July 31, 2017 - Executive Director Update: Lifetime Teaching Licenses for All Eligible ATRS Retirees

Thanks to the hard work of Representative Ron McNair, the 91st General Assembly passed Act 588 of 2017 to greatly expand the availability of lifetime teaching licenses to any retiree of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS).  Prior to Act 588 of 2017, a retiree had to be age 62 and retired under age and service retirement to obtain a lifetime license.  On and after August 1, 2017, any member receiving a monthly benefit from ATRS that has a current or expired teaching license may apply for the Lifetime Teaching License.  Importantly, there is no fee for a Lifetime Teaching License.

The Lifetime Teaching License is administered by the Arkansas Department of Education.  Retirees will need a letter from ATRS that certifies the member is an ATRS retiree.  Importantly, even disability retirees are eligible for the lifetime license under Act 588.  Educators who have an expired teaching license and meet all the requirements may also apply for a Lifetime Teaching License.

ATRS was not involved in the passage of this legislation, but has agreed to inform members of the expanded opportunity for lifetime teaching licenses.  The Lifetime Teaching License is a benefit to members and can improve the availability of teachers and administrators throughout the state.  The complete Executive Director Update, information, including the application, from the Department of Education, and Act 588 are attached to this email.

The ATRS website allows members to have direct access to specific member account information.  Now approximately 11,500 members have direct account access to individualized account information.  You can find instructions to sign up on the ATRS Welcome page.

You can also sign up to obtain these executive director updates through your private email address.  Updates are made throughout the year such as at retirement season and other times when information needs to be shared.  Now, over 16,000 people have signed up to receive this executive director update by direct email delivery.  On the ATRS Login page you can find the link to sign up for email delivery of these updates.  It is always a great pleasure for ATRS staff to learn of more ways to provide information to ATRS members, employers, beneficiaries, government officials, and the public.  The ATRS Board is committed to providing a system that is member friendly and transparent. 

You can also get helpful ATRS information on the ATRS Facebook page under the name of Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.  Over 3,600 Facebook users get updates via the ATRS Facebook page.  Go to the Facebook page and "like" ATRS to get daily updates.  I try to go to the Facebook page every day to post information and answer member questions about ATRS.  In addition, if you use Twitter, you can join over 850 others by following events at ATRS and issues of interest on the ATRS Twitter page.  Remember that ATRS is here to serve you!  If you have questions, email me or call.

Respectfully,

George Hopkins

(501) 682-1820 Office
(501) 318-5998 Cell
georgeh@artrs.gov

List of Attachments:

1. Lifetime Teaching License Information

2. Lifetime Teaching License Application Form from ADE

3. Act 588

May 23, 2017 - Executive Director Update: ATRS School Hall Meetings Celebrating 80 Years

On March 17, 1937, the Arkansas General Assembly created ATRS in Act 266 of 1937.  Arkansas, like all other states, was in the middle of the Great Depression.  The schools were having difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers to deliver the education curriculum to the school children in Arkansas, especially rural areas of Arkansas.

The General Assembly responded by creating the Teacher Retirement System.  ATRS continues the original mission of recruiting, retaining,  and rewarding career educators. The mission has been expanded beyond just teachers to include everyone in the public school systems who help ensure the educational curriculum is delivered in a clean, safe, healthy, and nurturing environment.   Eighty years later, ATRS is paying retirement benefits of over $85 million dollars per month!

To celebrate this milestone year, the executive director plans to speak at schools and ATRS employers as possible across the state to highlight ATRS and explain the many benefits and options provided to all ATRS members.  This program will be a focus for the upcoming fiscal/school year, however these meetings may be scheduled at any time beginning now.  The presentation will be an open forum designed to provide information about ATRS, to obtain input from members, and to answer any and all questions about ATRS operation and benefits.   These presentations will typically be after school is out for the day with an overview by the executive director followed by input and questions.

ATRS has used this format recently with good success.  The 80th birthday celebration for ATRS is a good place to begin making these "school hall meetings" a regular part of the dialog between ATRS and its members.  Depending upon the setting, audio visual aids may be used or it can be more of a speaker format.  The presentation will be tailored based upon the focus requested at each meeting.  The only requirement to have a "school hall meeting" in your area is to contact ATRS and schedule a convenient time and date.

The ATRS Board and executive director hope to make these "school hall meetings" informative,  a listening opportunity for ATRS to hear from members, and remove some of the mystery surrounding ATRS benefits such as T-DROP, survivor benefits, age and service requirement, purchasing service, contributory/non-contributory service, retirement eligibility, and other benefit components.  If you would like to schedule a "school hall meeting", please send an email to georgeh@artrs.gov or contact Tammy Porter at 501-682-6149.

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System began paying benefits on July 1, 1939.  There were 135 age and service retirees, receiving an average monthly benefit of $24.37.  As of ATRS' last actuarial valuation on June 30, 2016, there were 38,121 age and service retirees receiving an average monthly benefit of $1,978.19 (over $23,700 annually).  Over a billion dollars is paid out to ATRS retirees every year.

The staff of ATRS remains committed to the 3 R's of retirement:  Recruit, Retain, and Reward the members that are committed to the education of the children of Arkansas.  Not only teachers, but administrators, office staff, bus drivers, cafeteria staff, custodial staff, and all other members who make schools run successfully are invited to attend a "school hall meeting".  I look forward to visiting all employers that invite me.

REMINDER:  ATRS IS OPEN MEMORIAL DAY

The deadline to be a July 1, 2017, retiree or a new T-DROP participant is rapidly approaching.  The deadline to submit either application to ATRS is May 31, 2017.  To assist members making last minute decisions, ATRS is open Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2017, to provide in-person counseling, to answer telephone calls, and to confirm receipt of applications. 

REMINDER:  Benefit Payment Schedule for Retirees

Before the beginning of each calendar year, ATRS schedules the date that ATRS retirees and beneficiaries receive monthly payments. Those dates are mailed to members before the beginning of each calendar year and are also available on the Retiree Benefit Payroll Schedule page of the ATRS website.

The ATRS website allows members to have direct access to specific member account information.  Now approximately 10,100 members have direct account access to individualized account information.  You can find instructions to sign up on the ATRS Welcome page.

You can also sign up to obtain these executive director updates through your private email address.  Updates are made throughout the year such as at retirement season and other times when information needs to be shared.  Now, over 14,700 people have signed up to receive this executive director update by direct email delivery.  On the ATRS Login page you can find the link to sign up for email delivery of these updates.  It is always a great pleasure for ATRS staff to learn of more ways to provide information to ATRS members, employers, beneficiaries, government officials, and the public.  The ATRS Board is committed to providing a system that is member friendly and transparent. 

You can also get helpful ATRS information on the ATRS Facebook page under the name of Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.  Over 3,300 Facebook users get updates via the ATRS Facebook page.  Go to the Facebook page and "like" ATRS to get daily updates.  I try to go to the Facebook page every day to post information and answer member questions about ATRS.  In addition, if you use Twitter, you can join over 800 others by following events at ATRS and issues of interest on the ATRS Twitter page.  Remember that ATRS is here to serve you!  If you have questions, email me or call.

Respectfully,

George Hopkins

(501) 682-1820 Office
(501) 318-5998 Cell
georgeh@artrs.gov