Election of a Teacher-Member of the Teachers' Retirement Board

Nominating petitions for a candidate for the position of teacher-member and alternate teacher-member of the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) Board for a term of three years from May 2026 - May 2029 were due to be reviewed by the Chancellor’s Representative by 5:00pm on Friday, April 17, 2026.

Valid petitions were received from three candidates: Frank Panebianco (alternate: Craig Parise), Thomas Brown (alternate: Joseph Usatch), and David Kazansky (alternate: Benjamin Morgenroth). Election day was scheduled for May 13, 2026, with an additional day for CUNY on May 14, 2026.

Ballots were cast for the three candidates at voting stations across NYC Public Schools and Central Offices, CUNY campuses, and NYC Charter Schools.

On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and Tuesday June 2, 2026, over 54,000 votes were tallied by representatives of the candidates. At the conclusion of the count, the results were announced:

Thomas Brown – 35,737 votes
David Kazansky - 15,125 votes
Frank Panebianco - 3,998 votes

The votes were certified by the pension election committee, and the results were transmitted to the TRS board.

Thomas Brown, who received the greatest number of votes was declared elected as the teacher-member of the Teachers’ Retirement System Board for a three-year term of May 2026 through May 2029.

Schools, Colleges and Offices should continue to retain all records currently held at voting sites, including ballots and contributor sign-in sheets for a period of no less than six months.

Any questions about this election should be directed to ElectionTRS@schools.nyc.gov.

2026 Election

Pension Election Day was Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

Election Announcements: