A handful of retired Omaha educators made their voices heard in front of the OPS Board of Education, expressing concern about money they say they should have been paid but weren’t.
- On September 1, 2024, the state system, NPERS, took over management of OSERS, Omaha School Employees’ Retirement System.
- Members were told benefits would not change, but four months later, something was different. The COLA payment did not appear on January 3, 2025, in fact, not until February.
- “For them to suddenly say you are not going to get it, denies and earned benefit, we think that is just wrong,” Rea said.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:“I am here today to call your attention to a major glitch in NPERS management of the plan and ask that you stand behind the OSERS benefit structure, that this board approved and had placed into state law,” said Roger Rea, a retired OPS chemistry teacher.
Rea is also a former trustee for the Omaha School Employees’ Retirement System (OSERS). On Thursday, he spoke about the history of the OSERS cost of living adjustment agreement.
“We are used to getting a cost-of-living adjustment payment (COLA) every year in January; we have done that for the last 25 years,” Rea said…