The 77th annual WSSRA convention in Wenatchee was a hit! The 200 attendees were treated to two stirring keynotes, six Monday afternoon breakout sessions, and eight Wednesday morning leadership training sessions along with plenty of time for meeting with friends and planning activities for the upcoming year. Recipients for the Hoban, McNaughton and Wilfong awards were announced (see the July Journal for details), and the gavel was passed from outgoing president Ron Crawford to 2024-25 president Rita Figlenski.
Keynoters Gene Sharratt and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenberger—both educators with Dottie also a former astronaut—let us know that, despite challenges, K-12 education continues strong, with hard working teachers and support personnel assisting students to learn and flourish every day. Dottie’s experiences as a teacher were crucial in preparing her for space travel, as she was able to deftly match her instructional and research skills with the physical and mental requirements necessary in astronaut training. Gene, now in his sixth decade as an educator, wove success stories from the classroom with a message of hope—and praise for those in the trenches teaching kids.
With breakouts focusing on estate planning, an HCA/PEBB Medicare update, senior care, unit rejuvenation, and a Q and A with new Executive Director Peter Diedrick, attendees learned much, and left with a good idea of where WSSRA is heading with member support and 2025 legislative advocacy.
We’ll see you next June in Yakima for the 78th annual WSSRA convention!
For the summer, your legislative committee, lobbyists and staff will be closely monitoring the Select Committee on Pension Policy as they work through their mandatory task of formulating a permanent Plan 1 COLA recommendation for consideration by the 2025 legislature. We expect SCPP COLA reports and updates between June and September, with a formal proposal for the committee to consider by October or, at the latest, November. Please stay tuned for email updates about SCPP progress on the permanent COLA plan, and be prepared to send emails to committee members urging them to act forcefully on the matter.
In staff news, Emmitt Mills has joined WSSRA as the new legislative director. Emmitt most recent work was with the Retired Public Employee Council, our advocacy partner organization that supports the needs of retired state and local government employees. Emmitt has a firm grasp on retiree issues and is well versed in lobbying for pension and health care fairness. We’re excited that he is joining us.
Finally, thanks to all of you who have supported WSSRA through the past seven years that I have served as your executive director. Our success is directly related to the year-round advocacy that you do with local legislators. We’ve done fairly well lately with COLA improvements and the maintenance of the PEBB Medicare subsidy. That trend will continue so long as we keep up the pressure. Good luck to new Executive Director Peter Diedrick. Peter has served as our legislative director for the past 12 years and is well qualified and fully prepared to lead the organization as we strive for pension and health care fairness for our 17,000 members.
Enjoy the summer!
Alan Burke