Topic: TRS

TRS Board declines to increase premiums, while Texas AFT retirees call for a ‘rollback’ of hikes and benefit cuts

Publish Date: September 21, 2018

Retiree Committee members from across the state hold a news conference at the Capitol Thursday. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas Benefits Committee met Thursday morning to discuss possible changes in benefits or premiums for TRS-Care Standard (retired plan members ineligible yet for Medicare). Although the committee could have approved a pre-scheduled $50-per-month premium increase, it chose to take no action, and...

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Upcoming TRS action on retiree health-care premiums

Publish Date: September 18, 2018

Teacher Retirement System of Texas trustees will meet Thursday and Friday. On the agenda is a proposed premium increase for TRS-Care members ($50 per month for those under 65 not on Medicare). According to TRS officials, it's unlikely the trustees will raise rates, because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has urged them not to, noting that the Legislature will provide additional funding...

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Retired teachers to urge state trustees not to increase health-care premiums, and will ask Lt. Gov. for rollback of benefit cuts

Publish Date: September 18, 2018

News Conference: Thursday, 11 a.m. Teachers faced significant premium increases and benefit cuts under Lt. Dan Patrick’s control of the state Senate What:  The Texas AFT Retiree Committee is in town to testify at a Teacher Retirement System Board vote on increasing premiums $50 a month for retired teachers and school employees (not yet on Medicare) starting in January, 2019....

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Capitol wrap up: Your property taxes, TRS funding, and SBOE news

Publish Date: September 14, 2018

Source: Center for Public Policy Priorities TEA presents budget asking for less money The Texas Education Agency laid out its preliminary budget request for public education funding Wednesday at a Legislative Budget Board meeting, which ended up highlighting one of the key problems with the direction we're heading funding our schools--an increasing share of that funding coming from your local...

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House hearing to examine TRS retiree health-care funding

Publish Date: September 4, 2018

Welcome back to school from a well-earned early holiday--Labor Day! We hope you had time to both relax and reflect on the contributions of the labor movement to our country. But it's back to business at the Texas House, where an Appropriations Subcommittee will be holding a hearing on Wednesday at 9 a.m. to look at "options for funding retired...

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Reduction in assumed TRS investment returns: What does it mean for you?

Publish Date: July 27, 2018

  The Teacher Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees today reduced the pension fund's long-range assumption for investment returns from 8 percent to 7.25 percent, a reduction that will have a significant impact on how much must be contributed annually to meet future obligations and when or whether retirees will get a cost-of-living increase in their pensions. While board members and retirees in attendance...

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Teacher retirees scraping by on fixed pension income and skyrocketing health-care costs await crucial decision by TRS board

Publish Date: July 23, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2018 CONTACT:  Rob D’Amico, 512-627-1343 Decision on rate of return Friday could further erode ability to offer cost-of-living increases What:  Retired school employees from across Texas will hold a news conference on the steps of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas building Thursday to highlight how a TRS Board vote expected the next morning on...

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TRS ActiveCare deterioration documented—more fuel for the fire of educator discontent

Publish Date: April 24, 2018

Public-school teachers are fed up not only because their pay has fallen behind the earnings of comparable workers in other sectors by more than 20 percent, but also because their benefits are getting worse. As economist Paul Krugman has observed, “teachers are having to pay a rising share of their health-insurance premiums, a severe burden when their real earnings are...

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TRS trustees deadlock on key pension issue; member costs for ActiveCare health plans go up again

Publish Date: April 20, 2018

The TRS board deadlocked Friday on how much to reduce the projected rate of return assumed for TRS investments. The assume rate of return on investments helps define how much contributions would have to increase to cover future obligations and make future benefit improvements possible. Four board members agreed with Texas AFT that a consultant's proposal to lower the assumed...

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