In the otherwise informative article, “With Alaska struggling to hire, state legislators consider revived pension plans for public employees,” the present defined contribution retirement plan was mischaracterized as “a 401(k)-style retirement system.” 401(k) retirement plans are a supplement to social security. Unlike most Americans, teachers in Alaska do not earn Social Security and will not receive it at retirement. In fact, due to the federal Government Pension Offset law, social security earned by a teacher at other jobs will be reduced substantially even though teachers hired after 2006 do not receive a pension. A teacher in Alaska is permanently penalized for their service.
Alaska children are also hurt by the present short-sighted retirement system: UAA’s Institute of Social and Economic Research has found a correlation between high teacher turnover and low reading scores.
— Dan Maclean
Teacher
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.