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:

http://www.lsba.com/Images/Interior/sb%2018%20adley%20-%20costs%20to%20districts.pdf

SENATE RETIREMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS – CONTACT INFO/EMAIL INFO

Senator Elbert L. Guillory (Chairman) 633 East Landry Street Opelousas, LA 70570	guillorye@legis.la.gov (337) 943-2457
Senator Page Cortez (Vice-Chairman) 101 W. Farrell Road Bldg. 5, Suite 100 Lafayette, LA 70508	cortezp@legis.la.gov (337) 993-7430
Senator Conrad Appel 721 Papworth Avenue Suite 102A Metairie, LA 70005	appelc@legis.la.gov (866) 946-3133
Senator A.G. Crowe 646 Carnation Street Slidell, LA 70460	crowea@legis.la.gov (985) 643-3600
Senator Gerald Long P.O. Box 151 Winnfield, LA 71483	longg@legis.la.gov (318) 628-5799
Senator Barrow Peacock 1619 Jimmie Davis Highway Bossier City, LA 71112	peacockb@legis.la.gov (318) 741-7180
Senator Jonathan "J.P." Perry P.O. Box 100 Kaplan, LA 70548	perryj@legis.la.gov (337) 643-6425

To review Senate Bill 18/Adley - Click on hyperlinks below:

SB18	ADLEY	Pending Senate Retirement	Sched. for 5/18/15	more...
	TEACHERS RETIREMENT: Provides for higher education liability payments. (6/30/15) (OR NO IMPACT APV)

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LOUISIANA BELIEVES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!