Cash Cow

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Cash Cow

Rob Jones, VEA's Government relations director, sent an email out today calling attention to a dire threat facing every one of Virginia's educators during the next General Assembly session.

In the General Assembly session ahead, one thing we can count on is that the benefits offered by the Virginia Retirement System will be under attack. In these tough times, legislators will be looking under every rock to find ways to cut costs.

Thanks to a Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission(JLARC) report released a year ago, seven proposals are up for consideration, including eliminating the current traditional pension plan and replacing it with a 401(k) personal risk account.

According to Rob, many of our members simply do not understand the true benefit and promise of our current system. Why? Perhaps they haven't experienced the real ebb and flow of investment life. More likely, they have never invested at all.

Do you realize that before Roanoke County Schools revamped our 403-b investment program last year, about 18% of our employees took advantage of the program? When we switched over to the Hartford management team after an intense selection process necessitated by IRS tax law changes, participation has dropped to 9.6%. Folks, the industry average for 401-k (similar to 403-b) participation in the business world is 79%. Given time and a strong effort by our Hartford representatives, Kyle Scully and Rob Mangano, this percentage should slowly grow back.

As a career educator, I fully understand why it’s easy to let retirement thoughts slide. We face so much in our daily PRESENT lives serving others that it's hard to carve out time to think about our own futures.

My wife and I are that unique educator couple. We both teach elementary school and have been investing in 403-b's since the mid-1980's. We began investing simply because we wanted a full retirement option when we decided that teaching was over for us. We wanted the ability to live comfortably and maybe travel a bit.

We were confident to develop an investment plan because we knew that we had two components in place already, the defined benefits offered by Social Security and VRS. With that security in mind, we scrimped and saved pennies from our meager salaries (I started at $10,500 a year) and strode out into the investment world. We developed a relationship with a financial planner in whom we have grown to trust implicitly. We knew that, between VRS and Social Security, we could expect a constant sum of money that would allow us to live. Our 403-b’s would just be icing on the cake and allow us to experience life.

Like many others, the 403-b dream has been mixed. We’ve invested faithfully for over 20 years in solid funds but the inherent risky nature of the product doomed us in the down times. The technology bubble burst bashed our accounts and the recent crash sank us.

Here’s what I’m getting at. We knew the risks and were willing to take them because we had security in our hip pocket. Now, some legislators want to take my security away. They want to turn my DEFINED BENEFIT RETIREMENT PLAN into a PERSONAL RISK ACCOUNT.

On top of switching VRS from a defined benefit plan to a personal risk account, the General Assembly is eyeing the giant pile of money being held by VRS in our name. They covet these billions. Even though these billions were earned by us and were kept in guarded trust for us, sometimes in lieu of salary increases, this money is a very tempting pot of gold that could cure the state of what ails it in the short-term, so they believe.

According to Rob’s analysis of JLARC’s report, a retiring teacher can expect a 48% REDUCTION in benefits from VRS. 48% . I’m trying hard to understand why someone could possibly think that idea is acceptable or advised. Perhaps such people are taking advantage of Math SOL 4.5 (Front End Estimation). 48% written as a decimal would be 0.48. Using the front-end method, underline the front digit and drop the rest 0.48. Hence 0.48 can accurately be estimated as 0 or 0% using front-end estimation. Of course, most of the rest of us would simply round off 48 to 50 and advertise the 50% reduction in benefits (Also Math SOL 4.5).

That’s right, there are people who don’t care and may even be blind to the fact that educators will endure a 50% cut in benefits if we go to Personal Risk Accounts. I fully expect Rob to share more information in the coming weeks of how exactly these accounts will impact us.

We need to educate our colleagues about both the benefits of the current system, which provides a guaranteed benefit for life following retirement, and the shortcomings of the 401(k). The current issue of Time magazine includes an excellent article entitled, "Why It's Time to Retire the 401(k)."

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1929119,00.html

Please read this article and share it with friends.

Our current pension system is worth fighting for.

What Rob said. Some things you just have to fight for. But, hey, maybe you think we should all just be thankful to have a job.

New Holes Cut in the Belt

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New Holes Cut in the Belt

“We will continue to identify and implement cost-saving measures and frugal spending as a means of focusing the available resources on classroom instruction.”

~Penny Hodge, Assistant Superintendent of Finance

Do those words resonate with you? If so, welcome to the 2009-2010 school year.

