I reported recently on the raging debate over teacher pensions. They appear to be putting a strain on school district finances. A report by Stanford University’s Hoover Institution suggested limiting pension growth while increasing the pay of effective teachers when they are still in the classroom.
The experts who revealed this to me are Andrew J. Rotherham, co-founder and partner, and Chad Aldeman, senior associate partner, at Bellwether Education Partners, a national nonprofit focused on improving education and life outcomes for impoverished children. Aldeman is also editor of a Bellwether website, TeacherPensions.org, which examines why teacher pensions are so inadequate.
Many teachers don’t qualify for Social Security disability and retirement benefits. The Social Security Act of 1935 did not cover state workers. When states were allowed in the 1950s to extend those benefits to public sector workers, most did so, but not all.