Issues & Perspectives Archives

IRS Releases 2026 Tax Brackets, Contribution Limits, Other Tax Updates

Posted on November 20, 2025November 20, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

The IRS recently announced adjustments to marginal tax rates, retirement plan contribution limits, and other provisions that will be helpful for financial planning in the new year.

2025 0BBBA updates

While most of the changes below apply to tax year 2026, the federal tax and spending bill known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) made some important changes that apply to tax year 2025.

Notably, the standard deduction for 2025 increased to $15,750 for single tax filers and $31,500 for married couples filing jointly.

The OBBBA also established a new tax deduction for taxpayers who are at least 65 years old. For tax years 2025 through 2028, eligible seniors can deduct an additional $6,000 from their taxable income. The deduction phases out for individuals with modified adjusted gross income over $75,000.

2026 retirement plan contribution limits

In the new year, employees will be able to set aside more money in defined contribution retirement accounts such as 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans.

The maximum amount a person can contribute to those plans is $24,500 for 2026, an increase of $1,000 from 2025. The catch-up contribution limit for most employees who are 50 or older will increase to $8,000.

Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, workers who are 60, 61, 62, or 63 have a higher catch-up contribution limit. That limit remains unchanged for 2026 at $11,250.

For individual retirement accounts (IRAs), the annual contribution limit will increase to $7,500 in 2026 and the catch-up contribution limit will be $1,100.

2026 HSA/FSA contribution limits

The amount of money workers can contribute to medical savings accounts also will increase in 2026.

HSA: Individuals enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP) with a health savings account (HSA) will be able to contribute up to $4,400, and those with family coverage will be able to save a maximum of $8,750.
FSA: For workers who don’t have an HDHP with an HSA and instead use a flexible spending account (FSA), the maximum contribution for 2026 is $3,400. For plans that allow unused balances to roll over, the maximum amount that can be rolled over will increase to $680.

2026 tax rates

Below are updated marginal tax rates for single taxpayers and married couples filing jointly. Visit the IRS website for more tax tables and additional details.

Note that since these changes are for tax year 2026, they will generally apply to tax returns filed in 2027; 2025 tax rates will apply to returns filed in 2026.

37% for incomes over $640,600 ($768,700 for married couples filing jointly)
35% for incomes over $256,225 ($512,450 for married couples filing jointly)
32% for incomes over $201,775 ($403,550 for married couples filing jointly)
24% for incomes over $105,700 ($211,400 for married couples filing jointly)
22% for incomes over $50,400 ($100,800 for married couples filing jointly)
12% for incomes over $12,400 ($24,800 for married couples filing jointly)
10% for incomes of $12,400 or less ($24,800 for married couples filing jointly)

2026 standard deduction

The standard deduction for 2026 will increase to $16,100 for single tax filers and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly.

Taxpayers who are 65 or older can take an additional standard deduction, which is also adjusted for inflation. For tax year 2026, that amount is $2,050 for single taxpayers and $1,650 for married taxpayers or surviving spouses.

Visit the IRS website for more information on these and other tax changes.

PERA benefits and taxes

Colorado PERA benefits are subject to federal income tax, as well as applicable state and local taxes. PERA retirees who would like to update their tax withholding can do so by logging in to their secure member account or completing a paper Form W-4P.

Retirees and benefit recipients can expect to receive their 1099-R tax forms for tax year 2025 in January 2026.

Learn more at copera.org/taxes-on-benefits.

How Are Public Pensions Doing?

Posted on November 11, 2025November 11, 2025 by Morgan

A recent assessment finds the funding levels of public pension plans across the United States have generally improved in recent years despite market volatility and other challenges.

It’s a positive sign that while access to defined benefit pensions in the private sector has dwindled, many states remain committed to providing their public employees with a secure retirement.

Assessing the financial health of public pensions

Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research firm, keeps track of the financial health of public pensions in all 50 states. Its latest report focuses on plans’ funded ratios, which provide a comparison between a plan’s assets and its future obligations to members. For example, if a plan is 70% funded, that means the plan currently has 70% of the money it would need to pay out all benefits its retirees and working members have earned to date.

In 2023, the most recent year for which Pew has data for each plan, the overall funded ratio for public pensions was 74%. Thirty-five out of 50 states reported funding ratios in 2023 that were higher than in 2022, according to Pew.

