“Our active members are in the classroom, teaching students every day, but you are the ones that I look to for hope because you fought the fights to make sure we are where we are today,” CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey told CEA-Retired members at their fall meeting at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville this week.
“Every time that I think things are hard or tough now, I remember that some of my former colleagues survived the Bridgeport strike,” she continued. “I can’t imagine a lower time in education in Connecticut than having our educators be hauled off to jail for fighting for the right to have a living wage and the resources to support their students. So, as I look at the times that we have ahead that are going to be really rough, I have continual hope because of what we’ve accomplished before. We have fighters in every space of our organization, and that’s because of the work that you’ve done. You inspire me every day.”
“Lately, trying to figure out where our hope lies has been a true challenge, as has not feeling defeated by rhetoric and nastiness,” said CEA President Kate Dias.
CEA President Kate Dias told retirees, “In our most hopeless moments we should become the most active, because that’s how we fight back.
She continued, “As every year goes on, I’m reminded of the power of the legacy of educators. In our most hopeless moments we should become the most active, because that’s how we fight back. We can talk up public education, and we can push back on some of the nasty narratives and remind people of the important work that goes on in our schools. That’s our job. We know we are the experts, so my request to all of you right now, as we continue to push and fight back, is to make sure that your voice is present.”
Keynote speaker and retired member David Olio acknowledged the difficulties facing public education today, but emphasized that there is hope and joy to be found even in difficult times.
To share that joy with retired members, Olio read passages from his memoir Dance Like a Wave of the Sea: A Teacher’s Letter to His Students about the joy of teaching and learning.
“I hope to remind you today, amidst the swirling currents, of the joy that’s at the center of our professional lives and our personal lives,” he said. “I come to you to tell you my story of joy—of joy in learning and joy in teaching. It is just a pure, unbridled feeling.”
Pension update
Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell attended the CEA-Retired meeting to update retirees on the Teachers’ Retirement System and other state initiatives.
Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell addressed retirees at their fall meeting.
“I spend a lot of time with the numbers around our pension funds, so it’s nice to be here and see what our work is really all about—the people that we serve, the folks who have committed themselves to service in this state and to children in our state,” Russell said.
He said that, though we’re facing an uncertain economic time and there is volatility in the markets, compared to the state’s peers, Connecticut is in a strong financial position.
“We’ve had seven balanced budgets with record surpluses. We have 18% of our budget in a rainy day fund,” he said. “At the close of this fiscal year, we’ll have paid down over $10 billion of additional contributions to our unfunded pension liability. My core focus is on driving strong risk-adjusted returns for pensioners. If you look at the progress that we made on the investment side, just this fiscal year, we announced returns over 10%. To put that in perspective, we added $5.9 billion of assets to the pension fund over the last fiscal year alone.”
Russell also addressed rumors about the possibility of the state using pension funds to buy a stake in the Connecticut Sun.
“First and foremost, while I would love to keep the Connecticut Sun here, that is not my priority. As treasurer, my priority is pensioners,” Russell said. “There is a lot of investment opportunity in women’s sports growth, and this is an area that we’ve been looking at even prior to the Connecticut Sun being a part of the conversation. I will not be open to any investment in the Connecticut Sun unless it is going to be the best investment for pensioners.”
He added, “We are not at a point where there’s been any type of decision made, and we would go through the process of evaluating that as we do all of our other investments.”
Health insurance update
Retirees also heard an update on the open enrollment period for Connecticut Teachers’ Retirement Board (TRB) healthcare and prescription drug coverage from TRB administrator Helen Sullivan. As of January 1, 2026, the TRB is switching insurance carriers for healthcare and prescription drug coverage.
Retired members asked questions of Treasurer Russell about initiatives his office is supporting.
“We know that open enrollment and changes of carriers are tough,” Sullivan said. “The committee who assists us and the Board is looking out for the best interests of all of you.”
Sullivan encouraged any retired educators looking for more information about the carrier change and their options to attend an upcoming in-person or virtual open enrollment meeting. More information here.
Retirees on the TRB health care and prescription drug plans will be receiving information about open enrollment in the mail, and that same information is also available online.
Forms are available for those who would like to make a change to their plan election. For members who would like to stay with their current plan, no action is needed.
“Aetna is going to be covering the Medicare Advantage Plan and the Hartford Group will be covering the Medicare Supplement Plan,” Sullivan explained. “Aetna will be covering the entire prescription drug benefit for all of our members on the Medicare Advantage or the Medicare Supplement Plan. The prescription plan is the same for everyone.”
To learn about plan benefits, find a provider, or look up prescription drugs, contact Aetna at CTTRB.AetnaMedicare.com or by calling 1-866-495-0761 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To ask about eligibility, enroll or opt out of coverage, or update personal information contact the TRB at portal.ct.gov/TRB or by calling 1-800-504-1102 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
CEA-Retired will hold its spring meeting May 21, 2026, at the Aqua Turf Club.
