Presentation to the Board of Trustees
By Rene G. Rodriguez, President,
Ventura County Community College
District Retirees’ Association
October 8, 2019
- First, I would like to personally thank Board Chair Dianne McKay, Trustee Bernardo Perez, and Trustee Josh Chancer, with whom we have had a chance to meet, on a one to one basis, allowing us to voice the particular concerns that we have found to date with the CalPERS plans, as well as the CalPERS organization.
- We look forward to meeting with Trustee Larry Kennedy, and Trustee Gabriela Torres, on a one to one basis, as soon as we can arrange a meeting, to bring them up to date on our current assessment of the District’s proposal.
- I PARTICULARY wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Board, having recently learned that the Board plans to slow the process down
- To give all concerned the time to review, more adequately, the CalPERS plans, as well as the CalPERS organization.
- This will also give the Board, and the District Benefits Committees, an opportunity to explore other options, other than CalPERS, that will help the Board achieve its financial objectives, as well as maintaining its contractual obligations to retirees.
- Perhaps the Board can also look into why 30 school districts, city and county governments, have left the CalPERS insurance program over the past 3 years.
- I would like to remind the Board, that during the many years that retirees were active employees, exercising their responsibilities as faculty members, classified employees and managers, that they often were willing to forego salary increases, sometimes over long periods of time, to make certain that we kept in place the quality healthcare program that we have enjoyed from the very beginning until the present time.
- The meeting that the Chancellor had with the Retirees’ Association Executive Board on September 25, demonstrated to us, that the only way the plan being offered to retirees, the PERS Choice Supplemental Plan, can come up to the standard of healthcare insurance that we have now, is to buttress it up with promises of a short term reimbursement program. There is no time now to explain all the shortcomings of this band aid approach to our healthcare benefits.
- For now, let me say that the Retirees’ Association looks forward to a fruitful dialogue with the District regarding our future healthcare benefits. Thank you.
To visit the VCCCDRA website, click here.
