The Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) held its bimonthly Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 24, 2025. Trustees received updates on the work of TRS divisions and were briefed on the State Auditor Report on the educator return-to-work (RtW) program. The board also approved the TRS expense fund and the appointment of a TRS Medical Board member.

Executive Director Buster Evans announced he will retire in November 2025, and Deputy Executive Director Jason Branch was named as his successor.

The full agenda and all meeting materials can be found by clicking the button below.

Fiduciary Net Position & FY 2026 Rate of Return

• The TRS net position in July 2024 was $108 billion

• The TRS net position in July 2025 was $117 billion

• The TRS net position in Aug. 2024 was $110 billion

• The TRS net position in Aug. 2025 was $120 billion

TRS reports a 3.26% rate of return for FY 26 which began in July.

Board Receives Updates on TRS Divisions and Return-to-Work Report

Evans updated board members on the work being done in TRS divisions. He noted that virtual counseling for TRS members has rapidly grown in popularity in recent years and now surpasses in-person retirement counseling.

A separate presentation later focused on the work of the Retirement Services Division. During this presentation, Division Director Cory Buice shared key findings from a return-to-work (RtW) state audit report. He noted the report showed the RtW program has been used by a majority of districts, but the total number of participants is less than 1% of the total statewide teacher workforce. When unable to fill vacancies with RtW teachers, school systems must sometimes hire non-certified teachers. The report outlined several provisions of the current RtW program that have presented challenges in school systems.

Board Approves Expense Fund and Medical Board Member

The board approved the proposed TRS expense fund and appointed Dr. Ben Hunter to the TRS Medical Board. The Medical Board works to determine a TRS member's eligibility for disability retirement

Evans Announces Retirement

Evans notified the board of his intent to retire effective, Nov. 1, 2025. The board accepted his retirement and thanked Evans for his many years of service. Jason Branch, who currently serves as deputy executive director for TRS will succeed Evans as executive director.

PAGE thanks Evans for his dedication to Georgia educators and looks forward to working with Branch to continue supporting the interests of both working and retired educators.