As a California teacher and chief negotiator for our teachers union, some clarification is in order regarding your April 23 editorial "California's Pension Tax."

Read more at The Wall Street Journal

CalSTRS Deputy CEO Ed Derman responds to an April 23 commentary, "New California Taxes Pay for Pensions, Not Schools," on Bloomberg:

Pension Fix CalSTRS Needs is Long-Term Funding Plan

The April 23 commentary by David Crane, at the very least makes misleading assumptions and diverts attention from the real issues CalSTRS faces.

Unlike most other pension plans, the CalSTRS board has no authority to increase contributions, but instead must rely upon legislative action by the Legislature and Governor. As a former board member, Crane should understand this. Contrary to his claim that CalSTRS waited too long to seek increases, CalSTRS has been communicating this need to the Legislature and the Governor since 2006. In fact, Crane was sitting on the board when discussions that led to those efforts took place.

Read more at Bloomberg

Chris Ailman, CalSTRS CIO, talks with CNBC's "Closing Bell" regarding the impact of the euro zone crisis on the global economy and where CalSTRS is investing.

Watch the video at CNBC

After a decade of similar below-target investment earnings, punctuated by huge losses during the stock market crash in 2008, the nation’s two largest public pension funds are looking at different futures.

The California Public Employees Retirement System, putting a new focus on risk, worries about another recession dropping pension funding levels to 40 percent or below, a “warning track” zone that could make it difficult to get back to full funding in the future.

The California State Teachers Retirement System, no longer aiming for full funding, has developed several limited funding scenarios for legislative consideration that would keep the system from running out of money three decades from now.

Read more at Calpensions

A new study finds that benefits from defined benefit pensions have a significant impact on the U.S. economy that ripples through every state and industry across the nation.

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA – The governing board of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) today adopted a new set of actuarial assumptions, including lowering the investment return assumption from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent. The change is part of a four-year experience analysis that sets the parameters for determining the financial health of the system.

EdCal asked Ed Derman of the California State Teachers Retirement System to respond to a number of frequently asked questions concerning the June 30 sunset date of exemptions for post-retirement earnings limitations.

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) today announced the opening of its first full-service member center outside of the West Sacramento headquarters.

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) responded today to a report issued by the Institute for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University.