Sunday, May 17, 2015

Serious Threat to Teacher Retirement System!

Dear Readers:
I just got this important notice from Scott Richard, Executive Director for the Louisiana School Boards' Association. This is an extremely important issue. It amounts to a very damaging attack on our teacher retirement system and could make our public school systems even more vulnerable to further unfair competition from predatory charter schools and voucher schools (that are exempted from participation in the retirement systems).

PUBLIC EDUCATION STAKEHOLDERS:
Please reach out to Senators that serve on the Senate Retirement Committee and request that they OPPOSE Senate Bill 18/Senator Adley on MONDAY. Senate Bill 18/Adley allows for all of Higher Education to be removed from the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL), and, will result in an INCREASE IN EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION RATES for ALL SCHOOL BOARDS.

Local School Boards and School System Leadership Teams OPPOSE Senate Bill 18/Adley due to the NEGATIVE FISCAL IMPACT that would result for ALL local school boards as employers. It is anticipated that the removal of Higher Education from TRSL would result in an approximate 2.5% increase in employer contribution rates for all local school boards. 

Local School Systems oppose SB 18/Adley due to the following reasons:

  • Local School Boards have absorbed the costs of increasing employer contribution rates for TRSL that have nearly doubled from 15.5% to the current 28% since 2008-2009 to the present, coupled with 6 of the last 8 years of no inflationary increases in the MFP/state funding program for local school districts. The Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (LSERS) has also nearly doubled employer contribution rates during this period.
  • Local School Boards have absorbed the increases in other employee benefits such as health insurance, both from the private sector and through the state Office of Group Benefits, coupled with 6 of the last 8 years of no inflationary increases in the MFP/state funding program for local school districts.
  • Local School Boards continue to face financial challenges with uncertainty in the current MFP resolution this Legislative Session, rising operational costs, rising employee benefits - while at the same time raising student achievement. Local School Boards have contributed significantly more local dollars to fund public education over the last eight years as state funding has remained static.
  • IF SB 18/ADLEY MOVES FORWARD, THE NEGATIVE FINANCIAL IMPACT TO LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS WOULD ULTIMATELY IMPACT THE CLASSROOM AND DISRUPT THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE A QUALITY EDUCATION TO STUDENTS.

For a Parish-by-Parish breakdown of the negative financial impact that Senate Bill 18/Adley would have on your school district
click on the hyperlink:

SENATE RETIREMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS – CONTACT INFO/EMAIL INFO

Senator Elbert L. Guillory (Chairman)
633 East Landry Street
Opelousas, LA 70570 
Senator Page Cortez (Vice-Chairman)
101 W. Farrell Road
Bldg. 5, Suite 100
Lafayette, LA 70508 

Senator Conrad Appel
721 Papworth Avenue
Suite 102A
Metairie, LA 70005 
Senator A.G. Crowe
646 Carnation Street
Slidell, LA 70460 
Senator Gerald Long
P.O. Box 151
Winnfield, LA 71483 
Senator Barrow Peacock
1619 Jimmie Davis Highway
Bossier City, LA 71112 
Senator Jonathan "J.P." Perry
P.O. Box 100
Kaplan, LA 70548 

To review Senate Bill 18/Adley - Click on hyperlinks below:
Pending Senate Retirement
TEACHERS RETIREMENT: Provides for higher education liability payments. (6/30/15) (OR NO IMPACT APV)
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LOUISIANA BELIEVES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!