In this paper, I document evidence that intergovernmental incentives inherent in public sector defined benefit pension systems distort the amount and timing of income for public school teachers. This intergovernmental incentive stems from the fact that, in many states, local school districts are responsible for setting the compensation that…

In light of the Pennsylvania's most recent pension cuts and the challenges the state faces in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, this report asks two primary questions in this study: (1) How does teacher pay compare with the pay of other comparable workers in Pennsylvania--that is, are Pennsylvania public school teachers underpaid (which…

This paper studies teacher attrition in Wisconsin following Act 10, a policy change which severely weakened teachers' unions and capped wage growth for teachers. I document a sharp increase in turnover after the Act was passed, driven almost entirely by the exit of older teachers, who faced strong incentives to retire before the end of…

Between 2011 and 2013 lawmakers in every state proposed, and often enacted, laws intended to impact codified state provisions related to teachers and teachers' unions (author calculation). These new laws either worked against union interests (e.g., by prohibiting collective bargaining) or they aligned with union positions (e.g. by providing…

Nearly a million teachers will reach retirement age in the next 9 to 11 years. This report presents a complete state-by-state overview of the retirement programs available to America's teachers. Chapter 1 presents the issues of teacher aging, retirement, and early retirement and asks how school districts might effectively manage the retirement and…

The first section of this policy paper provides an overview of the historical development of early retirement incentive programs (ERIPs), the legal status of ERIPs under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), cost/benefit analyses involving ERIPs, and consideration of ERIPs in Indiana. The second section contains a brief synopsis of…

Oversight staff in 23 of 30 states with legislation regulating continuing care retirement communities completed questionnaire surveying features of implementation experience such as problems with scope of regulation, appropriateness of oversight placement, adequacy of staff and financial resources, use of discretionary agency authority, and…

This book describes the operation of state and local government pension systems for teachers, explores the rationale behind current administrative and financial practices, and describes the interaction of special interest groups, pension professionals, and investment personnel with the administration of these systems. The pension systems in 23…

Whether changes mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) influenced eligible teachers to make the choice to retire was studied through a questionnaire completed by 70 former primary-level teachers. Fifty-two indicated that KERA had influenced their decisions, with philosophical disagreement with program components the reason most often…

The purpose of this manual is to place in the hands of the educational committees of the 44 State legislatures that convene in 1919, a suggestive program of educational legislation based upon the present emergency in our national life. Each topic discussed falls, as a rule, under three distinct heads: (1) Historic background; (2) Summary of…

Workers in flexible staffing arrangementsincluding temporary agency, direct-hire temporary, on-call, and contract workersare much less likely than regular, direct-hire employees to be covered by laws mandating or regulating workplace benefits. They are also much less likely to receive pension, health insurance, and other benefits on the job.…