SACRAMENTO First, Harry Keiley advocated for the public school teachers in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Now, he’ll take his advocacy to the state capital to battle for the rights of California’s retired teachers.
Keiley, the president of the Santa Monica- Malibu Classroom Teachers Association, was named to serve as a board trustee for the California State Teachers Retirement System (CALSTRS) on Monday — his first stint on the state governing body. The board, which is comprised of six members appointed by the governor, three members elected by the state’s public school teachers and three ex-officio members, sets policies and creates rules for CALSTRS, which is responsible for providing retirement benefits for public school teachers.
With a $180 billion investment portfolio, CALSTRS has the largest teacher’s retirement fund in the United States and the second-largest U.S. public pension fund.
“I’m humbled by this entire experience and look forward to again being of service to the teachers,” Keiley said on Monday.
The former Malibu High School teacher was elected to the board along with Dana Dillon, a teacher and librarian at the Weed Union Elementary School District, and Carolyn Widener, an English professor at West Los Angeles College. Dillon, the current chairman of the board, won the K-12 non-administrator seat, while Keiley captured the K-12 inclusive seat, beating out Sandy Keaton of the Los Angeles Unified School District and Stephen Edmunds of the Redondo Beach Unified School District. Widener, who is also a current board member and past chair, was the only candidate for the community college seat.
Keiley said he consulted with the leaders of the California Teachers Association before putting his name in the hat. The CTA endorsed Keiley for the position.
He replaces long-time retiring member Gary Lynes.
Keiley started his teaching career in 1987 as a high school government and economics teacher in Brooklyn, New York. He made his way west in 1992 to become the government and economics teacher at Malibu High School. In the past several years, he has stepped away from teaching and has served as the president of the SMMCTA and as the union liaison to the Board of Education.
“It’s an opportunity for me to continue my work and service, serving not only the teachers here in Santa Monica and Malibu, but the teachers and their families across the state of California,”Keiley said about his new responsibilities. “We need to do a better job of educating the public as to why it’s important for teachers and other workers to have a secure retirement.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 11, 2007. Read the original PDF.