A key factor Pew examined is net amortization, a measure of whether a plan receives enough funding and income from investments to reduce its unfunded liabilities—the portion of benefit obligations for which the plan does not have money on hand—while also paying benefits. A positive net amortization trend means the fund is bringing in enough money to pay down debt. Pew found most plans, including Colorado PERA, showed positive amortization from 2019 to 2023.

PERA’s funded status

Thanks to the reforms included in Senate Bill 200 in 2018, PERA is on a path to full funding by 2048. As of December 31, 2024, the combined funded ratio for the five Division Trust Funds (State, School, Local Government, Judicial, and DPS) was 69.2%. In 2018, that number was only 59.8%. Senate Bill 200’s Automatic Adjustment Provision (AAP), which adjusts member and employer contributions, retiree annual increases, and the State’s direct distribution to PERA based on our funding progress, has been an important part of that improvement. The AAP is assessed every year so adjustments can be made as needed without requiring legislative intervention.

As of the end of 2024, PERA remains on track and adjustments via the AAP will not be necessary in 2026.

With budget discussions now underway at the State Capitol, PERA CEO/Executive Director Andrew Roth and Board Chair Hon. Rebecca R. Freyre recently wrote a guest opinion explaining the importance of consistent contributions in keeping PERA on track to reach its funding goal.

“While PERA is on a path to full funding by 2048, it’s important that we stay on that path and follow the plan laid out in SB18-200,” they wrote. “While we’re making progress, we need the General Assembly’s support to keep that momentum going. We all owe it to our members and retirees to stay the course.”

Read more on the Colorado Politics website.

Providing Retirement Security for Colorado

Posted on October 28, 2025October 28, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

October is National Retirement Security Month, and as we wrap up the month, we’re reflecting on how PERA has enabled generations of Coloradans who serve their communities to retire with dignity and peace of mind.

The state of retirement

Surveys often find workers who save for retirement on their own struggle to save enough to support their retirement goals. A recent survey by Schroders found more than 80 percent of workers with an employer-based retirement plan worry about outliving their savings, while more than half fear losing too much money if the stock market drops.

Social Security also faces an uncertain future; the latest forecasts show its trust funds are likely to run out of money in less than a decade, which would lead to future reductions in benefits unless Congress takes action.

PERA, however, is on a clear path. With continued support from the State of Colorado, we expect to reach full funding by 2048, a goal that reflects both our responsibility to our members and our long-term planning discipline.

Pensions and retirement security

The value of a defined benefit plan—also known as a pension—is in the name: it defines what your benefit will be. A PERA member can calculate their retirement income from the day they’re hired because they know the factors that determine it—age, salary, and length of service. There’s no guesswork about how much to save, how to invest it, or when to withdraw. And most importantly, that income is guaranteed for life, no matter what happens in the stock market.

Retirement security is also economic security: When retirees spend their income—on groceries, housing, health care, and other goods and services—they’re supporting Colorado businesses and jobs.

In 2023, PERA paid $4.56 billion to more than 114,000 retirees living in Colorado. According to an analysis by Boulder-based Pacey Nehls Economic Consulting, those benefit payments resulted in $7.1 billion in total economic output and supported 28,525 jobs. Retirees also paid nearly $382 million in local and state taxes on those benefits, helping support public services that make Colorado a great place to live.

How can I promote retirement security?

PERA’s Ambassador Program engages members in the retirement security conversation by sharing the value of PERA to all of Colorado. You can sign up for the Ambassador mailing list to stay in the loop and be notified of any potential legislative changes that might affect PERA, as well as lend your voice to the conversation.

We love to hear from PERA members and retirees who have dedicated their careers to serving Colorado. Browse member stories and fill out our form to share your own PERA story with us.

In addition, independent member and retiree groups like Secure PERA advocate for strengthening and protecting retirement security for Colorado’s public employees. The National Public Pension Coalition does the same on a national scale.

Providing retirement security is what we at PERA have been doing for 94 years, and we plan to continue that work for many more generations to come. Colorado’s public employees deserve it.

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How Private Equity Helps Us Secure Public Employee Retirement

Posted on October 1, 2025October 7, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

At Colorado PERA, we invest for one purpose: To provide a secure and reliable retirement for the people who spend their careers serving our state. We do that by managing a diversified investment portfolio that includes everything from traditional stocks and bonds to investments in real estate and private equity.

