TRS Elections
TRS election results
Following the official vote count at the DOE, Tom Brown, current TRS Board chair and UFT assistant treasurer, was decisively confirmed as the winner. Tom has long been a strong advocate for UFT members and their retirement security, and we look forward to his continued work on behalf of all educators on the TRS Board!
We sincerely appreciate your participation and patience throughout the election process. And thank you to all the chapter leaders who kept a close eye on the process across schools. Thank you again for taking part in this important election.
About TRS elections
The TRS Retirement Board manages the overall direction, distribution and growth of employee benefits, including pensions, on behalf of TRS members, including those enrolled through UFT. This board is composed of seven members, three of whom are teacher-members that we get to elect for three year terms. The other four are mayoral appointees and public servants in various roles throughout NYC government.
See the UFT's slide deck about the 2026 TRS Election »
Each year, on a rotating basis, one of the teacher-member seats is up for election. TRS has a democratic process to ensure that its members have a say in who oversees their pensions. There are three unions that participate in the TRS elections: the UFT, CSA and PSC-CUNY. Each union is allowed to nominate candidates for trustee, and the position can be filled by a candidate from any of those unions. The election is split into two parts – a petitioning process and a formal election.
Petitioning process
The first part of the TRS election process is conducted via nominating petitions to support a specific candidate. Candidates need 1,000 petition signatures from TRS member-contributors to secure their place as a candidate for election.Those eligible to sign the petition include all regularly appointed in-service members of the school staff who are TRS members.
Election process
These elections are run by the DOE through school administrators, not the UFT, and we are committed to ensuring that these elections are conducted in a fair and transparent manner. The UFT has fought to protect TRS election transparency in the past, and we will continue to vigorously defend our members' right to a fair TRS election, regardless of outcome.
Our Endorsed Candidate: Tom Brown
Tom Brown
Tom Brown has spent decades fighting for the financial security of NYC's educators. From pension workshops to meeting with UFT members during the school day and beyond to address their needs, Tom is the trusted leader TRS members deserve to protect their retirement security.
Tom Brown is a lifelong educator, UFT member and pension expert who currently serves as the UFT assistant treasurer and chair of the TRS Board. UFT members recognize all he's done for them, which is why Tom received overwhelming support for the endorsement at UFT's February Delegate Assembly.