Retire from your position, not your profession!
Your retirement does not have to be the end of your connection to WEA. WEA-Retired and pre-retired members share decades of experience in our schools to help improve public education in Washington. We support public education and the enhancement of the quality of life for WEA's active and retired members.
WEA-Retired membership allows you to access WEA and NEA member benefits for the rest of your life — a one-time insurance policy all of its own. Our goals:
- To be the primary voice for public-education retirees in the State of Washington
- Work in partnership with WEA members to achieve public confidence in public education
- Make the retirement years the best they can be for WEA/NEA Retired members
- Secure legislation that fully supports our purpose
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Enroll or renew online quickly and securely, or, if you prefer, download an enrollment/renewal form, fill it out and mail in with your check. Annuitants of the Washington Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) may also now join as Retired Monthly Members by filling out this webform or by completing and returning this paper version.
Rainier Retired Chapter is small but mighty!
We try to meet monthly (with the exception of Dec, June, July, August), and lately, it has been via Zoom!
We discuss the latest news from Olympia (and lobby for your retirement benefits), have guest speakers, and generally look out for each other.
In May we ventured out to have an outdoor, fun meet-up at Coulon Park where we just hung out and enjoyed one another’s company with no agenda. We are always looking for new members and new ideas ! If you have any questions about WEA Retired or the Rainier Retired Chapter, please feel free to contact me at joannebglasgow@gmail.com.
WEA-RETIRED SCHOLARSHIPS
WEA-Retired offers $1,000 nonrenewable scholarships to aid WEA members in enhancing skills in specific education areas and/or attaining or maintaining a teaching certificate. The scholarships cannot be used to pay for incurred debt for past classes or reimbursement for pre-paid classes. Must be a WEA member to apply.
2023 scholarship applications are now closed.
Stay tuned for 2023-2024 scholarship news!
Scholarship cover letter for: Certificated member, Classified member, or Student member
Student (SWEA) member application
Classified (ESP) member application
Certificated member application
From its inception in 1987, WEA-Retired had a strong legislative focus. Six years later the pre-retirement seminar program began. And in 1996 WEA-Retired awarded its first two scholarships to WEA active members, $300 each, “to provide vital support to those seeking to enhance their skills or earn new endorsements.” Over the next twenty-four years, the program underwent two structural changes, received an endowment from Laura McVicker, and has awarded $102,150 to 121 WEA active and student members. Today WEA-Retired Scholarships is an independent organization affiliated with WEA-Retired and awards up to ten $1000 scholarships each year.
Over the years WEA-Retired Scholarships has benefited from tremendous support from the WEA family, classified, certificated, student, and retired. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 fundraisers were canceled when the WEA Representative Assembly and the WEA-Retired Annual Meeting changed to virtual formats. The scholarship board of directors made the decision to reduce the number of scholarships to no more than five for 2021. WEA-Retired made a $5000 donation so the maximum number of scholarships offered could remain at ten.