Public Education Employees and Retirees – CONTACT GOVERNOR ABBOTT NOW! CALL FOR A SPECIAL SESSION TO QUENCH OUR THIRST!

 

            I retired in 2013 and have never had a COLA.  I’m not talking about the soft drink. In the eight years I have been retired, I have never received a Cost-Of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to my pension to help offset the cost of inflation.

            Before I go further, for those who don’t know, the retirement system for public-education employees is called TRS or the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. ALERT! This acronym is a misnomer because TRS isn’t only for retired teachers in our state. Rather, TRS is the retirement system for our bus drivers, secretaries, cafeteria staff, librarians, counselors, maintenance staff, school nurses and social workers, classroom aides, administrators, and all other public-education employees.

            In case you haven’t seen this, you may want to know how much current TRS retirees earn each month in the pension system we paid into throughout our careers:

 

SOURCE: A Great Value for All Texans, TRS, February 2021

               Look at this carefully. Nearly 31 percent of TRS members earn a pension between $1 and $1000 per month.

            Now let’s return to the COLA. As I mentioned earlier, I have not received a single COLA in the eight years I have been retired.  But imagine this! The Texas Legislature has not provided a COLA to any public-education retirees who have retired since September 1, 2004. 

            That is not a typo.  Since 2004. That’s 17 years without a COLA.  Let’s compare that to Social Security.

 

            Did you know the vast majority of retired public-education employees in Texas will not earn Social Security because—through no fault of our own—we do not pay into it while working in the public-education system? Those of us who HAVE worked outside of education pay into Social Security, but we are severely penalized by the federal government through the WEP and the GPO. 

I must save this story for another day, but what I will share with you today is that the TRS pension is the sole retirement income for countless public-education retirees.

            FINALLY, it looked like the 87^th Texas Legislature was going to provide us with at least a “sip” after the 17-year COLA drought. But the Texas Retired Teachers’ Association’s reports that the Senate Finance Committee failed to allow public hearings on any of the COLA-related bills filed, and the House Calendars Committee allowed two critical bills—HB 3214 and HB 3507 to die a slow death. HB 3214 would have provided a six-percent COLA—capped at $100 per month--while HB 3507 would have given TRS members a one-time payment (also known as a 13^th check), with a $2400 cap.

            There should not have been any excuses.  As a result of action taken during the 2019 Legislative Session, TRS of Texas is now actuarially sound, and providing us with a COLA would not change that. This is the criteria for providing TRS members with a COLA.

            THE TIME IS NOW! RISE UP, PUBLIC-ED EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES! 

          It is important for current public-ed employees to join us in this fight because we are fighting for your future, too.

According to the TRS website, there are currently 1.6 million members. SPEAK NOW OR LIVE COLA-LESS FOR AT LEAST TWO MORE YEARS!  That’s when the Texas Legislature reconvenes.  2023.

            We allowed them to strip us of our affordable health insurance in 2017, which was still FAR inferior to THEIRS.

            Are we going to allow them to do this, too, or are we going to CALL/TWEET GOVERNOR ABBOTT? Only he can call a Special Session. Let us make it clear, we want him to do so and to include a COLA for TRS members on the Session’s agenda.

            Start tweeting him @GregAbbott_TX NOW and start calling his office (512-463-2000) Monday! Let him know 17 years without a COLA is SHAMEFUL!

            Remind Gov. Abbott that TRS retirees devoted our lives to the children of this state, and WE’RE THIRSTY! We NEED a COLA!

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now works as a freelance writer and editor and is committed to education, educators, and students. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen.)

Which Texas Legislator(s) Will Step Up to the Plate?

            As the returns from the Texas Primary Election came in Tuesday, March 6, I have to admit I felt defeated.  I had such hopes that public-education employees and retirees, and our supporters (including our students), would come out in overwhelming numbers, using our votes as our voices to speak out against the disgraceful lack of school funding and the shameful healthcare nightmare Texas public education retirees are living.  It is a nightmare created by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, most members of the Texas Senate, and some members of the Texas House.