Private equity is often less well-understood by individual investors than other types of investments and is an important component of institutional portfolios. Here’s why we invest in this asset class and how it contributes to our members’ hard-earned retirements.

What is private equity?

Simply put, private equity generally refers to investments made in companies that aren’t traded on the public stock exchanges. Those investments can include:

Venture capital: Providing money to young businesses like startups.
Growth capital: Investing in more mature businesses looking to grow or expand.
Buyouts: Purchasing a company or a portion of a company with the goal of growing its value.

We invest in private equity through carefully selected limited partnerships and funds that are managed by experienced professionals. Those funds cover a variety of business areas with high potential for growth, such as technology, energy, and health care.

Why PERA invests in private equity

The PERA Board of Trustees, which oversees PERA’s investments, believes a well-diversified portfolio is key to making sure we can deliver on our promises to members. Our investments in private equity are an important part of that strategy, despite being a relatively small portion of the portfolio. As of June, private equity amounted to 7.5% of the total PERA portfolio with a long-term target of 10%.

We first started investing in private equity in the early 1980s, and those investments have paid off in the years since. In the past decade, for example, private equity has earned an annualized return of 11.5% compared to the total fund’s 8.6% return.

That strong performance helps strengthen the trust funds and ensures we can continue paying benefits well into the future.

Private equity and transparency

Because private companies aren’t publicly listed, financial details on those companies aren’t always available to the public. State law also limits what we can disclose.

Still, we are committed to being as open as possible. You can view a list of our private equity investments on our website, including how much money we’ve committed and each fund’s internal rate of return. We also were an early supporter of the Institutional Limited Partner Association (ILPA), which aims to improve reporting and transparency within the private equity field.

Our team of investment professionals reports regularly to the Board of Trustees, which has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of members and retirees. That includes making sure our private equity investments meet our standards for risk-adjusted returns.

Want to learn more?

We produce our Investment Stewardship Report every year to provide more insight into how we manage investments on behalf of our more than 700,000 members and retirees. You can explore a digital interactive summary at copera.org/stewardship-snapshot.

Private equity may be a small portion of our investment portfolio but it’s an important part of the long-term strategy that helps secure our members’ retirements. By investing wisely in both public and private markets, we’re making sure the trust funds remain strong not just for today’s members and retirees, but for generations to come.

Learn more by watching our video, “Investing in Your Future: How PERA Grows Member Benefits.”

Do Employees Change Jobs More Than They Used To?

Posted on September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

New research on career trends casts doubt on the common belief that younger workers today are hopping from job to job at higher rates than previous generations.

The research from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) found that while there have been shifts in the labor market in recent decades, job tenure patterns have largely remained the same from one generation to the next.

What the data says

In discussions about employment trends, it’s not uncommon to hear some variation of “young people aren’t sticking around anymore,” and data does show younger workers tend to switch jobs more than others. In their paper, “Debunking the Job-Hopping Myth: A Data-Driven Look at Tenure and Turnover Among Younger Workers,” researchers from NIRS argue that not only has that long been the case, but things aren’t much different now than they used to be.

In analyzing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, NIRS found that employees between the ages of 25 and 34 tended to stay with a given job for about three years in 1983. Fast forward to 2024 and that same age group had a median job tenure of 2.7 years—a difference of only a few months.

The same is true for slightly older workers: the NIRS analysis found job tenure in the 35-44 age group has also remained consistent since the 1980s.

However, NIRS found a surprising trend in the data—it turns out workers approaching retirement age aren’t staying in their jobs as long as they used to. Both the 45-54 and 55-64 age groups showed noticeable declines in career tenure since the 1980s.

Image credit: National Institute on Retirement Security

The researchers argue the change in older groups could be for a number of reasons, including a decline in access to defined benefit (DB) pension plans in the private sector. Because pension benefits are based on a worker’s length of service, they provide a strong financial incentive to stay put compared to other types of retirement benefits.

Employee retention in the public sector

According to NIRS, 86 percent of public employees today have access to a DB plan at work compared to just 15 percent of private sector workers, and rates of quitting are much higher in the private sector. Retirement benefits are a big reason.

In Colorado, as part of a recent study comparing the PERA DB Plan to other types of plans, researchers surveyed State of Colorado employees and a large majority said their retirement plan played an important role in their career decisions. Of those surveyed, 81% said retirement benefits were a factor in their decision to work for the State and 83% cited retirement benefits as a factor in their decision to remain in State employment.

