KPERS betters our communities

The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System not only provides a dignified retirement to public employees, but it supports our local communities.

But over the last few years, we’ve seen the Legislature and our former governor shirk their responsibility to fully fund KPERS, while public employees like myself paid our fair share into the system. This year, we must ensure that lawmakers fully fund KPERS.

I’m in my third year teaching English at West High. I’ve been proud to be a part of a school district that truly values and fosters the future of all students.

After many years of school and, for most teachers, receiving advanced degrees, we often make significantly less than we would in the private sector. At the end of our long careers, we have the ability to retire with a pension. This isn’t a million-dollar parachute that we’re using to retire in the Bahamas, but a modest amount that helps us retire with dignity, right here in our own communities in Kansas. The average monthly pension benefit for KPERS recipients is $1,350.

Throughout Kansas, our communities rely on the expenditures of retired public employees. According the National Institute on Retirement Security, state and local pension funds in Kansas supported 14,294 jobs in the state. The total income to state residents supported by pension expenditures was $671.1 million. Additionally, benefits from retirement funds like KPERS supported a total of $2.1 billion in total economic output in the state.

Public employees like myself are all around you. Without any fanfare and with little recognition, we keep your cities running, your lives secure, and your children safe. When we go to retire, the money we receive from our pensions doesn’t go to frivolous and extravagant purchases, it goes right back into our communities, making them stronger.

This year, I hope Kansans will join me in telling lawmakers that enough is enough – KPERS needs to be funded. Not only do we not want to become the next New Jersey or Illinois by not properly funding our pension system, but our teachers, librarians, road workers, and all other folks who work for betterment of the public every day are counting on the funding of KPERS. Join me by calling your senator or representative. Your call can ensure that we’re investing in the future of our great state.

This story was originally published March 4, 2018 at 3:58 AM with the headline "KPERS betters our communities."