A June 17 Associated Press article, “Bills introduced to give retired teachers cost-of-living raise,” noted House Bills 1415 and 1416 would increase retired teacher pensions.

The issue that teachers haven’t had an increase in two decades belongs to the Public School Employees Retirement System pension fund “that has been saddled with problems, disappointing investment returns and subject to several investigations.” PSERS must get their own house in order.

The report uses pre-Act 9 retirees pensions are less than $20,000 a year and seeks COLAs for 40,000 retired educators and support professionals.

In a conflicting article, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, retired teachers with at least 20 years’ service collect about $33,000 in addition to their Social Security benefits. The boost would include 74,000 older retirees and will cost taxpayers about $63 million a year over the next 10 years, on top of the $6 billion that state and local taxpayers are already paying to fund the pensions.

The PSEA President Rich Askey supporting this legislation cites inflation is causing the need. No other group receives a retroactive pension increase. So what about senior citizens that don’t receive the benefit of a pension and are struggling to stay in their homes due to burdensome school property taxes?

Askey must also recognize that every few years (in lieu of a teacher strike), teachers entered into collective bargaining agreements that were ratified during their tenure which increased their compensation. Each time, teachers had opportunity to include future payments, healthcare and retirement benefits.

That ship has sailed and teachers must live within their means and honor these agreements.

“Court rules Pa. school funding system unconstitutional”: The Legislature must focus on equitable education funding and getting it off the backs of homeowners by primarily funding it with state tax dollars. One method would use the state income tax, which nearly everyone contributes and is based on the ability to pay. Until the funding model changes, I would suggest the passage of HB868 which would provide property tax relief to senior citizens as well as retired teachers.

Gary J. English of Murrysville, Pa., is a former School Director of the Franklin-Regional School District which just increased school property taxes for the 16th time in 17 years.