Member balloting this spring to elect three “active” members and one “annuitant” member to four-year terms on the Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees is unnecessary and has been canceled.
The state law governing trustee elections provides that if there are only as many qualified nominees as there are positions available, the balloting portion of the trustee election process shall not be conducted, and the Board shall declare the qualified nominees duly elected.
That is the situation in 2023.
Only three candidates for the three open seats elected by active members filed the requisite 500 valid member signatures necessary to be nominated as eligible candidates for the open trustee positions. And only one candidate filed the requisite 500 valid annuitant signatures necessary to run for the one open seat elected by annuitants.
At the February 9, 2023 Board of Trustees meeting, the current Board declared the four nominees as elected for four-year terms on the board that begin on July 15, 2023. The Board canceled the balloting that would have taken place during April for the May 1 election.
The newly elected trustees are all current members of the Board.
Trustees Nominated by Active Members & Elected for 2023-2027 Term:
- Beth Anderson of Kankakee
- Marsha Byas of Marion
- Andrew Hirshman of Oak Park
Trustee Nominated by Annuitants & Elected for 2023-2027 Term:
- Doug Strand of East Moline
The election of the three active trustees also fulfills the provisions of a 2020 state law that says no more than four of the five trustees elected by active members may belong to the same statewide teacher organization as defined by the law. Trustee Anderson is a member of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Trustees Byas and Hirshman, along with two other current trustees, are all members of the Illinois Education Association.
The state law governing the election of TRS trustees can be found at 40 ILCS 5/16-165. The Board of Trustees is comprised of five elected trustees nominated by active members, two elected trustees nominated by annuitant members, seven trustees appointed by the governor and the incumbent state superintendent of education as an ex-officio member.
Current Membership of the TRS Board of Trustees:
- Matthew Hunt of Glen Ellyn – President of the Board and a gubernatorial appointment
- Andrew Hirshman of Oak Park, Vice President of the Board and elected by active members
- Beth Anderson of Kankakee, elected by active members
- Kevin “Duffy” Blackburn of Joliet, a gubernatorial appointment
- Joseph Blomquist of St. Charles, elected by active members
- Marsha Byas of Marion, elected by active members
- Michael Goetz of Springfield, a gubernatorial appointment
- Maria “Mia” Jazo-Harris of Bloomington, a gubernatorial appointment
- Maureen Mena of Bolingbrook, a gubernatorial appointment
- David Miller of Lynwood, a gubernatorial appointment
- Fred Peronto of Elmhurst, elected by active members
- Larry Pfeiffer of Carlinville, elected by annuitant members
- Doug Strand of East Moline, elected by annuitant members
There is one vacancy among the gubernatorial appointments. Later this spring, Dr. Tony Sanders, the newly appointed State Superintendent of Education, will join the TRS Board.