Schools all across the county have redoubled efforts to pinch every penny and to scrape every scrap of savings out of the local school budget. Most schools have instituted strict copying policies in order squeeze out any savings they can. Some schools have gone to copy number limits while other schools now require prior approval for each copy. Most schools have also halted discretionary spending for office supplies and professional activities. High schools are reallocating human assets at athletic games by stepping up the use of teachers and reducing the number of paid security officials. All of these and a myriad of other local school cost-saving measures are being implemented all across the county.

You no doubt already are experiencing the byproducts of last spring’s round of cuts. Teachers in middle school are now teaching an extra period thus increasing their workload and reducing their planning time. All schools are suffering from markedly increased class sizes. This is especially felt in the early grades. Numbers in some kindergarten classrooms have skyrocketed and class sizes in all grades are at levels not experienced in over thirty years.

While no doubt the cost-saving measures and personnel changes save the school division real money, they do impact the instructional program, profoundly. Quite simply, teachers are being required to do much more with much less.

As an association, we remain dedicated to advocating for our members at the local level. We will continue to be a strong presence at the School Board level while increasing our visibility at the county supervisor level. As always, you can take comfort that you have someone who has your back, our Uniserv Director, Pat Wood.

VRS in a Lurch

Robert T. Schultze is the director of the 24th largest public or private pension system in the United States, the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). On Monday, he and his staff reported to the Virginia General Assembly's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) that VRS assets have lost about 21% over the first half of this year. You can read more about the Monday meeting from several media sources: Richmond Times, Forbes, Washington Examiner.

According to Charles Grant, CIO of VRS, the teacher fund has dropped to 69.9% funding level. Whenever a fund drops below 70% funding, red flags begin to fly. Grant went on to predict that he expects the fund to drop to a 60.3% level by 2013.


Robley Jones, who heads the Virginia Education Association Government Relations office, has another perspective on the current VRS dilemma. While the media covering the VRS retreat have characterized it strictly as a market loss scenario, Jones points out that it's much more than that.

On December 17, 2007 the Pew Center of the States released a study about state pension systems entitled "Promises with a Price." The Virginia fact sheet released with that report stated that "...Virginia's funds aren't in as healthy shape as they used to be, and the state has stumbled a bit in making its full annual contributions toward its long term obligation. The funding ratio of Virginia's pension plans dropped fairly substantially between 2001 and 2005, and in the last 10 years, the Commonwealth has frequently made less than the annual required contribution, as set by its own actuaries."

You combine this historical underfunding of the VRS system with the 2008 market meltdown, and you find yourself in the mess we are in today.

Last October, VRS advised JLARC of six actions that could be taken to help bolster VRS. Monday, the six options were brought up again at the meeting. Without a doubt, implementing all of some of these options would radically redraw the VRS upon which teachers have come to rely. VEA GR summarized the six options and added brief comments.

1 - Impose an additional 2% employee contribution. This would be in addition to the 5% employee contribution now paid by your employee who also pays the employer contribution. This 2% might be phased-in .5% at a time in years when raises are granted.

2- Increase the minimum retirement age for non-vested and new hires from 50 to age 60. Note: One becomes vested in VRS after five years of service.

3 - Change the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) on retirement benefits by capping the increase at 4% a year rather than the current 5%. FYI - if, for purposes of illustration, you retroactively applied this change in the COLA to one who retired in 1978, the reduction in benefit would be 6% over the first 10 years and 12% after 30 years in retirement.

4 - For new hires and non-vested employees combine a defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) plans. The DB plan would have a lesser benefit than the current VRS benefit. Employees would contribute to both. The COLA would only be included in the DB plan. This plan would provide 85% of the benefit in the current plan.

5 - Require a Cash Balance Retirement Plan for new hires and non-vested employees. This is like a traditional defined contribution plan, except for the fact that a 5% return is guaranteed. Employees contribute with an employee match that increases with years of experience. There is no COLA on benefits. Entire balance can be withdrawn when separating from service.

6 - Require a Defined Contribution Plan for new hires and non-vested employees. The matching contribution from the employer would increase with years of service. No COLA would be provided and the entire balance could be withdrawn when separating from service. Only two states now have this. The plan would provide 52% of the benefit value of the current VRS plan.

Politically speaking, this is the second time that VRS officials have reported to JLARC in the past nine months. Both times, VRS officials have raised the six options in the minds of the audit and review body. If this battle were a bike race, this tactic would be known as positioning the rider for the sprint to come. From the perspective of a public employee, Rob Jones says it best, "The recession is only part of the reason for the current VRS shortfall. The failure of the General Assembly to honor the VRS actuary's recommendations plays as large". [emphasis added] Without a doubt, the battle for VRS is positioned to be a main topic of discussion during the upcoming General Assembly session.

