Teachers Retirement System of Georgia Board of Trustees Meeting - July 2026

Aug 3
2 min read

The Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) held its bimonthly Board of Trustees meeting July 22, 2026.

During his presentation to the board, TRS Executive Director Jason Branch shared statistics on retirees actively collecting benefits from TRS compared with the same period last year.

Agenda and Meeting Materials

TRS Begins Approvals for New Return-to-Work Program, Special Education is the Most Cited Qualifying Subject Area

One of PAGE’s 2026 member-driven legislative priorities on reducing teacher vacancies was approved by the Georgia General Assembly in SB 150.

SB 150, sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) and carried in the House by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), reauthorizes Georgia’s educator return-to-work (RtW) program, which allows retired educators with at least 30 years of service to work full time after a one-year waiting period and draw retirement benefits while teaching in qualified positions. Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 150 several months ago, and it is now law.

The new law designates subjects that would qualify for RtW on a statewide basis. These include English language arts (as long as the teacher holds a current dyslexia or reading endorsement approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission), science, special education, math, and Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE).

Educators may also return to work in one of three subject areas of local highest need. Educators hired in these locally designated areas of highest need will continue to qualify for RtW, even if their district later changes its designated subjects.

In collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), TRS has published a helpful RtW FAQ.

TRS staff have opened a portal to auto-approve RtW eligibility for teachers qualifying in subject areas of statewide high need. As of July 7, 134 teachers have qualified, 42.5% in special education. Math and science were the second- and third-most-cited areas in which teachers qualified for the new RtW program.

Branch shared final statistics from the HB 385 return-to-work program, which began in 2022 and ended June 30, 2026.

Fiduciary Net Position & FY 26 Rate of Return

The TRS net position in March 2025 was $109 billion.
The TRS net position in March 2026 was $122 billion.
The TRS net position in April 2025 was $109 billion.
The TRS net position in April 2026 was $130 billion.

TRS reports a 13.51% rate of return for FY 26, which began in July 2025.

AFY 2027 and FY 2028 Budget Requests Approved

Trustees approved the agency's Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2027 and FY 2028 budget requsets. Highlights of requested changes in the budget are included below.