Messages that Matter

Find the message from the President and Executive Director each time the Newsletter is published on this page.

President's Message

There is nothing quite as sure as change. As the day changes, so does the temperature, the moisture, and the amount of daylight vs, darkness. As the temperature changes, so do plants, animals, and rocks. The list of changes could go on and on, and now, among the changes, we can include the Maryland Retired School Personnel Association. Over the past few months, we have changed our logo and our colors, largely to appeal to the education personnel who are younger and who we hope will be our new members. We hope our current members also like the new look. We are looking at our organizational structure to see if it needs to be updated, and while change can be difficult, it can also improve what we can offer to members. Stay tuned over the next many months to see what those changes might be.

The MRSPA has worked hard trying to maintain and grow our numbers. I am personally grateful for all that’s been put into those efforts, but we aren’t finished yet. Recently, I learned a lot about the benefits that people who join MRSPA have available to them. I already
knew about the legislative committee that works hard to monitor bills introduced during the legislative session each year. We have a legislative agenda that defines what is important to our group, and it’s not just our pensions. That is the main reason why folks join us There are so many other advantages to being a member. Go to our website, www.mrspa.org. Near the midpoint of the purple menu you’ll see the “Benefits” heading. Click to explore these advantages. There are a lot of ways to save money from stores and vendors many of
us use all the time. As was pointed out to me, it’s easy to save enough money using those benefits to more than cover your dues! Change the way you use your MRSPA membership and share it with potential members, too!

In order not to go on and on, let me just say the times are changing, the seasons are changing, and the year is about to change. Change is inevitable; sometimes it’s hard and often it’s desirable. You may have results is the definition of insanity. These new changes, when they are finished, we will be a bigger, stronger, more relevant organization for our members. We will still advocate, serve, and connect;
and we will continue to work towards improving the lives of each other and our communities. These sound like big, hairy, audacious goals and they are. They are toward people who are retired school personnel, but heck, that’s what
we’ve always worked for. We welcome the new year, new challenges, new members! Embrace them, and together let’s be a part of the
change we want to see.

Betty Weller,
MRSPA President

Executive Director's Message

In the August edition of Retiree News & Notes published by the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, there was an article about the Pension System discontinuing paper copies of both the newsletter and your bi-annual paper Automatic Deposit Advice. You will receive your last paper copies of these in January 2026.

To receive these documents electronically, the Pension System asks that you set up an account in their mySRPS portal. If you already have an account in the mySRPS portal, then you don’t need to take any action. You will simply access the portal to view these documents. You can also ensure that the Pension System has your correct email address by completing and submitting a Contact Information Change Request (Form 77) available on the www.sra.maryland.gov website.

If you do not yet have an account in the mySRPS portal, you will need to set one up by going to the Pension System website at www.sra.maryland.gov and clicking on the mySRPS button in the top right of the page. You will need an ID, like a driver’s license or other State-issued ID or Passport. You will need to take Smartphone or tablet photos of both sides of your ID and a selfie. A computer, tablet, or smart phone may be used to set up your account.

When we at MRSPA read that paper copies of these documents were going away, we contacted the Pension System to express concern for our members who may be unable to access the documents digitally for a variety of reasons. We requested exemptions, and that the Pension System provide a webinar for our members on how to set up an account on the mySRPS portal. We were successful in getting both.

On September 17, over 100 MRSPA members took part in the very informative webinar. To view a brief recording that describes how to set up your portal account, visit our website at www.mrspa.org, click News/ Events in the menu, then click Resources. The link to
the recording is the first item in the list of Resources. You can also find the recording on the Pension System

Should you be unable to set up an account on the portal, you can request to continue to receive paper copies of these documents by calling the Pension System at 410-625-5555 during business hours. Please allow at least a half-hour to make this call as you may
wait in the queue for a while, but you will get to a customer service person.

Often the primary reason retirees join MRSPA is for the pension protection advocacy. For 80 years, MRSPA and our members have been doing the work to make sure that our issues are in front of the decision makers at the local, state, and federal levels. Sometimes that work is done on paper, in an email or text message, or by phone. Other times, that work is done in person when our members attend a variety of events across the state. In this edition, you see photos of our MRSPA Legislative Committee Chair, Tom Slater, and our MRSPA Legislative Aide, Virginia Crespo, in action meeting with state and federal leaders. It is so very important that we are “seen” and that personal connections are made with elected officials. Then, when those officials hear from us during the legislative session or on a specific legislative issue, they know exactly where we stand. Should you have a personal relationship with any local, state, or federal official, MRSPA would love to know about it. Then, we can call on you in the future when we need someone with a connection to that official. If you are willing to participate in this process, please send an email to mrspa@mrspa.org. Tell us
who you know, how you know them (briefly), and their email address and/or phone number. We look forward to hearing from our members as we continue to Advocate, Serve, and Connect.

Wanda Ruffo Twigg,

MRSPA Executive Director