Teacher vacancies have been a long-standing issue in U.S. public schools, only made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancies tend to be concentrated in high-poverty, high-minority schools and hard-to-staff subjects like special education and STEM. States have implemented various policies to decrease turnover, including offering teachers bonuses…

Public pension systems in many U.S. states face large funding short-falls, and policymakers have considered moving toward defined contribution (DC) pension structures in the interest of reducing the likelihood of future shortfalls. Concerns exist, however, that such changes might increase levels of employee turnover. The empirical evidence on the…

The U.S. teacher pension system is in major financial trouble, with almost $390 billion in unfunded liabilities, according to a recent report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). And funding shortfalls grew in all but seven states between 2009 and 2012, the nonprofit research and policy group found. Though the current economic…

Fueled by declining revenue from the housing crisis, skyrocketing energy costs, and an economy in general disarray, the public is pressuring school administrators to make broader and deeper cuts in their operating budgets. As the baby boomers retire, put their houses on the market, and downsize, one will see more downward price pressure on home…

In the early 1980s the Conservative Administration introduced legislation to promote private personal pension plans for public sector workers. An army of commission-driven sales staff from the financial services industry sought to persuade teachers and others to abandon their inflation-proof pension schemes for those offered by private companies.…

Discusses the need for retirement planning and offers suggestions for building a nest egg. Suggests that pensions are not sufficient and that other investments are crucial to ensure a comfortable retirement. Includes resources and a plan for saving. (JOW)

Despite the attractiveness of pension portability for educators, there are substantial equity and philosophical barriers to the practice. Portability might help in urban or sparsely populated districts trying to attract teachers or in cases involving spouses' career moves across state lines. Some suggestions for improving portability are provided.…

Fefferman argues that mandatory Social Security coverage for teachers and other government employees assures their own pension protection and equalizes their contributions with their potential Social Security benefits. Brundige feels that teachers already have superior retirement plans and should not be forced to bail out the ailing Social…

Although estimating how many school districts offered early retirement plans during 1990-91 is difficult, the practice is fairly widespread and is generally initiated by states, not local school districts. Early retirement options (an alternative to massive layoffs) were offered teachers and administrators in New York City, Washington, D.C.,…