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toobusytoday is correct. It not only varies across the whole country, but can vary from county to county or even from town to town if the districts are broken up as they are in PA.
I am also wondering what you mean by the question. Do you mean that these plans are covered by the district, or are you simply asking if teachers have health and retirement plans? I would say that the majority of public school teachers have medical, dental and retirement plans, but there are large differences in what we pay for them. For example, for a family, it costs a teacher in my district between $330 and $420 a month. An individual pays between $77 and $101 a month for a health plan depending on which one is chosen. In my brother's district, the cost for family coverage is about $600 a month. When we retire it gets very expensive with the retiree covering all but $100 of the cost. Dental is additional $.
Okay now I am getting the picture how things work. So some state or district county value their public worker some don't.
I am eligible for health benefits at a monthly cost of $800.00, so I'm not sure if I really think of medical as a benefit of teaching because I don't make enough to pay $9600.00 a year before co-pays and such. Fortunately, my salary is small enough that my wife and kids qualify for medicare, and since I am a veteran of the persian gulf, I can go to the VA if something goes really wrong for me.
For all those who aren't teachers who say, "I would love to have the benefits of teachers!" then I have some advice for you:
1. Get a B.A. in college (4 years)
2. Get an M.A. (an additional 2 years)
3. Get a teaching credential (35 semester units, an additional year of college)
Teachers' health benefits are the bare minimum they should get with the amount of vitriol dumped upon them in the press and by others who have no conception of what the profession entails. And tenure can only be understood by teachers themselves. A librarian doesn't have to deal with the politics of the teaching profession, nor deal with 170 students at the HS level every day. Are they falsely accused of sexual molestation, for instance? No. They don't need the same job protections that tenure ensures. (And I am not attacking librarians, my mother was one).
Teaching is a poorly paid and bitterly attacked profession. What college student would even think of entering this morass?
LOL totally agree with you on the part that teachers are paid poorly for so much they do. I mean if it wasn't for teachers we won't have student working and going off to college and making this economy grow. I mean a country need the economy growing because the taxes and what not are need to keep a country expense.
Goodness 35 semesters is like how long? Like an year or something.
Also very true teachers have to deal with a lot, so they NEED to feel secure in a job. TEACHERS NEED TO BE TENURE AND HAVE BENEFITS, of course to get there she should be evaluated to see if she is qualify and good enough to be tenure and have the benefit.
Romila, You've asked if teachers still have benefits and tenure. Everyone has said that it varies, but the norm is that they have some sort of benefits and tenure. A new teacher in my school district with just a bachelors degree will earn $49,000 a year and pay about $100 a month for full benefits - doctor, dental and optical. They are not complaining. Our district is NOT the highest paying one in our county or in our area.
As some other poster have said, it varies across the country. Two extremes are Pennsylvania and Florida. PA teachers have the best health insurance available and most have gradually started paying for a small part of it. They have an outstanding retirement system that is above and beyond any other retirement package. PA teachers also receive tenure after 3 years of teaching. Florida teachers hired after July 1, 2011 will not have tenure and will be on one year contracts. Florida teachers do not contribute for individual basic health insurance but have poor policies that do not cover many expenses. My understanding of FL's pension plan is it pays a max of 48 percent of the teacher's highest five years. PA's plan pays up to 87% plus has a very large lump sum payment on retirement. Florida passed a law last year requiring teachers to contribute 3 percent of their pay to the Florida Retirement System.
So the situation for teachers in PA is good. I mean at least they are putting value to a very important profession, that you know contribute not only by the work a teacher does, but to the country economy. If it wasn't for teacher student wouldn't be prepare to work and go to college and etc and contribute to this country's economy which makes a country grow..
It is because of education and teacher that a country becomes strong and grow and etc. POINT BLANK. Of course there are other area that are necessary like doctors and business man and etc.
But how you become a doctor, or a millionaire business man, etc etc...with out the education system and TEACHERS.
Teacher is the most precious public worker there is in a COUNTRY.
Another thing to note is that not all teaching is public sector...teachers who work for private schools have benefit packages that vary as wildly as those in any other set of private sector jobs. Some may be great, others not so great.
Romila, You've asked if teachers still have benefits and tenure. Everyone has said that it varies, but the norm is that they have some sort of benefits and tenure. A new teacher in my school district with just a bachelors degree will earn $49,000 a year and pay about $100 a month for full benefits - doctor, dental and optical. They are not complaining. Our district is NOT the highest paying one in our county or in our area.
Yeah I am learning a lot. Thanks for your help.
I am much better info now how things work there education system wise.
Another thing to note is that not all teaching is public sector...teachers who work for private schools have benefit packages that vary as wildly as those in any other set of private sector jobs. Some may be great, others not so great.
I didn´t know that...interesting....
Thank you for the info.
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Agree with you.
totally agree with you on the part that teachers are paid poorly for so much they do. I mean if it wasn't for teachers we won't have student working and going off to college and making this economy grow. I mean a country need the economy growing because the taxes and what not are need to keep a country expense. 
TEACHERS should be valued.
