Dear Editor,

I am asking for your support of Proposition # 9 on the November 7 General Election ballot. Prop 9, when passed, will provide the first cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) since 2004 for 420,000 Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) annuitants. No Texas public-school employee who has retired since September 1, 2004, has ever received a COLA. That is 70% of TRS retirees! More than 140,000 retirees receive $1,000.00 or less per month! All TRS retirees are suffering from inflation. Many are struggling to pay their bills and are making difficult choices about food and medicine. Prop # 9 will provide a tremendous value to our retirees, which in turn will benefit our local economy. Many do not know that most retired public-school retirees are not eligible to receive Social Security; therefore, a TRS pension is their primary income.

In the publication, “TRS, A Great Value for Texans,” it clearly shows the economic stimulus that TRS generates to our Texas economy. Spending from both pension benefits and the TRS health care funds provides notable economic stimulus throughout the state. In fiscal year 2022, TRS annuitants received a total of $12.1 billion in their monthly checks (annuities) to expend – 94% of which were spent at Texas businesses. The healthcare funds, TRS-Active Care and TRS-Care funds, paid $4 billion in medical-related claims.

In Fiscal Year 2022 in Freestone County, the estimated annuity payments were $10.6 million and $5.7 million in health care payments. Together $16.2 million dollars were spent back into our local economy. As a voter and taxpayer, you should know that when passed, Prop # 9 will not create a tax increase! The Texas Legislature has already set aside the funds to make this happen with voter approval using surplus funds. In fact, Prop # 9 has unanimous legislative support.

Your vote for Prop # 9 on the November ballot says “thank you” to all the dedicated public-school employees across Texas and in our local community: teachers, administrators, secretaries, counselors, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, educational aides, school nurses, librarians, cleaning staff, and maintenance workers. It takes all of these to keep a school running and each of these has a special role to play in the educating of our students. Everyone has a memory of that special person during your school days who made a difference in your life.
Please vote for Prop # 9.

Alicia Smith
Freestone County Retired Teacher