About

OUR MISSION

“The Louisiana Retired Teachers Association is the voice of the retired education community, representing its interests by monitoring, protecting and improving the benefits needed to secure dignity, independence and overall quality of life.”

The Louisiana Retired Teachers Association (LRTA) is a nonprofit, membership organization that was incorporated in 1956 to organize and establish a body of retired educators that could work together as an incorporated organization to protect and enhance benefits for individuals receiving retirement benefits from the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL). LRTA remains the only membership organization in Louisiana devoted solely to protecting the interests of retired educators and continues to promote the professional, social and economic welfare of all Louisiana retired educators.

The association’s headquarters is located in Baton Rouge, La. There are eleven District subdivisions located throughout the state headed by a District president. Within those eleven Districts are several local Units of retired educators. The local Units meet regularly and serve as the “backbone” of the association. The Executive Board (made up of state officers of the association, the eleven District presidents and five ex officio members) sets policy for the association. The board operates through a committee structure and employs a full-time staff to implement the board-set policies. The staff is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association.

The association encourages all retired educators to join. LRTA offers four tiers of membership, including an associate membership for actively employed educators and school employees or any individual who would like to support the retired educator community. Whether you just retired or are nearing retirement, LRTA has something for everyone. LRTA members receive four newsletters a year that contain information on current and pending issues of interest and importance to the membership. In addition, the association holds two annual meetings to conduct business and provide an opportunity for retired educators to connect with one another: one in April and one in October.

In conjunction with Districts and local Units, LRTA promotes activities that support its members and their communities by offering social, information and service opportunities. Many members of the association also join NRTA, AARP’s Educator Community, and AARP.

Every retired educator has unique goals and interests, but all are concerned about their retirement and insurance benefits. The collective effort of the LRTA Executive Board, committees, staff and volunteers have directly impacted the protection and enhancement of benefits. Through the years, the members of LRTA have worked together to create a strong, viable and professional organization, and the association looks forward to carrying this legacy far into the future.

If you have any questions about LRTA, please contact us at info@lrta.net.

OUR VALUES

“The guiding principles for governing and managing LRTA are a code of ethics complemented by the following values:

• Service to members and the association.
• Integrity, honesty and transparency in our leadership.
• Respect for diversity of people and ideas.”

OUR ISSUES

• LRTA SUPPORTS the current Defined Benefit plan. Learn more about why we support the current plan here. 
• LRTA OPPOSES changes to the current Defined Benefit plan and retirement system, including switching the plan to a Defined Contribution and/or Hybrid Plan. Learn more about our opposition here.
• LRTA SUPPORTS the repeal of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provisions (WEP). The GPO and WEP are Social Security Administration issues that affect retired teachers in Louisiana and five other states. Learn more about the GPO and WEP here.