Texas Teacher Retirement System, entitlements, Dallas Wiens

Teacher retirement

I've read a number of snarky comments regarding the Texas Teachers Retirement System.

For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that teachers receive their pension solely based upon the good will and pockets of Texas taxpayers.

As a retired teacher (and veteran of 40 years of public school teaching), I would like to explain how the TRS works. Public school teachers in Texas have a portion of their salary withheld every month. This money goes into their retirement fund, where it stays until the teacher retires or quits teaching.

The money is invested by the TRS and eventually returned to the teacher in the form of a monthly annuity.

Teachers pay into the system 19.9 percent of the total funding. The money that was invested earns 59.8 percent of the funding, and the state pays the remaining 20.3 percent, which completes the total funding of the annuity.

TRS annuitants/beneficiaries generate $900 million in state and local taxes! Almost 40 percent of the state contributions are returned to the state through taxes.

Since teachers do not collect Social Security (even though a lot of teachers are eligible), they save the state $1.5 billion on Social Security payments to Washington.

-- Anna Blair, River Oaks

As a retired teacher, I have no problem with releasing annuity amounts, and I can assure you none of the top annuitants will be teachers.

TRS contributions are capped at $245,000 in salary. So a superintendent with 44 years in the education field could draw approximately $245,000 per year from the TRS upon retiring. With 35 years' experience, it would be $197,225 per year.

If we agree that is too much, I have a simple solution: Cap the contributions to TRS at a level no higher than the highest-paid teacher in the district.

Using the average salary in Texas, the pension for some superintendents would change from around $197,225 to around $33,800. Other administrators' pensions would also decrease, but not as much.

Keep in mind that when educators begin drawing TRS benefits, they lose about half of their own Social Security earned from any part-time work, and they lose all of their Social Security spousal benefit in most cases.

With the information already available to the Star-Telegram, salaries and years in the profession, probable annuities can be calculated for every educator in Texas.

-- Dick Powell, Arlington

Entitlements

Entitlement is a common word today. Americans feel we are entitled to medical care and/or medical insurance. We feel we are entitled at least to housing and food -- whether we work to earn it or receive it from the government (taxpayers).

Perhaps the entitlement that causes the least controversy is the cost of living adjustment.

Workers expect their earnings to increase each year to compensate for increased living expenses. Minimum-wage earners want their wages increased to edge their lifestyle above the poverty level. Senior citizens feel slighted if their annual Social Security increase is inadequate for rising medical costs.

What is the fallacy of COLA payments?

When wages rise with no increase in work output, the cost of goods and services begins the upward spiral of COLA, causing more discontent if wages aren't increased again.

Rising costs are a detriment to our nation's economy. Our manufacturing companies have factories in foreign countries. Service companies provide telephone assistance from other countries. As a result, unemployment in the United States is high.

Is it time to reprogram our use of COLAs?

-- Myretta Bell, Bedford

Unsafe trucks

Trucking group official Joe Rajkovacz can call local law enforcement agencies "Barney Fifes" and claim they are only "enhancing local city coffers" all he wants as far as I'm concerned, as long as the officers are trying to keep our community safe. (See: "Crackdown on unsafe trucks," Sunday)

The reason why, Mr. Rajkovacz, is that they are trying to nip the problem in the bud.

-- Jim Springer, Fort Worth

Lions and a dog

Jan Jarvis wrote a wonderful Sunday article about Dallas Wiens' struggle to regain some semblance of normalcy after his horrific accident. (See: "A positive outlook")

One huge step toward that end will be if Wiens can get a leader dog for the blind -- and that is what the Southlake Lions Club is going to do.

A leader dog costs nearly $30,000. To raise those funds, the Southlake Lions Club will sponsor an Oct. 1 "Biker Event" at Adam Smith's Texas Harley-Davidson in Bedford. Among other things, the club will be raffling a 2011 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic motorcycle.

Check out www.southlakelions.com for more information.

-- Frank "Paco" Peterson, Keller

Not a lesson for school

In response to the Sunday Doonesbury, I think creator Garry Trudeau got one statement right.

The theory of creation is not based on science but on faith.

My opinion is that creation does not need to be taught in public schools. We have homes, churches and private schools for that.

-- M. Lynn Kirkland, Crowley

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