Webcasts Boost Transparency

Nov. 18, 2010 Jack Ehnes

CalSTRS is committed to making our operations more transparent and keeping you informed about your CalSTRS benefits and any new developments that may be of interest to you. We want to ensure you have a number of resources and ways to stay connected to CalSTRS.

Last month I conducted a webinar online to sort fact from fiction on your retirement benefits and our long-term funding status, and took many questions from viewers. It was an extremely informative and engaging session.

Online Access

Since 2009, CalSTRS has provided a live audio stream of its board meetings. Earlier this month, the Teachers' Retirement Board approved upgrading that to live video streaming. The board also voted to archive its meeting videocasts on our website, CalSTRS.com.

You will soon be able to watch board meetings from your desktop or laptop computer. We’re one of the first large pension systems to offer this degree of access. We will continue to produce DVDs of meetings to anyone who requests one.

Open Meetings

Our board meetings are open to the public and meeting agendas are published to the CalSTRS website 10 days prior to the meetings. These materials are provided as a matter of practice and transparency so that you can review the documents that support our investment decisions and examine the policies that help us administer the second largest public pension fund in the U.S.

The Internet has played an important tool in our effort to provide information about our funding outlook. On our website you will find studies on the funding of public pensions and updates on the actuarial valuation of the fund. Through webinars, online meetings and blogs such as this, we appreciate the opportunity to engage you in online discussions about CalSTRS and the security of your retirement.

Personal Approach

We know that sometimes a more personal approach is preferred. Through our Speakers Bureau you can ask a CalSTRS representative to attend your teacher organization to hear directly from them about the issues facing the system. I have made a number of speeches to your groups and enjoy the dialogue.

Traditional Media

Our Connections, Retired Educator and Your Money Matters newsletters are delivered directly to the homes of active and retired members with information important to them.

We will continue to invest a significant amount of energy and focus on these efforts to cultivate an open, transparent environment to help you, our partners and other stakeholders stay informed on issues at this critical time.

Comments

Submitted by VisitorRobb walker (not verified) on Dec. 24, 2011.

Transparency is becoming the operative word nowadays. With this in mind, I would like to know how our STRS program is funding health insurance to it's employees. In particular, lifetime health insurance coverage. How many years must an employee work to be vested in the program? Which employees are currently seeking to come under this lifetime coverage by remaining employed by our retirement system? The media has recently acknowledged the financial burden these lifetime benefit plans have placed on the members now and in the future.

Submitted by CalSTRS-ca on Jan. 13, 2012.

Generally, CalSTRS retired members do not receive employer-paid health care benefits after age 65. Health care coverage for retired educators is typically provided at the District level, and CalSTRS does not administer a health care plan as part of retirement benefits to retired educators.

Submitted by Mel Roseman (not verified) on Nov. 20, 2010.

I want to thank all of the CalSTRS Board members who voted to make live and archived Webcasts of Committee and Board meetings available to all of us whose jobs, physical condition, or cost prevent us from attending meetings in person. Webcasts are a great advance over audio Webcasts, and the DVDs are very slow to arrive.