MAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIRED
MAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIREDMAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIREDMAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIRED~Promoting the economic, professional and social welfare of retired educators.
MAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIRED
~Promoting the economic, professional and social welfare of retired educators.
Home Page Content (Scroll down to find these features.)
Announcements
Pictures from 2025 Meetings and Events
Upcoming Events, Cancellations, Convention Registration, Awards and Grants
A Message From Our President & Association Review Initiative Committee (ARI)
Legislative News
The Clarion
Dental Plan
AARP Maine
Helpful Links (Including Link to NEA-Retired)
About Our Website and to Contact Us
Find Us and "LIKE" Us on Facebook
Site Disclaimer
MEA-Retired Membership Survey
MEA-Retired Membership Survey Due October 25, 2025
For the link to the survey, see the September 25, 2025 email from Molly Smith, MEA-Retired President (sent via maineea.org)
NEA Representative Assembly from July 3-7, 2025
Twenty-three delegates of MEA and MEA-Retired represented more than 23,000 MEA active and retired members at the NEA Representative Assembly in Portland, Oregon.
73rd MEA-Retired Convention & Annual Meeting on May 1, 2025
New Slate of Officers
Molly Smith, President; Julie Gomez, President-elect; Roger Roy, Treasurer; Marilyn Burton, Secretary; and Barbara Hammond, Information Coordinator
MEA-Retired at MEA-RA May 17-18, 2025
MEA-Retired is very well represented!
From right to left (front row): Grace Leavitt, Molly Smith, Barbara Bricker, Julie Gomez, Gary McGrane
From right to left (second row): Ben Paradis, Doug Larlee, Marilyn Burton, Kay Grindall, Belinda Micucci, Jen Perry, Roger Roy
A Message From Our MEA-Retired President
It has been four months since the installation of officers took place at the Annual Meeting and convention on May 1st. Many things have transpired since that time. Being entrusted with the leadership of the Association I have come to know the other officers and have regular meetings with them. We continue to learn how to fulfill the responsibilities of our offices. So far, I think we are doing an effective and respectable job as a team. There is often something to learn at every turn.
Our MEA-Retired delegates have represented you well at both the MEA Representative Assembly (RA) held in May in Portland and at the NEA- Retired Annual Meeting (RAM) in June in Portland, Oregon. Next was the NEA RA also in Portland, OR.
The Executive Committee comprising of officers, committee chairs, liaisons, trustees, and representatives have met once. While conducting regular association business, this group is also participating in the tasks of the Association Review Initiative Committee (ARIC) discussing and identifying the needs and direction of our Association.
The other body, the Board of Directors, has met twice. The Board of Directors includes the Executive Committee and leadership from affiliates, usually the President and Vice President from each of our 16 affiliates. If one of them is unable to attend they are encouraged to send a designee in their place as a voting member at the Board meeting.
At our last Board of Directors meeting we had excellent representation from affiliates. Attendance for our most distant affiliates is challenging, requiring one-way drives of 4 to 5 hours. The Association does offer overnight lodging for those members.
Affiliates have also been participating in ARIC identifying the needs and direction of the Association. Foremost, the affiliates have started working together identifying their successes and challenges while sharing possible solutions to those challenges. In the next Clarion we will be sharing more specifics on the work being done by these two groups.
What I want you, the members, to know and understand is that these individual leaders collectively are an amazing group who represent you, your needs and interests, and those of the association.
I feel very privileged to be associated with such a dedicated and enthusiastic group of people. When I observe these two groups in action I feel a sense of pride listening to the sharing of ideas and opinions done with insight and respect. These are groups who have embraced the task of actively reviewing who we are, how we accomplish our work and de- fining the things we value.
Molly A. Smith
President, MEA-Retired
Maine Education Association Retired
35 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330 (207) 622-5866
If you would like to contact Molly, please use the contact form on the bottom of the Home page.
Legislative News
Legislative News Is Time Sensitive
The 132nd Maine Legislature’s first regular session convened on December 4, with a statutory adjournment date of the third Wednesday in June. The 132nd Maine Legislature session adjourned on June 18, 2025. During this session, the Democrats controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate, by slim margins. Governor Janet Mills is in the last two years of her final term.
Go HERE to get links to the latest information. Go HERE to go to the State Legislature's Home Page.
Delta Dental Plan
Open enrollment for Northeast Delta Dental Insurance closed on December 13, 2024. Effective date for changes is February 1, 2025.
For additional information, go here. If you have questions about the dental plan as a member of MEA-Retired please contact Lisa Collins at the Caribou MEA Office. She can be reached by email at lcollins@maineea.org or by phone at 207.888.3804.
Helpful Links and Important Messages
LINKS TO:
NEA-Retired: https://www.nea.org/nea-councils/nea-retired
Link to the Social Security Administration at https://www.ssa.gov/.
To learn more about getting started with Medicare, link to Medicare at https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare
More information about the Social Security Fairness Act can be found at https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html
The Maine Public Employees Retirement System can be accessed at https://www.mainepers.org/
STATE-WIDE FOOD PANTRIES
The Good Shepherd Food Bank has a list and link to a map of state-wide food pantries here. You can also find the location of nearby food pantries in your community by calling your town office.
CDC Covid-19 page HERE
Maine CDC page HERE.
