The Assault on Public Employees Takes a Toll on All of Us

Uncertain about future benefits, many veteran teachers are retiring early. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 4/15, 2011)

Excerpt:    At a time when the governor's plan to eliminate most collective bargaining for teachers and increase state employees' payments for health care and pension costs looms overhead, some school districts are seeing record numbers of senior teachers such as Scharrer-Erickson turn in their retirement paperwork.

Although their pensions are beyond the reach of lawmakers and local officials, many teachers fear that changes could mean they soon could lose early retirement benefits such as health insurance that helps support them until they are eligible for Medicare.

Some districts, such as Oshkosh, Appleton and Madison, have extended their retirement deadlines to Friday. Preliminary figures reported by Oshkosh and Appleton showed a large increase in the number of teachers filing retirement paperwork. Oshkosh's 37 staff retirements is double last year's number and the highest since the district started tracking in 1994. Appleton already had seen 70 retirements from teachers and others in their bargaining group this week, up 29 from last year.

Mequon-Thiensville's retirements just about tripled from last year: 28 teachers by the Feb. 14 deadline vs. 10 last year. Green Bay also saw three times as many retirements this year compared with last: 140 teachers and 15 administrators, according to a spokeswoman.

The results are double-edged for school districts: While the retirements mean the loss of years of classroom experience and cherished professionals, they also could help districts avoid layoffs in what is expected to be a tough fiscal year and even save money by replacing some of their highest-paid employees with teachers who receive lower salaries.

For many seasoned educators, it's a decision wrought with emotion: leave a job you enjoy to secure retirement benefits under your current contract or continue to work and take a gamble on what the union can secure for you in future agreements.

School districts aren't alone. The Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds reports heightened interest in retirements among all the state's public employees.