RCEA at NEA Convention

The RCEA has sent six delegates to the NEA Convention in San Diego. Tammy Wood, Bud McWhorter, Rick Elliott, Thom Ryder, Linda Hogan, and Sarah Hollett all made it safely through two plane switches on the journey to San Diego on June 30. Since then, meetings have been the order of the day. The representative assembly, the largest democratic deliberative body in the world, convened on Friday morning and will run through Monday. We heard an address from Government Bill Richardson, who received the friend of Education Award. We also participated in a "Town Hall" meeting with Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Without a doubt, the town hall meeting was productive. One of Virginia's delegates, Frank Cardella, brought the house down (5,000 est) when he bluntly but repspectfully questioned the Secretary about NCLB.

We've endured a gaunutlet of protestors. On Wednesday, we had to run a gauntlet of anti-abortion protestors who were shouting at us through megaphones and were holding horrific dead fetus posters. What these people neglect to let the world know is that NEA does not endorse abortion. It does endorse reproductive freedom.

Our sessions have mostly consisted of policy battles centering around charter schools, school funding, and basic civil rights issues.

More later.

Thom

Weigh in on Proposed Change to SOL Testing Program

This article was lifted from the VEA website. If you're a member, stop by the VEA website and vote in our special run-off election. You'll need your membership number to vote.

Weigh in on Proposed Change to SOL Testing Program

At the last Virginia Board of Education meeting, a proposal was made to eliminate the third grade social studies SOL test. Social studies testing is not required under NCLB, and most states do not have a required social studies test. If the third grade social studies test is eliminated, students will continue to take other required third grade tests. Additionally, annual testing in history will still occur in the other currently tested grade levels. Last year, there was a 93 percent pass rate statewide on the third grade social studies test. The state superintendent has proposed that the third grade reading test be modified to include passages based on the social studies SOL content standards as a means of ensuring that the content be taught.

Proponents of eliminating the test argue that removing the third grade social studies test will allow teachers and schools to focus both time and resources on literacy. Teachers will be given greater flexibility to embed social studies content into their reading curricula. Proponents also suggest that the $380,000 savings will allow the state to update and improve tests required under NCLB. The proposed elimination of this test is in response to a request from school superintendents to reduce the testing load.

Opponents of eliminating the third grade social studies test include the Virginia Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators. This advocacy group acknowledges that the current method of multiple choice testing is flawed, but is concerned that if the test is dropped, social studies will be under-emphasized in elementary school curricula. They worry that social studies instructional time will be reduced, and that ultimately, student performance in future grades will suffer. Additional concerns have been raised that the elimination of this test will simply make the fourth grade test even more broad and difficult to prepare for by adding four more years of content to this test.

The Board will make a final decision at its June 25 meeting. The VEA is currently formulating a position, and needs input from teachers. Please click here to participate in a short survey to help us in this effort.

RCEA Installs New Officers

Just prior to the RCEA Retirement Reception at Plantation On Sunnybrook, the RCEA installed new officers. Tammy Wood took over as president, replacing Thom Ryder. Sarah Hollett was reelected as Treasurer. Linda Hogan from NHS was elected as High School at Large representative. In addition, Kenya Huffman was appointed by the president to fill the Secretary position, and Thom Ryder was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Elementary at Large.

The ceremony was held in the beautiful garden pavilion with many of our representative attending.

RCEA Retirement Reception 2009

Watching the crowd stream in to The Plantation on Sunnybrook for the RCEA Retirement Reception was a thing to behold. On Monday May 18, People began arriving around 5pm and by 5:30 the parking lot was full and cars were parked all along Plantation Road. The facility is designed for large crowds and we certainly had one. The vast majority of our 60 plus retiring members came as did many teachers from their schools. Dr. Lange, school superintendent was there as were school board members Fuzzy Minnix, David Wymer, Jerry Canada, and chairman Drew Barrineau. In addition, Roanoke County supervisor Charlotte Moore visited us as did VEA's NEA Director, Sarah Patton. We were also fortunate to have many already retired ex members of our organization. Their presence made the whole event even more special and gave it a distinct family atmosphere.

The food was prepared by the generous staff at Plantation On Sunnybrook lead by owners Randy and Tammy Skaggs. Their staff worked hard to accommodate us.

Please enjoy these photos from the gathering.

Mark Robertson from NHS, was one of the three winners of $1000 RCEA Memorial Scholarships. The other two winners, not pictured here, were Amanda Hartman from WBHS and Courtney Lazore from NHS.