            However, Wednesday morning, I awakened with an entirely new outlook.  After all, I didn’t know Scott Milder, Dan Patrick’s Primary opponent, until recently.  But as I read about his credentials—a bachelor’s in journalism and radio/TV/film and a master’s in public relations, a former school district public information officer, a former reporter/photographer, a former Rockwall City Council member, a senior associate for Stantec Architecture, and, along with his wife, a small business owner and founder of Friends of Texas Public Schools—I knew he was exactly what the Texas Legislature needed.  As I looked at the Primary results with fresh eyes, I realized it was an incredible feat for Milder to garner 24 percent of the vote.  Three-hundred-sixty-seven thousand, nine-hundred-fifty-four people voted for Milder.  That’s 367,954 Texans who voted in the Republican Primary who did not want Patrick back.  I sincerely believe our hopes for the 2019 Legislative Session can be realized if we remain relentless between now and November’s General Election when Patrick faces a Milder-endorsed Democrat, Mike Collier.

            I attended the final day of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) three-day session at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley February 16.  Although I had no intention of doing so when I arrived, I testified at the start of the public hearing that day.  While there, I also picked up TRS: A Great Value for All Texans, a booklet published by TRS in February of 2017.  After seeing the chart on page nine, I filed a Public Information Request with TRS, seeking a breakdown of average pensions for school custodians, secretaries, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and maintenance workers, who are also covered under TRS. 

            I searched the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS), the state’s retirement system for all state employees not working in our public schools and for retired legislators, to locate a benefit distribution chart for these employees.  When I couldn’t find one, I filed a PIR with ERS February 23, asking for a chart like the one on page nine in the TRS booklet that lists monthly pensions and the percentage of ERS retirees who receive each amount.  I also asked for a similar chart specifically for Texas legislators who receive ERS pensions.  Twelve business days later, March 13, I received this response from ERS:

            So, while we know that 32 percent of TRS retirees—the highest percentage on the page-nine chart—earn a pension of only $1 to $1,000 each month, there is no chart available to the public with the percentage of ERS members who earn this paltry amount?  How in the world does this constitute “confidential information” when I did not ask for names of the individuals receiving these pensions?

            Do you know what the annual salary for Texas legislators is?  Do you know how their ERS pension is calculated?  If not, you will when you read my column next week.  You will learn that the outrageous discrepancies between the legislators’ healthcare premiums and deductibles and ours aren’t the only injustices.  Wait until you hear how the state arrives at the pension for members of our “elected class” who retire under ERS.

            In the meantime, these are my questions for this week:

1.  Which Texas Legislator(s) will step up to the plate to demand a fix to the TRS healthcare nightmare?

2.  Which Texas Legislator(s) will fight for an in-depth study BEFORE the 2019 Legislative Session on how ERS and TRS can be merged or, at the very least, how both systems under the control of the Texas Legislature can offer the same level of benefits?

3.  Which Texas Legislator(s) will ask why ERS does not provide a benefit distribution chart to the public and how they can claim this is “confidential member information”?

4.  Which Texas Legislator(s) will collect all of the stories of what TRS members are enduring as a result of the 2017 Legislative Session into a book for Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and all members of the House and Senate?

5.  Which Texas Legislator(s) will lead the charge to end our nightmare?

Shame on You, Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and Texas Legislature

             Every day—and I do mean every day—since January 1, I have felt a heaviness in the pit of my stomach.  Every day, I know I am going to hear another story about what has befallen my fellow retired Texas public school employees courtesy of Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and the Texas Legislature. 