The research from NIRS makes it clear that the need for stable, secure retirement benefits is as strong today as it was decades ago. While some employment trends change over time, workers settling into their careers and planning for the future still value strong benefits that provide peace of mind.

Study Confirms PERA a Valuable Tool for Recruiting, Retaining Public Workers

Posted on August 19, 2025August 19, 2025 by Morgan

A new independent study found Colorado PERA continues to be a valuable tool for recruiting and retaining public employees by providing cost-effective retirement benefits.

As part of its regular review and oversight of PERA, the General Assembly approved the study with House Bill 1427 and directed the Office of the State Auditor to enlist an actuarial firm experienced with public pension plans to conduct the analysis. The State last performed a study like this one a decade ago.

Methodology

The study, conducted by Cheiron, compared PERA’s Hybrid Defined Benefit (DB) Plan to various theoretical alternative plan designs, compared the DB Plan to the PERA Defined Contribution (DC) Plan, and included results from a survey of current and former state employees on the importance of retirement benefits in their employment decisions.

The nine alternative plans included in the analysis incorporated a variety of benefit accrual and payment methods, from a combination of Social Security and a defined contribution plan like many employers in the private sector offer, to a cash balance plan in which a worker’s account balance is converted to an annuity at retirement.

The study primarily looked at the costs associated with each plan and potential income replacement ratios—or the percentage of pre-retirement pay a person can expect to receive in retirement—for both short- and long-term public employees.

PERA vs. other plans

While no single plan design offers the best possible benefits for every individual, the study found the PERA DB Plan provides higher income replacement than the alternatives for employees who spend the majority of their careers in public service.

Some of the alternative plan designs and the PERA DC Plan can provide higher income replacement for non-career employees, according to the study, because of the “front-loaded” nature of accruing savings in a defined contribution plan. Contributions an employee makes early in their career have a lot of time to grow, which is more beneficial for workers who switch jobs throughout their careers. By contrast, a defined benefit pension is “back-loaded” since a worker’s benefit is based on their highest earnings, which are usually toward the end of their career. This can encourage late-career workers to remain in their jobs, which benefits employers by retaining experienced employees and reducing costly turnover.

A line chart showing the different accrual patterns between defined benefit and defined contribution plans. The DB plan line slopes upward as years increase, while the DC plan line slopes downward. — The “back-loaded” accrual of benefits in a traditional defined benefit plan compared to the “front-loaded” nature of defined contribution plans. In a DC plan, a worker’s early-career contributions have more time to grow, while in a DB plan the worker’s contributions later in their career have a larger effect on the benefit. Source: Cheiron.

The study noted plans that tend to be more beneficial for non-career employees also come with trade-offs, such as higher costs and more risk placed on the employee. For example, plans that require the worker to manage their own retirement savings and investments also require that worker to manage the risks associated with overspending in retirement or outliving their savings.

It’s also important to note that in the PERA DB Plan, income replacement ratios are predictable—a member can use their highest average salary (HAS) table to estimate their benefit well before they retire. In a DC plan, on the other hand, retirement income depends significantly on investment returns, which are much less predictable.

The PERA DB Plan’s “hybrid” nature also carries features that make it attractive to members regardless of career tenure. Those include portability—members can take their contributions with them when they leave PERA employment—as well as compounding interest, an employer match, and a money purchase benefit calculation that can provide a higher benefit for some non-career employees.

Because every employee has different financial goals, PERA offers a choice between DB and DC plans for some public employees, and the PERA DB Plan remains a valuable and desirable benefit for career employees.

State employee survey results

An important part of any analysis of retirement benefits is the perspective of the workers receiving those benefits. For this study, Cheiron surveyed thousands of State employees who had the option to choose between the PERA DB Plan and the PERA DC Plan.

Of those surveyed, 81% said retirement benefits were a factor in their decision to work for the State of Colorado and 83% cited retirement benefits as a factor in their decision to remain in State employment.

When it came to choosing which plan to enroll in, the PERA DB Plan was the clear choice with 77% of those who gave it a great deal of thought choosing DB over DC, according to the survey.

Conclusions

While career patterns shift over time, the report makes it clear that providing a secure lifetime retirement benefit continues to draw people to careers in public service. This study confirms that as Colorado’s public workforce evolves, PERA is well-positioned to meet the changing needs of its diverse membership and provide retirement security for generations to come.

