The lies the one percenters tell about teacher pensions.

Last week the media gave some space to a report from the Illinois Policy Institute, a right-wing corporate think tank, that claimed that 48 percent of teachers in the state have their pension contributions paid for by their local board.

What misleading nonsense.

The only people in the state of Illinois who have met their commitment to the state’s pension fund are the public employees who depend on it as their sole source of guaranteed retirement income. No social security for us.

Look at my local Collective Bargaining Agreement for example. The uninformed would read the part where it says the “board shall pay” the contribution to TRS and think that the board is paying it. But that isn’t true. That language simply means that the board is physically taking out our contribution to TRS and sending it to TRS. We pay the full contribution of  nearly 10%.

Then there are those school districts in which teachers bargain for lesser salary in exchange for their board making the contribution to TRS. Compare the salaries where district’s make a direct contribution. The salaries of those districts are consistently lower than districts that don’t make the direct contribution.

A letter from local teacher union presidents:

Last week, the Illinois Policy Institute, a “think tank” that doesn’t disclose its funding, issued a report claiming that in 48 percent of school districts across the state, teachers pay nothing toward their pensions. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Teachers pay their full 9.4 percent of every paycheck. They always have. Loyally. Without fail.

The fact is, over the years, when negotiating contracts, teachers have given up pay increases and other benefits in lieu of the pension contribution. For instance, instead of increasing salaries by 2 percent, a locally elected school board and district teachers may agree that the district will pay a comparable portion of the teachers’ contribution to the Teachers’ Retirement System.

This practice has saved school districts money over the years because picking up retirement costs is often cheaper than providing other benefits. For less money, districts can offer a benefit that helps them attract and retain quality teachers — a bonus for students and the community.

Every day, Illinois teachers help students understand complex issues. It appears the institute could use a lesson.

Here it is: What the institute is claiming is akin to saying that those who participate in Social Security haven’t paid their share of federal Social Security taxes because their employers are covering it for them.

A decent salary and good benefits are how employers everywhere attract good employees. Do we want less from our schools? There are few places where having the best and brightest matters more than in our schools.

Vickie Mahrt, Normal

The writer is president, Unit Five Education Association/Illinois Education Association-Normal. This letter was also joined by the presidents of four other IEA local presidents outside of the Pantagraph area.

Advertisement