            As many of you may have heard, during the 2017 Legislative Session, these elected officials decided to turn our healthcare world upside down, despite the fact that we retired under the promise of affordable healthcare, a promise made to us years ago when we began teaching and again when we completed all of the paperwork for retirement.  Instead, Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and the Texas Legislature voted to appropriate DOUBLE the amount of money for retirees in the state’s other retirement system, ERS, that they did for our retirement system, TRS, despite the fact that they have HALF the number of participants. ERS handles pensions and healthcare for all other state employees.  It is no coincidence that retired legislators are members of ERS when they retire at age 50 with a mere 12 years in office or at age 60 with a mere eight years.  Meanwhile, TRS, also controlled by the Texas Legislature, handles pensions and healthcare for me and all of my fellow retired public school employees—teachers, custodians, bus drivers, administrators, cafeteria workers, counselors, librarians, maintenance workers, secretaries, diagnosticians, and classroom aides (and anyone else who worked in our public school system). 

            Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and the Texas Legislature also increased our deductible from $400 to $1500.  Now, not one penny of the medical costs or prescriptions (except a list of standard, generic drugs) for TRS retirees under 65 is paid until we pay the ENTIRE $1500 out of pocket.  Think no co-pay.  For retired public school employees who include their spouse on their insurance, their deductible is $3000.  For them, the plan does not pay a single penny until they reach the entire $3000, not $1500 for each of them.

            Meanwhile, in ERS Land, all other state employees (and retired legislators) not only have 100 percent of their premium paid for by the state, but they also have no deductible.  No, as in zero.  That means while we are paying 100 percent of our healthcare costs and prescription costs out of pocket until we reach $1500 (then, we have an 80/20 split), they have no deductible to meet.  No, as in zero.

            One of the stories I heard last week was about Chuck and Leslie.  Leslie retired from Northside ISD in San Antonio in 2014.  January 1, their premium increased from $140 to $689.  This $689 is 23.5 percent of Nancy’s gross monthly annuity.  This incredible financial burden has resulted in the couple considering dropping their health insurance.  “But we don’t want to burden other taxpayers with OUR hospital bills if we ever do get sick,” Chuck told me.  This is the choice they are facing after Leslie spent years working in our public schools.

            I also read the story of Donna, who lives in Hewitt (near Waco).  She taught in Texas public schools for 27 years, about half of those in special education and seven as a diagnostician.  She has a master’s degree.  Her monthly prescription drug costs went from $100 to $1200.  Although she has found some discount cards she is now using, the hit it has taken is painful and frightening. 

            One of my close friends in the Rio Grande Valley is a retired teacher and a single mom who receives no child support for her son, who is a freshman in college.  She told me last week she has decided she is not going to the doctor any more, despite the fact that she battles high blood pressure.  “The deductible is just too high,” she told me.

            I’m sick.  I’m sad.  I’m angry.  I’m still in disbelief.  How did this happen?  Why did this happen?  I honestly believe someone is going to die because of the decisions made by Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and several members of the Texas Legislature.

            I think what sickens and frightens me most is that the endless stories I have heard are all from teachers and administrators.  If so many of them are suffering with these changes, what are those who earned far less than us while working—which means far less than us in retirement—doing?

            SHAME ON YOU, Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and every Texas legislator who voted to cripple all of us who devoted our careers and our lives to the children of this state.  I hope all of us, our former students, and all who love us will JOIN THE MOVEMENT to BLOCK VOTE!

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.  Her columns will also be appearing regularly in the Rio Grande Guardian.  And watch for upcoming LIVE Facebook conversations on "All Things Education" on the Guardian's FB page.  (Photo by Sarina Manahan)

JOIN OUR MOVEMENT

Go to texansforpubliceducation.com 
On the home page, scroll down to "Our Ratings" to read the rationale behind the ratings for each incumbent and his/her opponent(s).

