Board Election Results

Congratulations to Mr. Bobby Lester on being re-elected to the ATRS Board of Trustees. Position #10, a retiree position, was the only contested position this year. Only retired ATRS members were eligible to vote for this position, and more than 11,000 of you participated in this election. Thank you to all of you who returned your ballots.

The election was conducted by an independent election vendor, and their certified results will be presented to the Board in the June meeting. One other position was filled this year, an incumbent member with no opposition. Congratulations to Mr. Arthur "Chip" Martin who was elected to another full term as Active Member Trustee for the 3rd Congressional District. You can find the full list of our Board members, along with their contact information, at the following link: https://www.artrs.gov/trustees

Board Vacancy: Administrator Trustee

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System is accepting applications from individuals interested in being appointed to fill a vacancy on the ATRS Board of Trustees. Due to an upcoming retirement, position #6 on the Board of Trustees will be vacant as of July 1. This position is reserved by law for an ATRS member who meets all of the following qualifications:

• Must be an Active ATRS member or T-DROP participant; 
• Must have at least five years of actual service in ATRS;
• Must be a licensed administrator; and
• Must be employed by a participating employer in the position of school superintendent or educational cooperative director.

Individuals who are interested in being appointed to fill this vacancy should submit a completed application to ATRS Executive Director Mark White at markw@artrs.gov. Applications must be received by ATRS no later than close of business (4:30 p.m.) on Friday, May 16, 2025. ATRS will review the applications received and notify each applicant of whether they are eligible for appointment to position #6.

All applications meeting the legal qualifications will be presented to the Board of Trustees. It is expected that the Board will make a decision and fill the vacancy in the June 2, 2025, Board of Trustees meeting. The individual appointed will be eligible to serve through the next System election in March 2027.

The application form is available here: Trustee Application

Please direct all questions regarding the appointment process to Mark White at markw@artrs.gov.

The following final rules of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) have a proposed effective repeal and amendment date of July 11, 2024:

Rules to be repealed:

• Rule 5-2: Standard of Care

The following final rules of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) have a proposed effective repeal and amendment date of July 7, 2024:

Rules to be repealed:

• Rule 5-1: Investment Introduction
• Rule 5-3: Asset Allocation
• Rule 5-4: Investment Goals
• Rule 5-6: Investment Consultants
• Rule 5-7: Investment Managers
• Rule 5-8: Soft Dollars
• Rule 17-1: Manifest Injustice

Rules to be amended:

• Rule 0-1: ATRS Rules of Organization and Operation
• Rule 4: Election of Board of Trustees
• Rule 6: Membership and Employer Participation
• Rule 7: Service Credit, Contributions, Reporting, and Final Average Salary
• Rule 8: Free Service Credit, Purchasable Service Credit, and Purchase Accounts
• Rule 9: Retirement and Benefits
• Rule 10: Return to Service and Teacher Deferred Retirement Option Plan
• Rule 11: Survivors and Domestic Relations Orders
• Rule 12-1: Protection of “Qualified Trust” Status of ATRS Under IRS Code § 401(a)
• Rule 13-1: Administration Adjudications: Staff Determinations and Appeals
• Rule 14-1: Retirement Fund Asset Accounts
• Rule 15-1: Benefit Restoration Plan and Trust
• Rule 16: Cash and Savings Help (CASH) Program

In addition to the final rules, the public comments on the proposed rules, ATRS’ responses to the public comments, post-public comment amendments to the proposed rules, summaries of the proposed rules, and financial impact statements may be accessed on the ATRS website at https://www.artrs.gov/board-rules, or copies may be obtained by contacting the Executive Director’s office at (501) 588-4367. The current rules may also be viewed at https://www.artrs.gov/board-rules or at the ATRS office Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (Board) to be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 1400 West Third Street, Room 300, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201, the Board, pursuant to its authority under A.C.A. §§ 24-7-201– 24-7-1409, will consider the repeal and adoption of amendments to certain rules of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS).

Rules to be repealed:

• Rule 5-1: Investment Introduction
• Rule 5-2: Stanard of Care
• Rule 5-3: Asset Allocation
• Rule 5-4: Investment Goals
• Rule 5-6: Investment Consultants
• Rule 5-7: Investment Managers
• Rule 5-8: Soft Dollars
• Rule 17-1: Manifest Injustice

Rules to be amended:

• Rule 0-1: ATRS Rules of Organization and Operation
• Rule 4: Election of Board of Trustees
• Rule 6: Membership and Employer Participation
• Rule 7: Service Credit, Contributions, Reporting, and Final Average Salary
• Rule 8: Free Service Credit, Purchasable Service Credit, and Purchase Amounts
• Rule 9: Retirement and Benefits
• Rule 10: Return to Service and Teacher Deferred Retirement Option Plan
• Rule 11: Survivors and Domestic Relations Orders
• Rule 12-1: Protection of "Qualified Trust" Status of ATRS Under IRS Code § 401(a)
• Rule 13-1: Administration Adjudications: Staff Determinations and Appeals
• Rule 14-1: Retirement Fund Asset Accounts
• Rule 15-1: Benefit Restoration Plan and Trust
• Rule 16: Cash and Savings Help (CASH) Program

Interested persons may submit their comments, orally or in writing, to the Executive Director of ATRS at the above address. Comments should be received no later than Monday, January 22, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. Requests for an oral hearing in accordance with A.C.A. § 25-15-204(a)(2)(B) should be submitted by Wednesday, January 24, 2024, in order for the oral hearing to be placed on the agenda.

The proposed amendments, along with the questionnaire, financial impact statement, and summaries of the changes, may be accessed on the ATRS website at https://www.artrs.gov/board-rules , or copies may be obtained by contacting the Executive Director’s office at (501) 588-4367. The current rules may also be viewed at https://www.artrs.gov/board-rules or at the ATRS office Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (Board) to be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, February 7, 2022, at 1400 West Third Street, Room 300, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201, the Board, pursuant to its authority under A.C.A. §§ 24-7-201– 24-7-1409, will consider adoption of amendments to the following Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) rules:

• Rule 4: Election of Board of Trustees
• Rule 6: Membership Rules
• Rule 7: Reporting and Eligibility
• Rule 8: Purchases and Refunds
• Rule 9: Retirement and Benefits
• Rule 10: T-DROP and Return to Service
• Rule 11: Survivors and Domestic Relations Orders

Interested persons may submit their comments, orally or in writing, to the Executive Director of ATRS at the above address. Comments should be received no later than Friday, January 14, 2022 at 4:30 p.m.

Requests for an oral hearing in accordance with A.C.A. § 25-15-204(a)(2)(B) should be submitted by Tuesday, January 18, 2022, in order for the oral hearing to be placed on the agenda.

The proposed amendments, along with the questionnaire, financial impact statement, and summaries of the changes, may be accessed on the ATRS website at https://www.artrs.gov/board-rules, or copies may be obtained by contacting the Executive Director’s office at (501) 588-4367. The current rules may also be viewed at https://www.artrs.gov/board-rules  or at the ATRS office Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.