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How much does a teacher make? Teachers are public sector workers, so it couldn't be that much, would you say?
According to Maureen Reedy, an elementary instructional specialist in Upper Arlington, Ohio: "After 20 years, most teachers are making $50,000 — woo-hoo. Our pension and our security are part of the long-range outlook of our profession."
And here is the long-range outlook: a teacher's pension can go as high as 3X his/her salary, or $14,525 a month, to be exact.
"After nearly 40 years in public education, Patrick Godwin retired last July at age 59 with a pension paying $174,308 a year for the rest of his life. His pension payout follows 36 years as an English teacher and school administrator in California, with two years' sick-leave credit added for never being absent.
Such guaranteed pensions for relatively youthful government retirees — paid in similar fashion to millions nationwide — are contributing to nationwide friction with the public sector workers. They have access to attractive defined-benefit pensions and retiree health care coverage that most private sector workers no longer do."
How much does a teacher make? Teachers are public sector workers, so it couldn't be that much, would you say?
According to Maureen Reedy, an elementary instructional specialist in Upper Arlington, Ohio: "After 20 years, most teachers are making $50,000 — woo-hoo. Our pension and our security are part of the long-range outlook of our profession."
And here is the long-range outlook: a teacher's pension can go as high as 3X his/her salary, or $14,525 a month, to be exact.
"After nearly 40 years in public education, Patrick Godwin retired last July at age 59 with a pension paying $174,308 a year for the rest of his life. His pension payout follows 36 years as an English teacher and school administrator in California, with two years' sick-leave credit added for never being absent.
Such guaranteed pensions for relatively youthful government retirees — paid in similar fashion to millions nationwide — are contributing to nationwide friction with the public sector workers. They have access to attractive defined-benefit pensions and retiree health care coverage that most private sector workers no longer do."
Patrick Godwin WAS NOT A TEACHER, he was an ADMINISTRATOR, that is above a Principal. He was Management an EXECUTIVE. Plus it was California where in some areas base salaries start well over $50,000 to offset the cost of living.
I don't see you complaining about 6 WALTONS being as rich as 100,000,000 Americans, that's 100,000,000 more than the popuation of the midwest
Patrick Godwin WAS NOT A TEACHER, he was an ADMINISTRATOR, that is above a Principal. He was Management an EXECUTIVE. Plus it was California where in some areas base salaries start well over $50,000 to offset the cost of living.
I don't see you complaining about 6 WALTONS being as rich as 100,000,000 Americans, that's 100,000,000 more than the popuation of the midwest
He was an "English teacher and school administrator". The highest rank in high school administration is a principal. There is no one higher in a school than a principal. In CA, we call high school principals and vice principals administrators. Has been that way for at least three decades. Unless he was a school district superintendent, then that's a different story, but he was not.
My stepdaughter was a bilingual teacher in Orange County, CA, with a Masters in Education and Masters in Spanish. Her base salary started at 31K. She's a SAHM now so I wouldn't know how long it could have taken her to the "base salaries start well over $50,000 to offset the cost of living."
The Waltons do not work in public sectors. If you invested your millions in a business, you could be as rich or as poor as your business sense took you, it's your money to risk. But if your salary and retirement pension were part of the state's budget, especially when said state cannot pay its bills, then the public has the right to complain.
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 12-10-2011 at 06:06 PM..
GOOD LORD....if that IS true, then I am sorry...shame on the state! There is no viable reason why a pension should be higher than a working salary. But with that said, WHO the heck earns even half of that who has been a state employee??? My pension as a high school teacher in Florida will be abit leff than half or my normal salary as a high school teacher after 28 years in this state.
Last edited by Sagitarrius48; 12-10-2011 at 07:04 PM..
Yes, the extreme case cited in the original post is sickening. However, I would hate for people to get the idea that it is a typical example for California teachers. Here is how the formula works for public school educators in California, kindergarten through junior college.
It's basically the years of service times a multiplier based on one's age times the final salary. The highest multiplier is 2.4 percent at age 63 (or age 61 and a half with 30 or more years of service).
Let us use an example of a teacher who retired after 35 years of teaching at age 63 (thus with the highest multiplier) and whose final salary was $65,000 per year. $65,000 times .024 equals $1,560 times 35 years equals $54,600 annual gross pension amount. Now there was something called a longevity bonus to add on - and I believe that is no longer the case because of a sunset provision, but let's assume the maximum longevity bonus of $400 per month after 32 years of service. That would add $4,800 per year, giving a total gross pension amount of $59,400 per year. Unused sick leave could raise this amount a bit, but not everyone has very much, if any unused sick leave at the end of a career.
Bottom line: This is a pretty good pension, but not a wildly extravagant one, and to get it one needs a long career and an age of at least 61 and a half. And Calif. teachers' pensions include not one single dime towards health care.
There is no doubt that some of the old time promises/expectations/standards on employment issues like wages/retirement have to change. That is a given.
What is not a given is that some were promised specific things/benefits when they "joined" and those promises should be lived up to.
Do not be a begrudger of those receiving what they were promised, even if you do not like what they are receiving and even if in some situations you might be paying for such.
As I said, change is not wrong but broken promises are.
I was making over $100K as a Police Supervisor in the Bay Area. I don't know where you are talking about teachers getting $31K. That's below the poverty level in most of California.
The Waltons did nothing but inherit their wealth and pay off politicians while the children of their employees live on Food Stamps that you and I pay for
And until relatively recently they did not pay into Social Security and were not eligible for Medicare.
All things in balance!
Same with the Post Office. Until the '90s, employees did not pay into SS and were not eligible for Medicare either. Up until seven years ago, post office employees who retired under CSRS only had their pensions. Some worked in other jobs that paid into SS in hope of collecting more at old age, but alas, there was/is a thing called WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision), which penalized their hard work. Their SS are cut up to 60%.
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 12-10-2011 at 07:38 PM..
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