CRTA Area V Legislation Chairs (copied Presidents)

Please use the attached letter (copied below), to encourage your members
to write to individual members of the SRB Board regarding SBMA.  Letters
need to be send prior to November.  You may wish to include the letter in
a division newsletter and/or for writing during a meeting on post cards.

Writing is one piece of the puzzle to help make 85% Purchasing Power
Protection happen,
Irene Wetzel, CRTA Area V Legislation Chair, www.crtav.org
1682 El Cerrito Court, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805)543-2145   iawetzel@juno.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

To: All CRTA Members
From: David Walrath
Date: May 19, 2006
Subject: Writing the Teachers' Retirement Board (TRB) regarding
Purchasing Power Protection funding

CRTA is requesting that all members write the TRB to oppose the staff
option
of transferring the Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account (SBMA) into
the
Teachers Retirement Fund (TRF) and vesting Purchasing Power at 80%.

CRTA believes the effect of such a transfer would be to take from
retirees the
funds that were intended for Purchasing Power Protection and use those
funds
for other purposes. CRTA also believes that the effect would be to
forever limit
Purchasing Power Protection at 80%. CRTA believes that there is enough
money currently in the SBMA and from the state's contributions to fund
85%
Purchasing Power Protection as an ad hoc benefit. This ability to pay 85%
is
because of the exceptionally low inflation that has occurred during the
past
decade.

CRTA is asking all members to write the TRB with the following message:

Please do not take our Purchasing Power Protection money. Please do not
break the commitment to retirees to increase Purchasing Power when
possible.
Please reject the staff option that would transfer our Purchasing Power
Protection money into the TRF.

They need to hear from retirees that this option is unacceptable and
cannot
be considered.

The following are the members of the TRB and the address where you can
send
letter.

State Teachers Retirement Board
Carolyn A. Widener, Chair - Community College Instructor
Dana Dillon, Vice-Chair - K-12 Classroom Teacher
Kathy Brugger - School Board Representative
David Crane - Public Representative
Jerilyn Harris - Retiree Representative
Roger Kozberg - Public Representative
Gary Lynes - K-12 Classroom Teacher
Beth Rogers - Public Representative
Philip Angelides, Ex-Officio Member - State Treasurer
Michael C. Genest, Ex-Officio Member -Director of Finance
Jack O'Connell, Ex-Officio Member - State Superintendent of Public
Instruction
Steve Westly, Ex-Officio Member - State Controller
Mailing Address:
CalSTRS
P. O. Box 15275
Sacramento, CA 95851-0275
Thank you for your support.