For most of the past week, teachers and state workers have been discussing the Governor’s special report on the pension crisis. Here are some observations.

Myth 1. KTRS is grossly underfunded because of previous contribution plans and raids by Dem and Rep state leaders. This situation is mostly the fault of legislators but is seen by some as punishment by the legislature and previous governors for the threatened sickouts and protest from the early 2000s. (I’d argue that this is an almost entirely false narrative and that government officials will always pick low hanging fruit when budget shortfalls happen. Teachers also shouldn’t be punished for electing “pro-education” officials that then take away what we were forced to pay under the law.)

Myth 2. Teachers can retire with a lot of benefits and at a younger age than most people in the private sector. Plus they get 3months off in the summer. (Teachers have to put in at least 27 years and be near enough to the age of 55 to “retire.” Which means you either leave the classroom to get your full benefits or keep teaching and risk losing benefits because of the structure. Plus, anyone who wants to retire but keep teaching, can’t go back into the classroom for 3months. Scare tactics are being used on both sides to motivate a change in this structure.)

3. ADA cost the state of KY a lot. So much that KTRS posted a loss in 2013 and 2014 from cost overruns in the medical coverage programs. Time will tell what changes will be made or who might retire quickly because of these moving structures.