Memorandum  Memo #24: Mandatory Retirement Board Member Training

Date:	09/26/2022
Referenced Sources:	PERAC Website

PERAC Memo #24, 2022

To All Retirement Boards:

M E M O R A N D U M

TO:                  All Retirement Boards

FROM:            John W. Parsons, Esq., Executive Director

RE:                  Mandatory Retirement Board Member Training – 4th Quarter, 2022

DATE:            September 26, 2022

Chapter 32 mandates retirement board members to complete training during each year of service on the retirement board. This requirement has two elements: 18 credits over the course of the member’s term and at least 3 credits in each year of the term. Failure to meet either of these statutory standards will prohibit the member from serving beyond the conclusion of the term for which the training requirement was not met. We urge board members to utilize the full array of training choices to remain eligible to serve. All classes, webinars, seminars, and conferences listed will earn three credits each unless otherwise noted.

Ways to receive your credits:

• Credits for attending live PERAC webinars and in-person trainings are automatically updated by PERAC staff approximately one week after the event.
  • All attendees must register through the links available on our website.
  • Board members seeking educational credits – it is important that you register with your full name and the email address we have on record so we can accurately update your account.
  • Board members must check in each day at MACRS to receive full credit.
• You must submit a completed Training Affidavit in PROSPER for all other trainings, including pre-recorded PERAC webinars and pre-approved webinar and conference attendance. Any session listed under sections I and II is pre-approved.
• If a Certificate of Completion is offered for any training not directly provided by or sponsored by PERAC, you must submit the certificate through PROSPER to receive credit.
• Please note the full name of the recorded session you have viewed when submitting a Training Affidavit in PROSPER.
• Some sessions require pre-registration. Check individual sessions for closing dates.

The Commission appreciates the continued efforts of retirement board members to fulfill their duties and responsibilities as well as the continued engagement of board staff. Please note two upcoming in-person events scheduled this quarter: the MACRS Conference in October and the Board Administrator Training Scheduled for November. We hope to see many of you at these upcoming events.

I. Training Schedule Dates (pre-registration is required)

Date	Topic/Organization	Location / Registration Information
October 2 – 5	Fall MACRS Conference	Conference - Springfield, MA
	MACRS	macrs.org
October 4	Open Meeting Law	Webinar
	AGO	tinyurl.com/AG-10-04
October 8 – 11	NCTR 100th Conference	Conference – Tucson, AZ
	National Conference on Teacher Retirement	nctr.org/
October 18	Procurement Fraud	Webinar
	MCPPO / OIG	tinyurl.com/IGO-1018
October 20	Chief Procurement Officer Responsibilities	Webinar
	MCPPO / OIG	tinyurl.com/IG-1020
October 22 – 26	NPEA Annual Conference	Conference – Seattle, WA
	National Pension Education Assoc.	npea.com
October 27	Open Meeting Law	Webinar
	AGO	tinyurl.com/AG-1027
October 27	IT Procurement: Hardware, Software, and Cybersecurity	Webinar
	MCPPO / OIG	tinyurl.com/IGO-1027
November 2	Fraud Awareness	Webinar
	MCPPO / OIG	tinyurl.com/IGO-1102
November 15	Administrator Training	Register through PROSPER
	PERAC	Danvers, MA
November 15	Boards and Commissions: Know your responsibilities	Webinar
12:00 p.m.	MCPPO / OIG	tinyurl.com/IGO-1115
November 16	How to Detect Fraud in Financial Statements	Webinar
	MCPPO / OIG	tinyurl.com/IG-111622
November 30	Public Sector Ethics	Webinar
	MCPPO / OIG	tinyurl.com/IG-113022
December 1	Conflict of Interest Training*	Webinar
9:30 a.m.	State Ethics Commission	tinyurl.com/ETH-1201
December 8	Recent Cases of Interest	Webinar
10:00 a.m.	PERAC	prosper.perac.state.ma.us

*Board members must complete the Conflict of Interest Law training at least once every two years, however, the live session may be taken for credit every year.  A certificate of completion is required to receive credit for the Conflict of Interest training.

II. Recently Added or Recurring Pre-Approved Online Training
(available on demand)

Organization	Topic	How to find webinar:
State Ethics Commission	Conflict of Interest Law* select either State and County or Municipal links	mass.gov/complete-conflict-of-interest-law-education-requirements
Office of the Inspector General	Inspector General Videos You must watch all three videos	mass.gov/info-details/inspector-general-educational-videos
Office of the Attorney General	Open Meeting Law Training You must watch all six videos	mass.gov/info-details/open-meeting-law-training-videos

Links to all of the above resources can be found on PERAC’s Education page at
mass.gov/perac-education.

* Board members must complete the Conflict of Interest Law training once every two years.
A certificate of completion is required to receive credit for the Conflict of Interest training.

Credit for the recorded session may only be awarded once every two years.

III. Administrator Training

We will be hosting an in-person administrator training on November 15, 2022, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in Danvers, MA. We encourage new board administrators and staff to attend this all-day training. Board members who attend will earn three educational credits.

Location:

Doubletree by Hilton

50 Ferncroft Road

Danvers, MA 01923

Registration for this session will be through PROSPER. If a staff member wishing to attend does not have access to PROSPER, please contact Rose Morrison at [e-mail] to register.

IV. Fall MACRS Conference

The Massachusetts Association of Contributory Retirement Systems (MACRS) will be hosting their fall conference in Springfield, MA from October 2-5.

Conference location:
Springfield Marriot
One Monarch Place
Springfield, MA

You can register and download the agenda at their website, macrs.org.

Board members who attend can earn up to nine credits – the legal presentation on Monday, the legal panel on Tuesday, and the PERAC presentation on Wednesday morning are three credits each. Board members must sign in at each session to ensure proper credit.

V. Other Opportunities to Obtain Educational Credit

The Commission is willing to approve other educational credits for a variety of events sponsored by “…local, state, regional and national organizations recognized by the Commission as having expertise in retirement issues of importance to retirement board members or other entities…”  

Additionally, the Commission has approved education credit for participating in webinars.  This year we are again accepting requests for credit in relation to relevant webinars.

You must request approval for credit at least three weeks before the date of the event or webinar.  This will enable the Commission to analyze the program and provide a general notice to other retirement board members. After attending, you must complete the Training Affidavit in PROSPER to ensure you receive proper credit.

Board members experiencing Extenuating Circumstances in meeting educational requirements should review Memo #15 of 2019 and contact PERAC with any questions.   

The following local and national organizations provide additional educational opportunities that may be relevant for retirement board members:

• American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA)
• City/Town Sponsored Conflict of Interest or Open Meeting Law Training
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP)
• MA Association of School Committees Open Meeting Law Training
• MA Town Clerks Association Ethics Training
• National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA)
• National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)
• National Council on Teacher Retirement (NCTR)
• National Pension Education Association (NPEA)

Commission Members

Philip Y Brown, Esq., Chair
Auditor Suzanne M. Bump, Vice Chair
Kathleen M. Fallon
Kate Fitzpatrick
James J. Guido
Richard MacKinnon, Jr. 
Jennifer F. Sullivan, Esq.