The ACSA Council of Retired Leaders operates on a simple truth: Every ACSA member will eventually reach retirement. Our council’s mission is to ensure that the transition doesn’t mean the end of professional involvement, but rather a new chapter of service and opportunity.

In November 2025, the council sent a survey to all ACSA members age 55 or older. We were seeking responses from members who are moving toward retirement and those already retired. The survey analysis provided some interesting and helpful information for the council. We’ve already acted on some responses and we’ll be continuing that work in 2026-27. The council’s action plan, Keeping the Spirit Alive (KSA), has a variety of ideas to address retired members’ responses and involvement after retirement.

Some of the top-line results:

• A significant portion (55 percent) of respondents reported that they are Emeritus members, yet 49 percent were unaware of the work done by ACSA’s Council of Retired Leaders. Greater awareness and knowledge are needed.
• Interest in attending quarterly Zoom meetings on retirement topics was substantial, with 85 percent indicating they would attend such events. Respondents noted the areas of greatest interest for future learning as ACSA programs (76 percent), post-retirement work (61 percent), and Social Security benefits (47 percent). Additionally, a strong majority (87 percent) expressed interest in receiving updates about retiree-related legislation.
• There is low participation in regional ACSA activities, with many retirees expressing unawareness or disinterest in attending meetings. This suggests a need to enhance communication and relevance of these gatherings to engage more members.
• Many members (62 percent) are interested in post-retirement work, which may indicate a desire for continued professional involvement and opportunities to share their expertise.

Our KSA action plan includes many suggestions to make inroads on better communication with age 55-plus members, developing programs that will result in better understanding and participation for retirees and enhancing Emeritus benefits. We’ve been working with ACSA leadership to activate ideas in the KSA document. Some of our ideas have been easier to put into place than others. Some will require ongoing work over the next two years.

In our end-of-year EdCal article we’ll sum up what we accomplished to meet members’ needs and the priorities we will be working on in 2026-27.