Keeping the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System strong for our educators

Keeping the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System strong for our educators

It is never lost on us at the Capitol that the work day for a teacher does not end with the bell. We know you spend countless hours at home grading papers, preparing for tomorrow’s lesson, and thinking about how to reach that challenging student who is falling behind.

By the time a student graduates from high school, they will have spent about 10,000 hours at school being instructed by more than 30 teachers. That's why almost everyone has a story about a teacher who has touched his or her life.

We want to make sure our teachers are well cared for during their careers and after retirement.

Since 1937, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) has been providing retirement benefits to Arkansas's public school and education employees.

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System has more than 110,000 working and retired members.

This week, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System's trustees authorized up to $180 million in new private equity and real estate investments to help further diversify the system's portfolio.

Its investments increased in value last quarter by $392 million. The return was 3.8 percent last quarter.

Testimony revealed the system ranked among the top 31 percent of public pension systems with more than $1 billion in investments.

A consultant also informed the board that the return for the 10-year period that ended Sept. 30 was 6.1 percent, ranking among the top 7 percent of these public pension systems.

Having a stable retirement system not only benefits our retired teachers, but helps our school districts recruit new teachers.

Every year, the legislature evaluates the needs of the retirement system and passes legislation to adjust accordingly.

You can learn more about the retirement system at www.artrs.gov.

To all of the teachers in my district, thank you for your relentless commitment to our children, seeing their full potential when no one else can and restoring their confidence. And thank you for inspiring the next generation of teachers

From State Representative Deborah Ferguson