(I) Incumbents

Blue-Opponents

UNFRIENDLY

FRIENDLY

NEUTRAL

TEXAS GOVERNOR

TEXAS LT. GOVERNOR

TEXAS HOUSE

Sheet 1:  DISTRICTS  3,18, 56, 57, 103, 104, 105, 116,123, 131, 145

Dallas, Grand Prairie, Houston, Lufkin, Magnolia, San Antonio, Shepherd,  Waco 

Sheet 2:  DISTRICTS  24, 25, 40, 58, 73, 76, 83, 112, 113, 128, 138 

Angleton, Cleburne, Deerpark, Edinburg, El Paso, Fredericksburg, Friendswood, Houston, 

Lubbock, Richardson, Sunnyvale   

Sheet 3:  DISTRICTS 8, 11,  54, 82, 95, 98, 117, 147 

Corsicana, Fort Worth, Houston,  Killeen, Midland, Nacodoches, San Antonio, Southlake

Sheet 4:  DISTRICTS  7, 17, 22, 46, 72, 111, 134, 135, 136, 142 

Austin, Beaumont, Cedar Park, Dallas, Houston, Lockhart, Longview, West University Place   

Sheet 5:  DISTRICTS 2, 23, 69, 84, 99, 106, 109, 120, 148  

Canton,  DeSoto, Fort Worth, Frisco, Galveston,  Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio,

Wichita Falls

Sheet 6:  DISTRICTS 4, 5, 31,34, 41, 52, 75, 97, 119, 143

Clint, Fort Worth, Houston, Mission, Mt. Pleasant, Rio Grande City,  Robstown, 

Round Rock, San Antonio, Terrell   

Sheet 7:  DISTRICTS  12, 32, 33, 45, 48, 49, 50, 100, 127, 139

Austin, College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Dripping Spring, Houston, Rockwall  

Sheet 8:  DISTRICTS 15, 44, 61, 71, 80,  81, 88,  91, 102

Abilene, Batesville, Canadian, Dallas, Fort Worth, Odessa, Seguin, The Woodlands, Weatherford  

Sheet 9:  DISTRICTS 16, 26, 35, 38, 39, 43, 60, 67, 89, 108, 122  

Brownsville, Conroe, Dallas, Granbury, Kingsville, Mission, Parker, Plano, San Antonio, 

Sugar Land, Weslaco   

Sheet 10:  DISTRICTS 30, 36, 37, 53,74,77, 78, 107, 124, 130, 133 

Brownsville, Cypress, Dallas, Eagle Pass, El Paso,  Houston, Junction, Palmview,   

San Antonio,Victoria

Sheet 11:  DISTRICTS 9, 14, 21, 62, 63, 79, 87, 129, 144 

Amarillo, Beaumont, College Station, El Paso, Flower Mound, Houston, Marshall, Sherman  

Sheet 12:  DISTRICTS 6,  27, 42, 51, 70, 90, 110, 115, 125, 126   

Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Irving, Laredo, McKinney, Missouri City,  

San Antonio, Tyler

Sheet 13:  DISTRICTS  13, 55, 59, 65, 66, 68, 85, 86, 132

Amarillo,  Caldwell, Carrolton, Gatesville, Katy, Muenster, Plano, Temple, Wharton

Sheet 14:  DISTRICTS 29, 64, 92, 94, 121, 141, 146, 150

Arlington, Bedford, Denton, Houston, Pearland, San Antonio, Spring

Sheet 15:  DISTRICTS 1, 10,19, 20, 47, 101, 114, 118, 140, 149

Austin, Dallas, Grand Prairie, Hillister, Houston, Marble Falls, New Boston, San Antonio,  Waxahachie

Sheet 16:  DISTRICTS 137, 96, 28

Arlington, Houston, Richmond

TEXAS SENATE

Sheet 1:  DISTRICTS 7, 22, 24, 10, 25, 4, 30, 6, 2, 9, 20
Houston, Granbury, Lakeway, Colleyville, New Braunfels, Conroe, Wichita Falls, Houston, Edgewood, North Richland Hills, McAllen

Sheet 2:  DISTRICTS 16, 17, 1, 18, 27, 26, 13, 12, 3, 28, 29, 5

Dallas, Houston, Mineola, Brenham, Brownsville, San Antonio, 

Flower Mound, Jacksonville, Lubbock, El Paso, Georgetown

Sheet 3:  DISTRICTS 31, 11, 8, 19, 14, 23, 15, 21

Amarillo, Friendswood, Plano, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Laredo

Attention Texas Retired Public School Employees!

