Sept. 2002 This Active Life -- News Briefs

Annual Meeting Yields New Officers, Record Attendance

A record number of attendees at the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas elected new officers, raised money for the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education, and heard from experts on such issues as pensions and healthy lifestyles.

Jim Sproul (Kentucky) was re-elected president at the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting, which ran June 26-28 before the NEA Representative Assembly. Barbara Matteson (Arizona) was chosen to serve as vice president, and Gene Craig (Illinois) and Martha Wood (Virginia) earned positions on the NEA-Retired Advisory Council.

The 348 meeting participants set an attendance record, Sproul announced. That number underscored strong growth in NEA-Retired membership during the past year. Membership (at press time) was 198,000--an increase of 10,000 since last fall. Alabama alone added more than 1,300 members, Sproul said.

Delegates to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting and the RA also helped to raise a record amount for the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education. By the conclusion of the RA, more than $1.1 million had been raised to support public education. NEA-Retired, through its activities at the spring regional meetings and the NEA-Retired annual meeting, contributed more than $21,000 to the fund, said Agnes Chavis, who coordinated NEA-Retired's fundraising at the RA.

Attendees at the Annual Meeting also learned about current trends in pension systems in a seminar led by John Jensen, president of the National Council on Teacher Retirement. Jensen warned that legislatures across the states are considering converting defined-benefit pension systems to riskier defined-contribution systems.

Benefits in a defined-benefit plan are guaranteed, so employees can count on a sure income when they retire. Defined-contribution plans require employees to weather the storms of the market--and if the market declines, so does their portfolio.

"Don't let them play with your members' money," Jensen urged. "For many of your members, their defined-benefit retirement account represents their biggest single asset. A safe, secure retirement for your members is at risk." (See this issue's cover story for more on protecting your retirement income.)

Finally, participants learned the winners of the 2001-2002 NEA-Retired Newsletter Competition. First prize and runner-up plaques went to the following state affiliates and locals:

• Established State Newsletter--Illinois Education Association-Retired (1st place), Alabama Retired Teachers Association, Inc. (Runner-up);
• State Newsletter Published Less Than Three Years--Georgia Association of Educators-Retired (1st place), Florida Education Association-Retired (Runner-up);
• Established Local Newsletter--York/Adams Pennsylvania Education Association-Retired (1st place), Kaua'i Chapter of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association-Retired (Runner-up);
• State Active Newsletter Covering Retired Issues--Nebraska State Education Association (1st place), South Carolina Education Association (Runner-up).

Retirees Join 'Outreach to Teach'

During the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting, many participants descended on N.W. Harllee Elementary School for the sixth annual Outreach to Teach event. About 50 members of NEA-Retired joined 200 other NEA members, painting classrooms, assembling playground equipment, designing bulletin boards, landscaping the grounds, and organizing the school's literacy library.

"This shows that retired members are needed and can make a great contribution," said Indiana member Sarah Borgman, a retired elementary and secondary language arts teacher and first-time participant. "No school has enough personnel to get all the jobs done that need to be done in the summer, so this is a great way to help them complete what needs to be done."

Members of NEA-Retired have participated in Outreach to Teach since the project began in 1996, said President Jim Sproul. They especially enjoy working side by side with members of the NEA Student Program, which sponsors the event. "This is one of the highlights of our conference," Sproul said. "The members come away with a sense of satisfaction that public education is going to be in good hands and they enjoy working with the young folks and this is an opportunity to do that."

In Nebraska
The Nebraska State Education Association-Retired is helping to preserve history. The NSEA-R board recently contributed $10,000 to NSEA to purchase scanning equipment that will be used to digitally store critical Association documents and publications. Documents, such as copies of magazines and newsletters and printed records, were falling prey to the elements. The scanning equipment will preserve the documents electronically and allow for more efficient indexing and storage. NSEA was formed all the way back in 1867.

In Maine
Persistence pays off. Based on a case pursued by the Maine Education Association back in 1996, the Main State Retirement System has adjusted upwards the retirement benefits of 959 teacher and 701 state retirees. The retirement system completed its review of nearly 4,000 records and made adjustments retroactive to the date if retirement. The increase in benefits amounts to more than $900,000, says MEA.

In New York
The Sewanhaka Federation of Teachers Retirees is turning the NEA's Read Across America into a year-long event through its Target Reading Program. With SFT's support, 12 retired high school teachers visit two elementary school classrooms once a month and read selections chosen by the students' teachers. "It makes us remember why we went into teaching," says Julie O'Keefe, one of the readers. "And the kids really look forward to this."