For more information, read the full report.

Measuring the Impact of $4.5B+ in Annual Retirement Benefits in Colorado

Posted on July 10, 2024June 11, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

Every month retired public employees across the state receive their benefit payments from Colorado PERA. Retirees then spend their income in their communities, supporting local economies and jobs and providing an important stabilizing economic force.

In 2023, PERA paid $4.56 billion in benefits to 114,432 retirees living in Colorado, resulting in $7.1 billion in total economic output and supporting 28,525 jobs in the state, according to a newly released report from Boulder-based Pacey Nehls Economic Consulting. The Economic and Fiscal Impacts report also found PERA retirees paid nearly $382 million in state and local taxes on those benefits, supporting schools, roads, and other vital services.

The multiplier effect

When retirees spend their pension income, it sets off a multiplier effect as businesses then spend money to stock more inventory and hire staff, employees of those businesses spend their own income, and governments collect taxes on all that spending. The result is every dollar in PERA benefits grows as it cascades through the economy.

This cycle of spending illustrates the economic measure of “value-added,” which counts only the additional production of goods and services resulting from PERA distributions rather than total output.

Pacey Nehls estimates a PERA retiree’s economic output multiplier at 1.56, meaning an extra 56 cents are generated in the economy for every dollar a retiree spends. In total, PERA retiree spending resulted in $3.39 billion in added economic value statewide last year.

The stabilizing effect

Regional per capita annual PERA retirement distributions in 2009 and 2023

The consistent flow of billions of dollars in PERA retirement benefits into communities across the state every year helps add stability to the state and local economies. This stabilizing effect is especially strong in some of Colorado’s rural areas, where public employees make up a larger portion of county payroll and their retirement benefits are higher per capita.

For example, the Denver metro area has the most overall PERA distributions in Colorado at more than $2.3 billion last year, which equates to $708 per person. Meanwhile, the Pueblo-Southern Mountain region’s $382 million in PERA benefits comes out to $1,555 per person.

The stabilizing effect of PERA benefits was especially helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic. When businesses, schools, governments, and other entities shut down or greatly reduced staff due to the health emergency, PERA continued to pay benefits to retirees across the state, providing consistent, reliable money to local economies when other economic activity was lower than usual.

For more information, including detailed breakdowns by region and county, download the Economic and Fiscal Impacts report here.

PERA Executives Give Updates, Take Questions at 2025 Town Halls

Posted on July 9, 2025July 9, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

PERA’s executive leadership team hosted two Town Halls on Tuesday, July 1 to provide updates on PERA and take questions from members and retirees.

CEO/Executive Director Andrew Roth was joined by Chief Investment Officer/Chief Operating Officer Amy C. McGarrity, Chief Benefits Officer Patrick Lane, and Chief Administrative Officer Jeremy Hill.

Below are clips of some of the executives’ answers to participant questions.

Full recordings of each Town Hall are available at copera.org/townhall.

How did PERA’s investment portfolio perform in 2024?

McGarrity highlighted PERA’s financial results from 2024, as reported in the recently released 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).

“For the year ended December 31, 2024, PERA’s investment portfolio earned a return of 10.8% net-of-fees,” McGarrity said. “The value of the total defined benefit fund was $66.7 billion and our funded status was 69.2%.”

Based on 2024’s financial results, PERA remains on track to meet its funding goals. That means there will be no adjustments to contribution rates and all eligible benefit recipients will receive a 1.0% increase this July and most, if not all, will receive 1.0% in July 2026.

View more highlights from the 2024 ACFR at copera.org/snapshot.

If PERA’s investments earned positive returns in 2024, why aren’t retirees getting a bigger Annual Increase?

Roth acknowledged that the 1% Annual Increase retirees have received in recent years has been a challenge and reiterated that while PERA has unfunded liabilities, the Annual Increase is limited under state law to keep the plan on track to full funding.

“The good news is because we’re having strong investment returns, there is no decrease to the Annual Increase,” Roth said.

What will happen to my PERA benefits if there’s a recession?

“First and foremost, nothing happens to the benefits that are being paid,” McGarrity said, affirming that PERA would continue to pay earned benefits if there were a downturn in the economy.

