Election of the following two (2) positions on the ATRS Board of Trustees is scheduled in March, 2022: Position No. 1 (Certified Member Trustee – 1st Congressional District, Requires State Licensure); and Position No. 9 (Retiree Trustee).

Candidates for Position No. 1 must meet the following criteria:

1. Must be an active member of ATRS or a participant in the Teacher Deferred Retirement Option Plan (T-DROP) who is receiving T-DROP deposits.
2. Must have a minimum of 5 years of actual service in ATRS.
3. Must be employed in a position that requires state teaching licensure or its equivalent (and does not require administrator licensure).
4. Must be employed by a participating employer in the 1st Congressional District.
5. If nominee holds two or more positions, i.e., works as a teacher and bus driver, eligibility shall be determined by his/her primary employment.

 Candidates for Position No. 1 must be employed by an ATRS employer located in Arkansas Congressional District #1 (shown in blue on the map above)

Candidates for Position No. 9 must meet the following criteria:

1. Must be a retired member of ATRS; and
2. Resident of the State of Arkansas.

Nomination Petitions

If you are interested in serving on the ATRS Board, you may request a nomination petition by contacting Tammy Porter by email at tammyp@artrs.gov or by phone at 501-682-6149. Nomination for election shall be upon receipt of a petition signed by at least 25 voters who are eligible to vote for the trustee position for which the member is seeking nomination. The petitions must include the last four digits of the Social Security number of each signatory for verification of the member's eligibility to vote for the position, and include the signatory's legibly printed name in addition to their signature. It is recommended that a candidate seek at least 30 signatures on their petitions in case some signers are not eligible voters. Nominating petitions and a candidate information form must be filed with the Executive Director of the Teacher Retirement System by Monday, January 10, 2022.

Election Dates and Process

The Board of Trustees shall employ an independent contractor who will mail ballots to eligible voters' addresses of record and will also collect, count, and certify election results.

• Deadline for nomination: Monday, January 10, 2022.
• Ballots mailed: Tuesday, March 15, 2022.
• Deadline for ballots to be returned: Friday, April 15, 2022.
• Results certified: Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

If no candidate receives at least 50% of votes cast by eligible voters on the first ballot, a run-off election will be held between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the position. The Schedule for the run-off election will be as follows:

• Run-off ballots mailed: Monday, May 2, 2022
• Deadline for ballots to be returned: Wednesday, June 1, 2022
• Results certified: Monday, June 6, 2022

If a candidate receives at least 50% of the votes cast on the first ballot, they will be declared the winner of the election and will assume office on July 1, 2022. If a run-off election is necessary, the candidate receiving at least 50% of the votes cast in the runoff will be declared the winner of the election and will assume office on July 1, 2022.

The term of office of each elected trustee is six (6) years. Each trustee shall continue to serve as trustee until his or her successor is elected.

The ATRS Board of Trustees and ATRS staff do not and will not endorse any candidate for election to the Board of Trustees.

If you know of a qualified member who is interested in serving on the ATRS Board, then please share the content in this email with them. The ATRS Board welcomes applications from all qualified members. Membership on the ATRS Board is a very important way to serve ATRS members and the State of Arkansas.

Stay in Touch with ATRS and View YOUR Account Information

The ATRS website allows members to have direct access to specific member account information. Now, approximately 26,900 members have direct account access to individualized account information. Here is the link to the instructions to sign up: www.artrs.gov/registration.

You can also sign up to obtain these executive director updates through your private email address. Updates are made throughout the year such as at retirement season and other times when information needs to be shared. Now, over 28,500 people have signed up to receive this executive director update by direct email delivery. It is always a great pleasure for ATRS staff to learn of more ways to provide information to ATRS members, employers, beneficiaries, government officials, and the public. The ATRS Board is committed to providing a system that is member friendly and transparent. Remember that ATRS is here to serve you.

If you have questions or need more information, please feel free to call me on my direct line at (501) 588-4367, my cell at (501) 291-1623 or email me at clintr@artrs.gov

Best regards,

Clint Rhoden
Executive Director ATRS
Office: (501) 588-4367
Mobile: (501) 291-1623
clintr@artrs.gov