Meet the President!

At the May meeting of the GBRTA, members elected Rose Marie D’Aquila as their new president. Rose Marie retired from the Trumbull Public School System in 2012 having spent 13 years as a Stratford middle and high school teacher and 16 years in Trumbull’s Alternative School program. She was a building representative in both the Stratford Education Association and Trumbull Education Association.

On retirement, joining the GBRTA was a natural move for Rose Marie. She recognized the need for retired teachers to make their voices heard. Joining the Scholarship Committee of the Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut (ARTC) made her even more aware of the statewide issues important to retired teachers. As president of the GBRTA, Rose Marie will serve on the Board of Directors of ARTC.

Raising two children – Stephen and Theresa – came between the Stratford and Trumbull positions. As full-time mom, those years were filled with school-related activities. She served as a PTA volunteer in the classroom and school library and chaperoned more field trips than she cares to remember. She was a Den Mother and led a Girl Scout troop. She is the proud grandmother of a two and a half year old toddler who will become a big brother in late August.

Traveling with husband Tony and the adventure of culinary tours of Italy are a new passion for the D’Aquilas. Their most recent trip was to the Amalfi coast - learning about its special foods and wines.

Rose Marie has set goals for herself and for the GBRTA. She tells us:

As for my thoughts regarding GBRTA, I hope to encourage more people to volunteer for various committees, increase luncheon attendance, and add more members to our roles, especially male retirees.

I will be asking GBRTA member to become more politically active, by contacting their legislators regarding retirement issues. I am more than willing to provide the members with the representatives’ names and contact information. Finally, another priority will be to increase attendance at Lobby Day in the spring.

In her four years as GBRTA’s Vice President, Rose Marie’s energy, positive attitude and work ethic have served the GBRTA well. We welcome her as our president and look forward to the initiatives she will support.

President's Letter

As I begin my term as President of the Greater Bridgeport Retired Teachers Association, I would like to extend my congratulations to the newly elected officers: First-vice President Sandra Petrucelli-Carbone and Recording Secretary Sue Berescik. Continuing for a second term will be Corresponding Secretary Rita McDougald-Campbell and Treasurer Helen Scinto. As immediate past president, Bob Pitzschler will become the Second Vice President.

I would like to thank the committee chairs and members who have volunteered to remain in their positions and thank you to the volunteers who are not returning but have greatly helped GBRTA to achieve its mission. Job descriptions of the various committees will be available at the next GBRTA meeting in October. Please review the descriptions and consider becoming more active in GBRTA. Some positions require only a few hours of your time and can be done at home.

Are you aware that retired teachers do not have a union? We must continuously inform our elected officials by means of emails, written letters, and phone calls that clarify our position regarding pensions, health care, tax exemptions and social security.

GBRTA is an affiliate of the Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut. ARTC is actively involved with the state legislature through a lobbyist who advocates for the rights of retired teachers. As you know, everything comes at a cost. In addition to maintaining your membership in GBRTA, please consider joining ARTC. The efforts of GBRTA, working cooperatively with ARTC, resulted in the continuation of the 25% exemption of your pension from the state income tax and the maintenance of your health and retirement benefits. For more information about ARTC, go to     www.ARTCT.org

I look forward to welcoming you at our next meeting on October 10.

Rose Marie D’Aquila