This week, I decided to write about changes/sessions/organizations my fellow public school retirees should know about:

1.         As you should know by now, the Texas Legislature worked diligently during the 2017 legislative session to turn our healthcare upside down.  For those of us under 65, our deductible is going from $400 to $1500.  We will no longer have a co-pay for prescriptions.  Instead, we will pay 100 percent of our prescription drug cost until we reach the $1500 medical deductible. After that, the plan will pay 80/20.  The exception to this?  A list of standard, generic medications that will be completely covered by our new-and-significantly-reduced healthcare plan. (Find that list by clicking here.)  To learn more about all of our prescription drug coverage changes, click here. 

            For those who are 65 and over, you will still have a co-pay through your Medicare prescription drug plan.  You can click on the link above, too, to learn more about the changes taking effect January 1.

2.         Why did the Texas Legislature increase our deductible to $1500 and significantly increase our premiums over the next four years while continuing to provide healthcare to all other state employees (INCLUDING retired legislators) at a $0 deductible and $0 premium?  I believe what many others have said—because Texas teachers have been a proverbial sleeping giant, many not voting during state elections and most not involved in organizations fighting for our benefits like other groups--like police officers and firefighters--do. 

            One of the first things I recommend is joining the Texas Retired Teachers Association.  The annual membership fee is just $35, and TRTA worked tirelessly to restore what the Texas Legislature did to us during the regular session.  (They originally increased our deductible to $3000. After “the sleeping giant” awakened, they reduced it to $1500 during the special session, still $1100 more than we paid previously and not restoring our prescription drug coverage.)  Imagine if TRTA and some of our teachers’ associations hadn’t gotten involved!  To learn more about TRTA and to join, go here.

            TRTA also has local units that meet on a monthly basis and work to get more public school retirees involved in educating other retirees, networking, getting out the vote, and lobbying on our behalf.  Local membership is $10 per year.  Getting involved in my local unit is a commitment I made because of what the Texas Legislature has done.  To find the local unit nearest you, click here.

3.         In case you haven’t heard, TRS is currently holding informational sessions about all of the changes we can expect to our healthcare plans.  You must register to attend.  For more information on sessions near you and to register, click here.

            If you live in McAllen, one morning session in McAllen has been added.  It will be held October 25.  If you prefer to attend the McAllen session but already registered for one of the sessions in Weslaco/Mercedes, be sure to cancel that registration and register in McAllen.  Don’t wait or you will miss out.

4.         Become a member of Texans for Public Education.  This membership is free, and this is how the group is described on the TfPE website:  We're a group of people who are sick of what the politicians are doing with our school system, so we're taking it back using something they understand very well. We're block voting, and that's a very personal decision with which we want every member comfortable. 

            TfPE is non-partisan.  A research crew is diligently combing through the voting records, campaign contributors, media releases, and other critical information of each elected state official (House, Senate, and State Board of Education).  Once opponents join the races, they will also be thoroughly researched.  The committee then votes to move each candidate to “friendly” or “unfriendly” status.  Members are then provided with the rating and the research to back up that rating, and there is a process to challenge the rating.  I strongly urge you to not only visit the TfPE website but to become a member of the closed group on Facebook.

            When election time rolls around, TfPE members will work tirelessly to get fellow Texans who support public education to block vote according to the candidates’ final status.  This group is not only about public school employee benefits.  It’s about supporting public education in our state.

5.         Finally, on a much lighter note, for those retirees who live in the Rio Grande Valley and who want to get informed on a wide range of health topics, join us for monthly DHR Retired Professionals Committee meetings.  The meetings are held the first or second Friday of each month, depending on the availability of the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. Lunch is provided.  For more information about this group, which is actually open to all retirees, not only those of us who retired from the public school system, please send an email to me at cardis1022@aol.com

            Throughout the year, I will be updating retirees on important news.  AWAKEN, SLEEPING GIANT!

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 Sarina Manahan)