MINOT, ND (KXNET) — The North Dakota Teachers' Fund for Retirement has taken a big step forward with a newly modernized pension administration system. The North Dakota Retirement and Investment Office, in partnership with Sagitec, launched the platform back in February with the aim of improving ef ficiency and security. The Interim Executive Director of the North Dakota Retirement and Investment Office, Jodi Smith, says close to 2,000 of the 12,000 active members of the teachers' fund are in the process of joining the system, a system that she says has been in the works for several years. "So, five years ago, we got the funding to put in the new teacher retirement fund system," Smith said. "Interestingly enough, I served on the state investment board and was part of that decision, but fast forward five years, I'm in a different seat across the table and we turned that system on." Smith says that the biggest goal of this new system is creating more efficiency and less confusion between members enrolled in different retirement plans. "Also, with PERS, we have some of our members of the public pension program who have been state employees and now they have also been teachers, so they're actually a part of both systems," Smith said. "Before, they were two separate systems. Now, the two systems in the background connect." State House passes bill changing Silver Alert system However, Smith says that a big part of the new system is being able to see exactly where their money is going. "You can click in, you can see what your money is doing. If we're managing your retirement fund, you should be able to do the same things with us," she said. Smith says that right now, she is working with lawmakers to bring more education to teachers on the many different retirement plans that are offered. "We're going through session right now and increasing our ability to educate the teachers in all the different retirement funds that are available to them, and we'll see if we end up with the funding to push that out more," Smith said. The Teachers' Fund for Retirement currently has more than 25,000 active, inactive, and retired members. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW ...read more read less