CTPF E-News October 2014    
September 8, 2015   

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CTPF September E-News
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News Briefs February 2013

NEWS
Burbridge Testifies in Springfield and Chicago
CTPF Executive Director Charles A. Burbridge offered testimony opposing SB 318 during two recent hearings. August 12, 2015, Burbridge spoke during a meeting of the Illinois House Executive Committee in Springfield, and August 18, 2015, Burbridge testified during a subject matter hearing of the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee in Chicago.
 
Burbridge expressed the Fund's opposition to the legislation which underfunds pensions by $540 million and extends the payment period to 2063.
 
"We appreciate the attention that these hearings have brought to this issue," said Burbridge. "We used these opportunity to reflect on the mistakes of the past, and to educate legislators about the current state of CTPF. We stated our opposition to the pension 'holiday' in this legislation, and made it clear that our members oppose legislation which underfunds pensions."
 

The Chicago Board of Education appointed Mark F. Furlong and Gail D. Ward to the CTPF Board of Trustees for a term of four months ending November 2015. Furlong and Ward fill vacancies created by the resignations of Andrea L. Zopp and Carlos M. Azcoitia. 

Ward retired from the Chicago Public Schools in 2008, after a distinguished 38-year career as a teacher and principal at the elementary and high school levels.

Furlong retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of BMO Harris Bank, N.A., on June 1, 2015, following a lengthy career in business and public service.

CTPF Partners with 
After School Matters 
on Children's Fine Art Contest
CTPF will honor the 120th Anniversary of its founding by partnering with After School Matters (ASM) to conduct a Children's Fine Arts contest. The contest encourages children to explore, "My Vision for Education in the Year 2135," using the medium of their choice. Winners will receive prizes and special recognition from the CTPF Board of Trustees. CTPF will kick off the program with ASM on September 28, 2015. Watch for more information at the beginning of October. 

Preliminary estimates show 1,012 new retirees in fiscal year 2015, up from 760 in 2014. These are preliminary numbers, which will be finalized in the Fund's 2015 actuarial reports, due out in November. A 10-year recap of retirements is pictured below:

Source: CTPF 2014 CAFR pg. 133, and August 2015 Meeting minutes. 

PENSIONREPPension Rep Recognition
Calling Pension Reps!
CTPF Thanks Retired Pension Reps
Pension Reps provide an important link between the Fund and school faculty, and conduct the annual Board of Trustees Election. CTPF recognizes and thanks the 22 Pension Reps who retired at the end of June.

2015 Pension Reps Retired in 2015
Volunteers
If your school does not have a Pension Rep and you would like to volunteer, please contact Tonika Gant at 1-312-604-1132.

Webinar
Pension Rep Webinars
CTPF will host three Pension Rep Webinars this fall. These webinars will provide detailed information about the Pension Representative's role throughout the year, along with specific instructions for conducting the 2015 Teacher Trustee Election.

Webinars are open to all credentialed Pension Representatives and registration is required (click links below to register). Pension Reps who attend a webinar and conduct the election on November 6, 2015, receive a $100 stipend in December. 

2015 Webinar Registration
All webinars will feature the same content, only register for one webinar.
Click the links below to register for a Pension Rep webinar:

 
GREEN2015 Teacher Trustee Election
CTPF successfully piloted online voting for the Teacher Trustee Election in
2012-2014, and the program has been expanded to all schools in 2015. Online voting offers members convenient access with expanded polling hours and faster tabulation, while reducing paper, printing, and storage costs.

Active Member Pension News Moving to E-News
Online publishing reduces paper, printing, and mailing expenses, while offering enhanced content and timely information for members. CTPF will replace the tri-quarterly printed version of Pension News for active members with monthly E-News in Spring of 2016. CTPF distributes E-News at the beginning of each month. The retiree version of Pension News will continue to be distributed in paper form.

You must register your e-mail address to receive E-News and other CTPF updates. If you have not already done so, please share your e-mail address using the contact form at ow.ly/RwXQA or visit www.ctpf.org.
PAYMENT

Pension Payment Schedule

Click here for a copy of the 2015 pension payment schedule. 

legislation
SB318
CTPF Legislative Update: Oppose SB 318
CTPF opposes Senate Bill 318 which passed out of the Illinois Senate on August 4, 2015, and has moved to the Illinois House for consideration. The bill is being sponsored in the Illinois house by Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago). Provisions in this bill:
  1. require the State of Illinois to pick up the "normal cost"
    contributions for CTPF
  2. reduce the CPS required contribution for FY 2016 and FY 2017
    by $540 million
  3. extend the time CPS has to fully fund pensions by four years to
    2063, and 
  4. restore the pension tax levy
Call to Action
Please call or e-mail your Illinois State Representative and ask him/her to vote No/Present on this legislation. CTPF opposes this legislation which underfunds pensions by $540 million. CTPF cannot afford another pension "holiday."

 
Stay Up-to-Date
CTPF will continue to share information at www.ctpf.org, on social media, and in periodic E-Lerts. Please consider forwarding this e-mail to a friend who may be a fellow CTPF member and share and like our posts on Social Media. Sign up for e-mail updates here. 
  


