The CEA-Retired Fall Meeting brought together retired educators, CEA leaders and staff, and special guests, to talk about the state of retirement security for Connecticut educators as well as other priorities for educators across the career continuum. At yesterday’s meeting held at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, retired members were celebrated for the key role they play in moving those priorities forward.
Leading off the meeting, CEA President Mary-Beth Lang announced another strong year for the Teachers’ Retirement Fund (TRF), the fourth consecutive year with returns above the assumed rate of 6.9%. Along with CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey and other CEA members, Lang will be running for re-election to the Teachers’ Retirement Board, where they hope to continue representing the interests of active and retired educators.
“The people in this room are my guiding star,” said DeLancey, “the ones who paved the way for the work I do and have shown all of us how to be strong teachers and unionists.” In addition to her roles at CEA and the TRB, DeLancey is a founding member of the NEA Coalition for Pension Security, a group of leaders from across the country—including Alaska, Illinois, Arizona, California, and Tennessee—fighting at the national level to ensure everyone understands how critical pensions are to teacher recruitment and retention. “Protecting retiree benefits helps protect every educator’s financial security,” she said.
A look at what’s ahead
Reminding CEA-Retired about open enrollment for health insurance, Lang noted that changes to premiums and prescription coverage are explained in the new TRF guide. CEA-Retired Legislative Commission member Andrea Yukna asked retired educators who are insured through their local board of education to report whether they receive $220 or $440 a month toward their insurance. (CEA-Retired has been advocating before the legislature for a small group of educators who were inadvertently left out of a statutory update that would have doubled their Teachers’ Retirement Board disability benefit from $220 to $440 per month.)
CEA Secretary Gail Jorden ran into her high school math teacher David Dippolino, the former West Hartford Education Association president, at the CEA-Retired meeting.
With the 2027 legislative agenda taking shape over the next months, Lang also encouraged colleagues to take part in CEA-Retired County Engagements running from mid-October through November.
“These meetings are a great way to learn about our legislative agenda, hear from interesting speakers, and catch up with friends,” she said, adding that CEA-Retired plans to organize a standalone Lobby Day during the 2027 legislative session, as they did in 2026, holding in-person meetings between legislators and retired teacher constituents in their districts.
“Everyone is paired with someone, so no one is expected to go into a meeting alone or lead the conversation,” she explained. “If you’re nervous about it, bring a friend, and know that we will totally prepare you so that you can speak with confidence when you meet with your legislators. We need every voice at the Capitol, so watch for our announcements once we have next year’s date.”
Standing together
Praising Lang’s passion, dedication, and commitment to retired educators, CEA President Kate Dias noted that the CEA-Retired president has shown “tremendous leadership on issues critical to her colleagues.”
Dias spoke about some of the threats to the teaching profession coming from the federal government, including proposed restrictions on student loans for early childhood educators and a Federal Scholarship Tax Credit school voucher scheme that would privatize public education.
Retirees collected hundreds of toiletries to distribute to those in need.
“We need to be the defenders of our public education system and our profession,” she said, noting that this time of year, that means getting educated about who’s running for office and taking the time to learn about how they would impact education access for students with disabilities, tax revenues to support our schools, the privatization of services including public education, and more. “Look for how candidates voted and who they stood with, and make some noise,” she said.
“Check that you are registered to vote,” Dias added. “Make a plan. Know where to go to vote either on Election Day or during Connecticut’s early voting period. Check with friends and family that they, too, are registered and ready to go. Midterms matter, so show up and support public schools. We are not powerless unless we stay home. As union members, own that power.”
In addition to dozens of raffle prizes and donations to the Henry Barnard Fund, which helps retired teachers facing financial hardships, attendees at the CEA-Retired Fall Meeting collected hundreds of toiletries to distribute to those in need.
