State Rep. Glenn Rogers talks to local retired teachers group
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Texas State Representative Glenn Rogers, District 60, was in Breckenridge on Thursday, Dec. 2, for several meetings with his Stephens County constituents.
At noon, he addressed the Stephens County Retired School Personnel Association, reminiscing about the teachers who had an impact on his life, including his mother, who was a Graham High School history teacher for more than 20 years. Rogers went on to discuss several legislative issues of interest to the group gathered at Buckaroo Burger.
Rogers’ current district, District 60, includes Stephens, Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Eastland, Shackelford, Palo Pinto and Hood counties. However, that district was reconfigured in the recent redistricting by the Texas Legislature. The new District 60 will include Stephens, Palo Pinto and Parker counties. Rogers was first elected in 2020, and since Texas State Representatives serve two-year terms, he will be up for re-election in 2022. According to the Texas Secretary of State’s website, there are two people who have filed to run as the Republican Party candidate for District 60: Rogers and Kit Marshall, the mayor of Aledo. There are no Democratic Party candidates. Candidates may file to run through Monday, Dec. 13.
In talking to the local retired teachers, Rogers discussed the legislation approved in September that will give retired teachers a one-time supplemental payment of $2,400 through the Teacher Retirement System. Rogers authored the House version of the bill that was approved unanimously by the legislators and eventually signed by Gov. Abbott.
Breckenridge ISD Board of Trustees member and retired elementary principal Paul Lippe, left, talks with State Rep. Glenn Rogers after a recent retired teachers meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Rogers explained that the first version of the “13th check” legislation didn’t make it through the legislature, so he wrote a letter to Abbott, asking him to put it on the special session. “So (I’m) real excited to get that (passed), and what that does is that gives you a one time supplemental payment of up to $2,400,” he told the retired teachers. “And you should be getting that check in the middle of January.”
He said he’s also trying to get a permanent cost-of-living increase approved for those in the Teacher Retirement System.
When asked about the state’s infrastructure, including the electric grid, he said that a lot of work has been done since February’s ice storm that left many residents without power for several days but that there’s still work that needs to be done. However, Rogers said the governor has said that he feels like the power grid is able to withstand any upcoming winter storms this season.
Rogers, who had a veterinarian practice for about 11 years, said that when he was president of a national veterinarian organization, he became concerned about the shortage of veterinarians in rural communities. His research revealed that the rural shortage affected more than just veterinarians; there also is a shortage of teachers, nurses, doctors and other professionals in rural areas.
“It’s a shortage of rural communities that can attract and retain talent; we’ve had a talent drain from rural Texas,” he said. “And if you look at the latest census, we’ve grown by 4 million people, and that’s affecting our redistricting. We’re growing at over 1,000 people per day, but almost 150 counties in Texas have actually lost population. And, so what I became very, very passionate about was trying to help with revitalization of a rural communities and stop the talent drain that’s going on and doing what we could to help rural Texas.”
He also talked to the group about his experiences as a freshman legislator in his first session of congress.
State Rep. Glenn Rogers, center, and his legislative director MaKayla Arthur, back row, far right, posed for a group photo with members of the Stephens County Retired School Personnel Association on Thursday, following the group’s meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: State Rep. Glenn Rogers talked to members of the Stephens County Retired School Personnel Association on Thursday about his recent experiences in the state legislature. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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