0 healthcare deductible, AND their $50 prescription deductible. In case you're keeping score, that's ERS $0 vs. TRS $200, ERS $0 vs. TRS $1500 (or, for married couples, $3000), and ERS $50 vs. TRS $1500/$3000.
I realized when I read Adrienne's post that this is a REAL PERSON! I reached out to her to see if she would mind if I shared her post, and she decided to write her entire post-2017-Legislative-Session healthcare story!
If you search through my blog, you will see hers is my first GUEST BLOG. Why? Because these stories need to be told so people throughout Texas and throughout our country will understand what was promised and how those promises have been broken in the most shameful ways.
Adrienne--thank you for your bravery. It takes courage to share intimate details about our health and about our personal lives. It is your courage and the courage of so many others (Christy Curtis Reynolds, Judi Burroughs Thomas, Valerie Babbitt, Pam Thompson, Cindy Madison, and Blanca Benavidez Seeds, to name just a few) that have inspired ME to be RELENTLESS in this fight to have PROMISES MADE TO US KEPT!
Here is Adrienne's story:
ADRIENNE'S STORY
Hello. Let me introduce myself to
you.
I am Adrienne Gray Myers, a retired
Texas educator with 35 years of experience in Texas public schools. I was a
proud teacher with 24 years of classroom experience in grades pre-K through 8
and an administrator with 11 years of campus administration experience in
grades pre-K through 12.
My education started in the public
school system in Longview, Texas. I am very proud of the education I received
from Longview ISD and that pride was instilled within me during those formative
years!! I was born and reared in Longview and am a proud East Texan and
Longview Lobo!!
I attended Stephen F. Austin State University,
where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education
grades pre-K through 8 with a reading minor and kindergarten, early childhood,
gifted/talented endorsements.
Later,
I attended East Texas State University-Commerce, where I graduated with a
Masters of Education in Educational Administration. My final educational quest
is attending Texas A&M University-Commerce, where I am currently conducting
research and completing my doctoral degree in educational administration.
During my 35-year career, I had many
accolades including being named Region VII Assistant Principal of the Year and
one of three finalists for State Assistant Principal of the Year.
I was honored to be nominated by
several of my students for several years into the Who's Who in American
Teachers. Governor Ann Richards recognized my work as an outside elementary
science consultant for KERA/Texaco/Region X and XI ESC, and I was an active
member and officer in the Texas Lions Club, which serves children
internationally.
I participated in writing curriculum
and wrote two practice manuals for TAAS Language Arts for 3rd grade and TAAS
Language Arts for 4th grade. I also wrote a practice manual for gifted/talented
students, H.O.T.S. Higher Order Thinking Skills for 5th grade, and a summer school
manual.
I was also an outside consultant for
Regions X and XI ESC, conducting science workshops on Saturdays.
Summers were spent conducting
workshops for teachers and space camps for students in the Region X and XI ESC.
For 15 years
of my 35-year career, my second job was driving a school bus before and after
school. If I drove trips for band, athletics, etc., after school and/or Saturdays, that was more money. While the group I had
driven was performing, I sat and graded my many student papers.
Many of my students experienced many
successes. There were many newspaper recognition pictures and articles. Some
had their writings published with the McDougal Littell The Language of Literature for grades 7 and 8.
Then, an unexpected life event threw
my world upside down. It not only affected my world but also my son's
world. (He lives with me.) I have been a
single mother since my son was four. He was diagnosed with ADHD and later as a
high-functioning autistic child. During his public school years, he was in
special ed because he was LD in math. In high school, he overcame his math challenge
and took AP classes in the sciences and in math; he graduated with honors.
College was a struggle for him. At age
30, he still struggles with his autism.
My
career ended five years ago when I was forced to retire due to a medical issue
causing me to experience a lack of mobility. I could only use a cane in the
beginning and now only a walker. The walker allows me to steady myself because
I can only shuffle my feet to walk. I have trouble sitting, getting up,
squatting to pick up something, and doing everyday things around the house. My thigh bones pop in and out of their
joints. I am unable to work right now to bring in extra money, as is my son who
has trouble with social situations due to his autism.
It has taken my doctors months to
figure out what is wrong with me and the cause of the loss of my mobility. In the fall of 2017, they decided I needed
two hip surgeries and a lower-back surgery. We set up the hip surgeries for
January, 2018, because there were not any surgery dates available before the
end of the year.
Knowing that on January 1, 2018, TRS
members began a new insurance, I assumed our insurance would be comparable to
our prior insurance. After finding out the amount of out-of-pocket money I would
have to come up with before the new insurance would begin paying anything
toward my medical expenses, I had to cancel my much-needed surgeries because I
did not have money to pay my part up front. One hip surgery is approximately
$40,000.
I have been wiped out financially
already due to all of the medical expenses leading up to the surgery before I
had to unexpectedly retire because of my medical situation.
With the new TRS insurance, I cannot
afford to go to any doctor appointments or buy medicines. Nor can I afford to pay for physical therapy
for myself because of the high-priced, unaffordable insurance TRS has chosen
for retirees. Now, I try to do my own physical therapy and walk around what
little I can so I do not get stiff and immobile.
At the beginning of my career, I was
promised (at age 22 when I signed my first teaching contract) that when I was
ready to retire from the education profession, I would have a pension to live
comfortably off of and affordable health insurance in reward for all of my
service to the State of Texas and its children and families. That promise was
still made to me when I made the decision to retire.
My brother bought me a walking cane
in the beginning and has tried to keep my spirits high.
Prior to the TRS insurance fiasco, the
physical therapist moved me to a walker, and I am still on the walker. I am
thankful that my son, brother, and friends are giving me support throughout
this ordeal.
As of now, I am trying to make the best
of a very bad situation that has fallen upon me. I have to swallow my pride and
get a shopping scooter at Wal-mart to do my shopping for the month. I have been
fighting to stay moving and had hopes that I would have the much-needed
surgeries so I could get back to an active lifestyle. I am praying I do not have to join the
“Scooter Club” at 63 years of age.
NOW, THERE WILL BE NO
MORE....
Football games Twirling at high-school reunions
Zip lining Caverns
Tubing Walking the Riverwalk in San Antonio
I have experienced many losses, including my home that I
owned and almost had paid off, along with the reorganizing, moving, and
relocating of my family all prior to the upheaval that is now occurring with
TRS healthcare and retirees’ pensions. I am not sure how many more losses my
son and I can survive at this point.
Respectfully,
I request that all parties involved in the current decisions of the Texas
Teacher Retirement System and the Texas education system please consider the effect
your decisions will have on the active and retired educators and many others'
lives if equal or more funding is not invested to help sustain the TRS members
and the many teachers and children of the State of Texas. Thank you.
