June 10, 2019
RETIRE
Continued from page 1
histories include both Social Security-
covered and non-covered employment
can have their Social Security payments
cut drastically. GPO only applies to gov-
ernment workers and reduces the spousal
Social Security benefits and widower’s
benefits for individuals who retire from
CalSTRS. In many cases, the spousal ben-
efit is reduced to zero.
The delegation highlighted testimoni-
als from education leaders to illustrate to
legislative staff the need for reform. ACSA
Retirement Committee Chair Olson
encountered this issue firsthand when she
worked as a CalSTRS benefits counselor
after retiring from public education.
“Time after time I would meet with
educators who had done midlife career
changes. As I would talk and listen to them
to help them determine what their retire-
ment benefit could be, it was clear to see
that this was a fairness issue,” she said. “We
shared many poignant examples of how
this effects real-life retired educators.”
As an example, she told the story of
Jay, a special education teacher. He came
to public education at the age of 45 after a
career in private industry. When he retired
his pension was in the high $30,000s. His
Social Security was reduced by about 40
percent.
“He is not having a very comfortable
retirement,” Olson said.
Delegate Petrossian said ACSA’s
national advocacy on retirement issues
impacts not only ACSA members but all
educators in California.
“During the last decade ACSA’s
Retirement Committee has expressed
serious concern with the unfair actions at
the federal level for those who have earned
Social Security and cannot access the
rightful earnings,” Petrossian said. “ACSA
representatives made it very clear to legis-
lators and their staff that educators in 35
states receiving Social Security payments
without penalties while 15 states educators
do NOT have access to Social Security was
both discriminatory and unjust.”
ACSA supports repealing the Windfall
Elimination Provision and Government
Pension Offset, or at a minimum replacing
these with a formula that equalizes benefits
for California’s school employees. Teaching
is not a highly-paid profession and impos-
ing the WEP formula results in significant
EDCAL 5
high school or college years or by working
in private employment during the summer
months after they become teachers. Such
jobs result in modest Social Security ben-
efits, but these workers will be subject to
the same WEP reduction as workers who
receive much higher Social Security ben-
efits.
The Government Pension Offset has
the harsh effect of undermining the origi-
nal purpose of the Social Security depen-
dent/survivor benefit. The GPO discourag-
es individuals and spouses who have earned
Social Security benefits from entering into
CalSTRS-covered employment because
of the spousal offset,
which again, harms the
teaching profession’s
ability to attract and
For more
retain talent.
information
The retirement
on retirement
delegation met with
advocacy or
legislative office rep-
to share your
resentatives to discuss
story, e-mail
legislation centered
Adonai Mack at
on these issues, H.R.
amack@acsa.
141 the Social Security
org.
Fairness Act (Davis)
and S. 521 Social
Security Fairness Act (Brown).
For three days they met with members
of the House Ways and Means Committee
and the Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee as well as the
Senate Finance Committee. ACSA del-
egates also met with representatives from
the offices of Sens. Patty Murray (WA),
Chuck Grassley (IA), Ron Wyden (KS),
Mike Enzi (WY), Dianne Feinstein and
Kamala Harris (CA), and Reps. Linda
Sanchez (CA-38), Kevin Brady (TX-8),
Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), John Larson
(CT-1), Mike Thompson (CA-5), Judy
Chu, and Jimmy Gomez (CA-34).
“As we shared our ACSA position on
the WEP and GPO with each House of
Representative or State Senator staff mem-
ber, the resounding response was unified
and clear — it is our association members’
stories that are invaluable in our political
action advocacy work,” said retirement del-
egate Hutcherson. “I cannot encourage our
members enough — make your presence
on the Hill a priority for your continual
professional development! I cannot express
how appreciative I am of the support of
Wes Smith, the Board, and our Executive
Committee for exemplifying that, as retir-
ees, we can and do make a difference in
serving our ASCA members.”
FYI
Top: The delegation met with
staffers at Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s
office in Washington, D.C. From left,
Chair of the Retirement Committee
Gayle Olsen (Region 18), Legislative
Advocate Iván Carrillo, Cheryl Lynn
de Werff (Region 4), ACSA leader
and former ACSA president Alice
Petrossian (Region 15), Senior
Director of Federal Advocacy Adonai
Mack, Linda Hutcherson (Region 6)
and Moohay Choe (Region 16). Right:
The delegation poses outside the U.S.
Supreme Court.
losses of earned retirement income. As
California is currently experiencing a sig-
nificant teacher shortage, this policy affects
the state’s ability to recruit teachers into
second careers from other professions as
well as other states and creates an impedi-
ment to people who might otherwise want
to become public-school teachers.
“I strongly recommend that other
ACSA committees and/or other groups
make a trip to speak on the inequity of
California’s antiquated law of WEP and
GPO,” said ACSA delegate Choe. “The
issue that educators’ salaries and pensions
in California make daily life a challenge
impedes on the recruitment and maintain-
ing highly qualified teachers/administrators
to stay in the education field.”
The WEP also disproportionately
impacts low-income workers. Many teach-
ers earn Social Security coverage because
of part-time jobs they had during their
SAVE THE DATE!
june
23-29 Principals’ Summer Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UCLA
24-28 Institute for New & Aspiring Principals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UCLA
august
16-17
16-17
23-24
23-24
23-24
30-31
Special Education Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . El Monte
Special Education Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Redwood City
C & I Leaders Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monrovia
C & I Leaders Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rancho Cordova
Special Education Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bakersfield
Special Education Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sacramento
september
6-7
6-7
6-7
13-14
13-14
13-14
13-14
13-14
13-14
13-14
13-14
C & I Leaders Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salinas
English Learner Academy (Start Date). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Covina
Superintendents Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sacramento
C & I Leaders Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Costa Mesa
Equity Administrators Academy (Start Date). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fairfield
Personnel Administrators Academy (Start Date). . . . . . . . . . . Burlingame
Personnel Administrators Academy (Start Date). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irvine
Principals Academy (Start Date). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bakersfield
School Business Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sacramento
School Business Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Bernardino
Special Education Academy (Start Date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riverside
SEPTEMBER 25-27, 2019 | ISLAND HOTEL | HUNTINGTON BEACH