District 19 E Blast. The Bridge between TRTA and Our Local Units. Volume 3 / Number 5 / July Transition Time!

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1 District 19 E Blast The Bridge between TRTA and Our Local Units Volume 3 / Number 5 / July 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS 85 th Legislature Special Session 2 Executive Board 2 Fall Conference 3 Spring Leadership Conference 2017 Review 4 District President s Conference Review 13 Retirement Seminar TRTA State Convention Spring Leadership Conference Transition Time! Odds and Ends 17 Welcome back from a summer break. Our local units and district are cranking it up for an exciting and successful This issue includes a review of our Spring Leadership Conference and the District President s Conference in Austin, and looks ahead at district events in the upcoming year.

2 We are looking for a few good men and women to take on new leadership roles for and The district election is in October with local elections in January March. Join us and get involved! 85 th Legislature Special Session Governor Abbott has called for a Special Session beginning July 18. On July 20 Governor Abbott added funding for the TRS- Care retiree health insurance program to the special session priorities. Several options are being proposed in the Senate and House. TRTA advocated for including additional funding for our pensions and health care. Over 8,700 s were sent to the governor in support of our concerns. In order to keep up with the session, please read Tim Lee s Inside Line and the Texas Tribune. Executive Board Meets August 1 Our first meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, August 1 beginning at 9:30 AM.

3 We will be meeting at Books Are Gems. This business is located at 7744 N. Loop, Suite B, It is at the back of the bank building. The final agenda will be sent to all district and local unit officers and chairs five or six days prior to the meeting. District officers and chairs plus local unit presidents are expected to attend. Other members are welcome. We will be discussing the tax exempt process, the silent auction, and bylaws in addition to having committee reports and discussion on upcoming events. In addition to this board meeting, the board will meet January 23 and May 1. There will likely be a District Legislative Team Meeting in September. Fall Conference 2017 October 10: Wyndham Airport Hotel We are hoping to break last year s attendance record of 159 this year! Our big addition to the program this year will be our first District 19 Silent Auction that will support two graduate education grants in Region 19.

4 Registration will begin at 9:30 AM with the morning session at 10:00 AM, luncheon at noon and legislative session at 1:00 PM. Registration is through the local units and will begin in August. Complete details will be in the September E Blast. Spring Leadership Conference 2017 Review Our conference was held on May 16 at the Region 19 Service Center. Thirty-seven (37) members and guests attended our event. Our members from EPRTA, EPLVRTA and YRSEA came in early to the training sessions.

5 The Legislative Team Building Session was led by Paul Pearson and Raymond Jones. The Recruiting and Retaining Membership Session was led by Norma K. Irwin and Patricia Macias.

6 The Working with Community Organizations and Planning Programs Session was led by Rosemary Leiman and Jackie Morgan Tomko. The Budgeting and Tax Exempt Process Session was led by Cathy Czapla and Carlos Martinez.

7 TRTA 1 st Vice President Patricia Macias opened our Awards Luncheon with the TRTA Address.

8 District 19 Legislative Chair Paul Pearson schooled us on all things legislative.

9 Leticia Beltran, a Fabens Middle School Teacher, was introduced as our first Master s Grant Recipient by Scholarship Chair Erma Nelson. The $ 1,000 check represents our grant and the smiles belong to Dr. Armando Aguirre, Executive Director of Region 19, Leticia and Erma.

10 A wonderful buffet lunch was provided by Smokey s Barbeque and enjoyed by all. The Awards followed the meal. Awards culminated the luncheon program. Grand Prix Awards were given for the EPRTA 70 th Birthday Celebration to Carlos Martinez, for the District 19 Scholarship Committee to Erma Nelson, and for the District 19 State Membership Awards to Norma K. Irwin.

11 District Appreciation Awards were given to Sally Soderstrom (Retirement Education), Cathy Czapla (Treasurer) and Sandy Hernandez (Secretary). District Service Awards were garnered by Nancy Evans (1 st VP), Paul Pearson (Legislative), Rosemary Leiman (Health Care), Julie Jones (Informative and Protective Services), Erma Nelson (Local Unit Support), Jackie Morgan Tomko (Parliamentarian), and Jean McDaniel (Foundation).

12 Norma K. Irwin was awarded the first ever District 19 Difference Maker Award.

13 The afternoon sessions included a business meeting and a planning meeting. A good time was had by all. District President s Conference 2017 Review The District President s Conference was held in Austin on July This event officially kicks off the new year and is followed by meetings for all of the state committees. Mornings begin with breakfast and conversation for the 20 district presidents.

14 Workshop sessions are held during the mornings and afternoons. Here Marcy Cann, State Secretary/Treasurer, discusses the tax exempt process. Between sessions, the rest of the stuff gets discussed. Here Brock Gregg, TRTA Administrative Coordinator, and Dr. Carole Buchanan (District 13) talk through an issue.

15 Nancy Byler, TRTA President, talks with Carol Ledbetter (District 16). Nancy will be at our fall conference on October 10. Lynn Granzin (District 15) and Ella Gauthier (District 4) have words and smiles.

16 Earl Wall (District 12) told us about the themed conferences they hosted this year. Go Cubs!

17 Retirement Seminar 2018 The Retirement Seminar is tentatively set for February 24. It will likely be held at a new site. TRTA State Convention 2018 Over a thousand TRTA members will gather on April 8-10 at La Cantera in San Antonio for our convention. The state officers and host committee promise some new social events for attendees, possibly including a golf tournament sponsored by the Foundation. Spring Leadership Conference 2018 May 15 at the Region 19 Service Center This conference will emphasize leadership development for officers and chairs. Once again it will be held from 9 AM 2 PM and feature an Awards Luncheon. Odds and Ends We will being trying to extend the reach of this newsletter to include At Large Members and active educators in the months ahead.

18 Be sure to get ready for the first issues of our various local unit newsletters. Those meetings and luncheons are just around the corner. Things are still in flux in the Austin regarding TRS-Care. The July 20 change came in this morning as this document was being proofed for the find time before the approval process. As final changes are voted upon and signed into law, we will make every effort to reach our members. Encourage our legislators to support us and thank them for their reconsideration during this Special Session! Thus concludes the third volume of this electronic newsletter. Any comments or questions should be directed to the editor, Ron Leiman, at