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An Introduction to Teacher Retirement Benefits

Author

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  • Janet S. Hansen

    (Committee for Economic Development, Washington, DC)

Abstract

Like most other state and local government employees, teachers participate primarily in defined benefit pension plans whose benefits are largely based on final average salaries and length of service. Such pensions have been replaced in many private sector firms by defined contribution pensions. A number of questions have arisen about the feasibility and desirability of continuing to rely on defined benefit pensions for teachers. This article provides a brief history of teacher pensions and an overview of teacher retirement benefits today, including differences in the legal and economic context for public and private sector pensions that are important considerations in plan design. It then introduces issues related to financial sustainability, teacher mobility, and teacher shortages. The article concludes with an overview of key differences between traditional defined benefit and defined contribution plans and raises the possibility of adopting a “hybrid” kind of plan that includes features from both kinds of traditional plans. © 2010 American Education Finance Association

Suggested Citation

  • Janet S. Hansen, 2010. "An Introduction to Teacher Retirement Benefits," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 5(4), pages 402-437, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:5:y:2010:i:4:p:402-437
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    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/EDFP_a_00012
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Christian E. Weller, 2011. "What Does the Literature Tell Us About the Possible Effect of Changing Retirement Benefits on Public Employee Effectiveness?," Working Papers wp270, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    2. Nino Abashidze & Robert L. Clark & Lee A. Craig, 2023. "Quantifying and explaining the decline in public schoolteacher retirement benefits," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(4), pages 335-358, October.
    3. Ben Backes & Ben Backes & Dan Goldhaberb & Cyrus Grout & Cory Koedel & Shawn Ni & Michael Podgursky & P. Brett Xiang & Zeyu Xu, 2015. "Benefit or Burden? On the Intergenerational Inequity of Teacher Pension Plans," Working Papers 1517, Department of Economics, University of Missouri, revised Apr 2016.
    4. Cory Koedel & P. Brett Xiang, 2017. "Pension Enhancements and the Retention of Public Employees," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 70(2), pages 519-551, March.
    5. Cory Koedel & Shawn Ni & Michael Podgursky, 2014. "Who Benefits from Pension Enhancements?," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 9(2), pages 165-192, March.
    6. Matthew M. Chingos & Martin R. West, 2015. "Which Teachers Choose a Defined Contribution Pension Plan? Evidence from the Florida Retirement System," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 10(2), pages 193-222, March.
    7. repec:umc:wpaper:1310 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Knapp, David & Hosek, James & Mattock, Michael G. & Asch, Beth J., 2023. "Predicting teacher retention behavior: Ex ante prediction and ex post realization of a voluntary retirement incentive offer," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    teacher retirement benefits; teacher pensions;

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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