Fund Ambassador
 

WEBINARAugust 5, 2015, WEBINAR Now Online

August 5, 2015, CTPF Executive Director Charles A. Burbridge hosted a webinar which examined the early history of CTPF, reviewed the past fiscal year, brought members up-to-date on current events, and offered a look at the coming year. If you missed the webinar you can view the archived copy here.



CTPF Trustee Election 2015
 
ELECTION
2015 Board of Trustee Elections
Friday, November 6, 2015, the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund will hold elections for five positions on the Board of Trustees. 
 
Teacher Trustees
Active teachers will elect two Trustees who will serve from November 2015-November 2018. The Teacher Trustee election will be conducted in schools and at other designated polling places. An active member interested in running for a Teacher Trustee candidate must be a current contributor employed in the Chicago Public/Charter School system for a minimum of 10 years, and hold a current Illinois state teaching certificate. 

Voting
Teachers will vote online using any hand-held device or computer. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Teachers who will not be in school on November 6, 2015, may request an absentee ballot. Call Election Service Corporation at 1.866.720.4357 no later than October 16, 2015, to request absentee access.
 
Pensioner Trustees
Pensioners will elect three Trustees who will serve from November 2015-2017. The 2015 Pensioner Trustee Election will be conducted by mail ballot. Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters in October, and results will be tabulated on Friday, November 6, 2015.  A candidate for Pensioner Trustee must be a service or disability pensioner receiving a monthly pension payment from CTPF.

Voting
CTPF will send all eligible pensioners a ballot and voting information via US Mail. Pensioners will have the option of returning the postage-paid ballot or voting online. All paper ballots must be postmarked by November 6, 2015, to be included in the final tabulation. Online voting for pensioners opens on October 15, 2015. All pensioners who vote online must cast ballots by 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 6, 2015.

Nomination Packets
Contact the CTPF Election Coordinator at 312.604.1234 to request a nomination packet. Candidate eligibility will be verified before the packet can be issued. Completed nomination packets must be returned by 5:00 p.m., Thursday, October 1, 2015.
 
Additional Information
Additional election information is available at CTPF Election Central at www.ctpf.org. 

visit
Planning to Visit? Plan ahead... 
MAP

If you plan to visit the office this summer, it's always a good idea to schedule an appointment. Scheduled appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Walk-ins are accepted on
a first-come, first-served
basis, between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., but wait times will vary and may be lengthy during busy periods. Walk-in visitors cannot be accommodated after 3:00 p.m.

Call 312.641.4464 to schedule an appointment. CTPF is located at  203 North LaSalle Street, suite 2600, Chicago, Illinois 60601-1231

Parking and Transit Information  
The 203 North LaSalle building has a self-park garage. Garage entries are located on Lake Street between LaSalle Street and Clark Street and on Clark Street between Wacker Drive and Lake Street (look for self-park signs at entrances). Reduced parking vouchers, available from the CTPF office, can be purchased for $18, (check only, no cash).

 

The 203 North LaSalle building has direct access to the CTA. The CTA's blue, green, brown, pink, purple, and orange lines all stop at Clark and Lake. Follow the signs to the 203 North LaSalle building when you exit the train.


Calendar     

CALENDAR 

2015 CALENDAR

Trustee meetings, held in the CTPF office, are open to the public.
Please confirm meeting times/dates at www.ctpf.org.

 

September

11

9:30 a.m. First Friday investment meeting.
This meeting was originally scheduled for September 4, but was changed due to the holiday weekend.

 

17

9:30 a.m., CTPF Board of Trustees Meeting

 

October

1

Completed election nominating petitions due to CTPF office

 

12

Columbus Day holiday, office closed

 

13

Ballots mailed for Pensioner Trustee Election

 

15

7:00 a.m. Online polls open for Pensioner Trustee Election Only

 

22

9:30 a.m., CTPF Board of Trustees Meeting

 

November

6

7:00 a.m.  - 5:30 p.m., online polls open for CTPF Teacher Trustee Election; polls for Pensioner Trustee election also close at 5:30 p.m.

 

December

10

9:30 a.m., Board of Trustees Meeting, (tentative)

 

 

CTPF MISSION STATEMENT
To provide, protect, and enhance the present and future economic well being of members, pensioners and beneficiaries through efficient and effective management of benefit programs, investment practices and customer service, and to commit to earning and keeping the respect and trust of the participants through quality service and by protecting retirement benefits, in compliance with applicable laws and standards. 

CTPF BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jay C. Rehak, president
Lois W. Ashford, vice president
Bernie Eshoo, financial secretary
Raymond Wohl, recording secretary
Robert F. Bures
Jeffery Blackwell
Mark F. Furlong
Tina Padilla
Walter E. Pilditch
Mary Sharon Reilly
Jerry Travlos
Gail D. Ward

Charles A. Burbridge, executive director  

Office/Mailing Information 
Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund
203 North LaSalle Street, suite 2600
Chicago, Illinois 60601-1231
312.641.4464 p.
312.641.7185 f.