"I'm more than a happy camper," beams Lois Shive, vice chair of CTA State Council's Retirement Committee. "I'm elated! It is a glorious day for all of us."
Shive, who has lobbied tirelessly for pension improvements for active members of the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS), is ecstatic at the passage of the retirement legislation package, worth approximately $12.1 billion and funded from excess earnings of the CalSTRS fund.
Coalition members (right) participating in the Aug. 8 lobby day react.
"For many years, teachers have wished for a system responsive to the needs of retirees and future retirees," says Shive, a member of the Escondido Secondary Teachers Association. "This package will recruit new people into the profession, keep them in the profession, and reward those who have been in the profession for many years."
"This package will help maintain teaching as a true career," says Beverly Carlson, chair of the Retirement Committee and a liaison between CTA and STRS. "We want newcomers to see this as a profession - not a short-term job where they quit and do something else."
"If we cannot have teachers who continue to serve in the profession, our children will not be well served," says Dorothy Moser, president of CTA-Retired.
Shive, Carlson and Moser were among more than 100 people who went to the state Capitol on Aug. 8 to lobby for the legislation. "We surprised everyone, including ourselves, by how many of us showed up," says Shive. "We knew that the legislators were poised in our direction, but they needed some extra help. We gave it to them."
Bill Lloyd (left), a member of the governor's staff, relays Gov. Davis' support and respect for members of the teaching profession.
Throughout the year, "we had a half-dozen people in teams of three meeting with legislators on specific bills," says Carlson. "Then, in August, we held a member lobby day. I thought we would have about 40 people, but there were over 100 people. People just kept coming."
Participants included administrators, retirees, community college teachers and "a lot of CTA members."
The legislation package has something for almost everyone, says Carlson, a member of the Yuba City Unified Education Association. "We have something for current retirees, ones who retired before 1997, and Medicare aid for people who don't have it. It will raise more people above the poverty level."
"I think this package is one of the greatest things to come down the line," says John Johnston, a member of NEA's Board of Directors. "By making the highest-earning year the best year, it can add significantly to a retiree's pension."
"All enhancements encourage teachers to stay in the profession longer to earn these bonuses," he adds. But it isn't just about retention. It's about giving teachers adequate pensions so thay can live with dignity when they finish their careers.
Sherry Posnick-Goodwin
