November 2017

Teachers, no matter how new, shouldn’t need a side hustle to make ends meet. But, conservatively (and without including summer work), 16 percent do. One solution? Pension reform. Right now, states pay, on average, $6,800 per teacher toward pension debt. These payments aren’t going to future benefits, but instead to pay down existing debts.
After zooming out and looking across the full working career, it becomes clearer that a portable benefit plan would be better for most teachers.
States can shift new workers into new retirement plans easier than many pension advocates claim.