Annual Delegates Meeting

Annual meetings feature educational sessions and a teacher Board member election.

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518-447-2900, ext. 4071
[email protected]

NYSTRS’ 2024 Delegates Meeting was held Sunday, Nov. 3 to Monday, Nov. 4 at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

More than 600 delegates from across the state attended the two-day event, which culminated in the teacher Board member election. Attending delegates elected Eric J. Iberger from the Bayport-Blue Point School District and Donald A. Little III from the Syracuse City School District to serve on NYSTRS’ Board. Read more about the teacher Board member election.

Save the Date! Be sure to mark your calendars for our 2025 meeting, which will be held Sunday, Nov. 2 and Monday, Nov. 3 at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

2024 Delegates Meeting

The meeting provided delegates the opportunity to participate in pension-related educational seminars and discussions. Recordings and materials from these sessions, including the “Retirement Quest” answer key, can be found below.

Strength of the System and New Legislation

Learn about NYSTRS’ investment philosophy and how it creates success, strength and stability for the Retirement System and its members. This presentation covers developments over the past year, the health of the System, and our thoughtful approach to managing assets.

Strength of the System and New Legislation presentation slides
Strength of the System and New Legislation video

Planning for Peace of Mind

Steven Kramer, the founder of the Estate Wellness Forum and a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, reviews estate planning information every member should know.

Planning for Peace of Mind video

The Return of “Max Benefit’s Retirement Quest”

In the Retirement Quest, NYSTRS delegates navigate their way through the Career Stages, answering questions about a member’s early, mid, and late career.

Retirement Quest answer key
Retirement Quest video

NYSTRS Voices - Board Member Edition

Long-tenured Trustee and Board Vice President Dr. L. Oliver Robinson shares his experiences serving on NYSTRS’ Board. Dr. Robinson provides his own perspective and insights on how the System achieves its mission to provide retirement security to members and be the model for pension fund excellence and exceptional service.

NYSTRS Voices – Board Member Edition video

Delegate-Board/Staff Discussion

Delegate – Board/Staff Discussion video

Social Security - What Should You Know?

We review key Social Security questions, including: When should I start collecting Social Security? How are cost-of-living adjustments calculated? and, What are my post-retirement earnings limits?

Social Security - What Should You Know? presentation slides
Social Security – What Should You Know? video

Disability and Death Benefits

NYSTRS wants to help you and your colleagues get the most out of your NYSTRS benefits and protect your beneficiaries. This session reviews the benefits available to members if they have a health crisis, and the death benefits provided to both active and retired members.

Disability and Death Benefits presentation slides
Disability and Death Benefits video

Election of Two Teacher Board Members

Teacher Board member election video
Read more about the teacher Board member election.

We appreciate you serving as a delegate and being a liaison with NYSTRS members in your district. We routinely email you pertinent information to assist you in your role as a delegate. We also send you educational information we hope you share with your colleagues to keep them informed about NYSTRS.

Our primary means of reaching you is your school email address. Look for emails from us with the sender name "Convention Delegate" and [email protected] address. We send Delegates Meeting information, Delegate News, and monthly NYSTRS News emails to educate you on the System and to provide retirement planning information. If you do not receive our emails, check your spam folder or contact your IT department and ask them to whitelist emails from [email protected].
For information on how to treat Annual Delegates Meeting attendance, salary and expense issues, refer to:
NYSTRS’ 2023 Delegates Meeting was held Nov. 5-6 at the Saratoga Springs City Center. Delegates attending the meeting re-elected Baldwinsville teacher Elizabeth A. Chetney to NYSTRS’ Board of Trustees. Read more about Chetney’s re-election in our headline “Delegates Re-Elect Chetney to NYSTRS Board.”

More than 600 delegates from across the state participated in the meeting, which featured educational presentations about NYSTRS' benefits and the strength and stability of the pension system.

Following are videos and slides from the presentations and sessions conducted at the Delegates Meeting.

The Role of the Delegate: As a delegate, you have two important functions: elect a teacher member to NYSTRS’ Board and serve as a System ambassador to your peers. Learn about our various resources to keep you and your fellow teachers informed about your benefits and to plan for retirement. (Watch The Role of the Delegate video)

Social Security Information: What do you need to know? We review key information, including benefit eligibility, calculations, taxes, earnings limits and cost-of-living adjustments. (Watch Social Security Information Video | Download presentation slides)

Tier 6 Overview: Learn key information about Tier 6, including member contributions and eligibility for benefits. (Watch Tier 6 Overview video | Download presentation slides)

Legal Update: Review of POAs, DROs and Trusts: Learn about important legal documents, including Power of Attorney (POA), Domestic Relations Orders (DRO) and trusts. (Watch Legal Update: Review of POAs, DROs and Trusts Video | Download presentation slides)

Play “Retirement Quest” with Host Mr. Max Benefit: We invited delegates to the stage to play our new game show “Retirement Quest” hosted by Mr. Max Benefit. Two teams of delegates navigated their way through the career stages to make it to Retirement. Contestants answered questions about a member’s early-, mid- and late-career stage to win Retirement Quest! A panel of NYSTRS’ Expert Guides provided insight on the answers and contestants received prizes! (Watch Play “Retirement Quest” with Host Mr. Max Benefit Video)

The Strength and Stability of the System: Learn about NYSTRS’ funding and investment philosophies and how they lead to long-term success, strength and stability. We provided an overview of the health of the Retirement System and the thoughtful approach to managing the System’s assets. (Watch The Strength and Stability of the System Video | Download presentation slides)

NYSTRS Voices: Board Member Edition: We welcomed longtime NYSTRS trustees Dr. Phyllis S. Harrington and Nicholas Smirensky to the stage to discuss their roles on the Board. With a combined nearly 30 years serving NYSTRS members, they shared their experiences ensuring the System fulfills its mission to provide retirement security and be the model for pension fund excellence and exceptional customer service. (Watch NYSTRS Voices: Board Member Edition Video)

Delegate-Board/Staff Discussion (Watch Delegate-Board/Staff Discussion Video)

Election of Teacher Board Member (Watch Election of Teacher Board Member Video)