Are retirement systems as they exist now, including healthcare obligations, economically viable? What are the equity issues for teachers in retirement systems? Are existing systems fair to all teachers? What can this mean for teacher quality policy?

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Educator Staffing, Quality, and Teacher Retirement Benefit Systems
Conference Highlights

Session I:          On-Demand Video Presentation (50:52)

Can Retirement Systems Be Used to Improve Teacher Recruitment and Retention?

Issue background
Leora Friedberg, University of Virginia: Share an overview of the labor market effects of teacher pensions and the rigorous econometric analyses which demonstrate the relationships between retirement benefits and teacher behavior in several states.

Contextualized need
Robert Scott , Commissioner, Texas Education Agency:
Can we use these systems to incentivize teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools?
Can we use these systems to retain teachers in hard-to-staff schools?
Panelists

State Study: Arkansas Robert Costrell, University of Arkansas Fayetteville
State Study: Pennsylvania Robert Strauss, Carnegie-Mellon University
State Study: Missouri Michael Podgursky, University of MissouriColumbia
PowerPoint Slides From Presenters

Session II:       On-Demand Video Presentation (47:54)

Are retirement systems as they exist now, including healthcare obligations, economically viable?

Issue background
Janet Hansen, Vice President and Director of Education Studies, Committee for Economic Development: Describe regional and national funding status and review healthcare examples.

Contextualized need
George Hopkins, Director, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System:

What are the needs for funding that exist within current systems?
How can we identify the costs of healthcare benefits?
What is the impact on district budgets?
Panelists

Pension system funding viability Lawrence Kotlikoff, Boston University
Health insurance after GASB Robert Clark, North Carolina State University
Teacher pensions: Economics, perceptions, politics and interest groups, Beth Almeida, National Institute on Retirement Security
PowerPoint Slides From Presenters

Session III:         On-Demand Video Presentation (30:32)

What are the equity issues for teachers in retirement systems? Are existing systems fair to all teachers?

Issue background
Michael Podgursky, University of Missouri-Columbia: Provide an overview of teacher equity issues and their impact on the system and to individuals including loss of benefits if departure occurs prior to vesting and benefit portability.

Contextualized need
John O'Sullivan, Secretary-Treasurer, Texas Federation of Teachers

What are the benefits for new teachers?
How can we create attractive incentives?
How can we support teachers?
Panelists

Teacher Perspectives Tom Carroll, President, National Commission on Teaching and Americas Future
How Well do Teachers Understand Their Pensions and What Do They Think about Alternative Pension Structures? Michael DeArmond, Center on Reinventing Public Education
Legal issues in teacher pension reform: What are the options? Amy Monahan, University of Missouri
PowerPoint Slides From Presenters

Session IV        On-Demand Video Presentation (25:33)

Panelist Discussion: What can this mean for teacher quality policy?

Panelists

Oklahoma State Representative, Ann Coody
Executive Director of New Mexico Educational Retirement Board, Jan Goodwin
Oklahoma State Stenator, Clark Jolly
Facilitated by:

Professor of Public Policy & Education, Director of the Peabody Center for Education Policy, Vanderbilt University, James Guthrie