As far as PERA’s portfolio is concerned, McGarrity said that because PERA is invested in the markets, it would likely experience the effects of a recession. However, the Board’s focus is on achieving returns over the course of decades, regardless of what happens in any one year.

“That’s really why the Board underscores a strategic approach and remains invested in the asset classes across the markets through various environments in order to achieve our very long-term objectives,” she said.

Does the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset through the Social Security Fairness Act mean PERA members have to start contributing to Social Security?

“The short answer is no changes that resulted from the Social Security Fairness Act will impact PERA members with regard to their contributions,” Roth said, adding that PERA serves as a substitute for Social Security for most members, and a person’s PERA benefit is never affected by any other benefit they may receive.

PERA members who were previously affected by WEP or GPO will no longer see reductions in their Social Security benefits since those two provisions have been repealed.

For more information on the Social Security Fairness Act, visit ssa.gov.

What can retirees expect for PERACare plans in 2026?

“We will continue to offer the same plans and carriers for our Medicare and pre-Medicare offerings in the 2026 plan year,” Lane said. “We’re still in the process of finalizing premium information, but we do expect premiums to go up across the board next year, so I want to be very transparent about that.”

Lane added that while PERA does its best to negotiate competitive rates with PERACare carriers, there are many factors that affect premiums and other health plan costs, such as rising costs for services and prescription drugs and regulatory changes at the federal level.

We’ll have more information on 2026 PERACare premiums in the fall.

How do I know when I can retire and how much my monthly benefit will be?

“The PERA mobile app is a really valuable tool to help you through this process,” Lane said. “It has calculators, it can help you determine your dates for eligibility to receive benefits, and it can help you go through some hypothetical scenarios that would help you gain a better understanding of your retirement.”

Lane also pointed out other tools and resources that are available on PERA’s website, including highest average salary tables, webinars, and educational videos.

Town Hall recordings

For full recordings of both Town Halls, visit copera.org/townhall.

Denver Hosts National Conference for Public Pension Professionals

Posted on May 28, 2025July 2, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

The Mile High City recently hosted a conference with hundreds of public pension professionals from around the United States, including Colorado PERA.

The National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) held its Annual Conference and Exhibition in Denver May 18 to 21.

The four-day conference featured educational sessions, panel discussions, and workshops on topics such as plan governance, fiduciary best practices, investment strategies, artificial intelligence, and much more.

Several members of PERA’s executive team and members of the Board of Trustees participated in the conference. Colorado State Treasurer Dave Young, a member of the PERA Board of Trustees, delivered the conference’s welcome address and PERA CEO/Executive Director Andrew Roth moderated a panel of investment professionals discussing the economic outlook. Chief Investment Officer/Chief Operating Officer Amy C. McGarrity and Trustee Scott Simon—who is also the Chief Investment Officer for the Fire & Police Pension Association of Colorado—participated in a panel discussion with other public pension CIOs.

PERA staff, executives, and Trustees have long been involved with industry groups like NCPERS to lend our expertise and learn from peer organizations.

“Conferences like the NCPERS Annual Conference and Exhibition provide us with a valuable opportunity to share ideas with other public pension plans, exchange best practices, and work together to improve the retirement security of the nation’s public workforce,” Roth said. “We were honored to have this year’s participants in Denver and show them all our beautiful city has to offer.”

Honoring PERA Members Who are Making a Difference

Posted on April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 by Kurt Sevits

May 4 to 10 is Public Service Recognition Week, and we want to celebrate by honoring the impact PERA members have on the State of Colorado.

PERA provides retirement and other benefits to more than 700,000 current and former public employees—teachers, snow plow drivers, state troopers, local government employees, and others who provide vital services to our state.

We recently had the honor of attending the Colorado Community College System’s Commitment to Excellence Awards ceremony in Denver where we witnessed outstanding public service in action. The awards celebrate exceptional faculty and staff at community colleges across the state.

From Otero College in La Junta to Arapahoe Community College in the Denver area, these PERA members go above and beyond to serve the thousands of Colorado students who enroll at a community college every year.

Sandra Butler, Arapahoe Community College

Joe Schreiner, Community College of Denver

Cynthia Piper, Northeastern Junior College

Matthew Sanchez, Red Rocks Community College

Amy Buckingham, Red Rocks Community College

Thank you to these and all public employees who make a lasting impact on their communities and the State of Colorado every day.