San Saba County is a member of District XV Texas Retired Teachers Association which includes 18 counties: Brown, Coke, Coleman, Comanche, Concho, Crockett, Erath, Irion, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, and Tom Green. Although the district covers a wide area of west Texas and currently has nine local units, each county can organize through TRTA, their own local unit.

In 1936 the Texas Constitution established The Defined Benefit Plan for all public school employees. This plan states that once retired, you can never draw less than your first retirement payment, and it is guaranteed until your death. The following year the legislatures passed a law establishing the Teacher Retirement System as the public entity to administer this fund. It is governed by a nine-member trustee board who are appointed by the governor with the approval of the state senate.

The Texas Retired Teachers Association was organized in 1953 to support retirees from the TRS system. The Teacher Retirement System cannot lobby in any way for a cost of living increase or work to keep insurance premiums down for annuitants. ONLY TRTA can do this for you! This year in the legislative session there is a push to change The Defined Benefit Plan to a Defined Contribution Plan. Active school personnel need to be aware that TRTA is lobbying on your behalf to see that you have the opportunity to retire with the same benefits that the current retirees have and to keep our insurance premiums from being increased.

In January 2011 San Saba County had 152 TRS annuitants and 3.2 Million dollars was sent into the county in 2010 from TRS. My question to all public school retirees and active teachers: Do you want to see the current form of retirement plan continue? If so, think about organizing, so that as a group you will have a voice in Austin. As we speak to our representatives in Austin, one of their first questions is, "How many people do you represent?"

Currently there are over 260 Texas Retired School Personnel Association local units in Texas. If you would like to help in seeing one organized in San Saba County, please contact me:

Nancy Byler, TRTA District XV President at 325.646.0445 or byler0445@centex.net