www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 30-APRIL 5, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Living on a pension can be challenging for retirees. For over two dozen retired teachers from Monterey County, managing their finances became even more challenging after losing a significant court battle. Retired teachers from Salinas Union High School District got letters in 2014 saying their pensions were calculated incorrectly. Their benefits would be readjusted and they would have to return overpayments. “We were notified that our pensions would be immediately reduced—drastically, by hundreds of dollars—because we had been overpaid,” Ann Jaramillo says. California teachers don’t pay into Social Security; instead, they use the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS). Two groups of retired teachers from SUHSD sued CalSTRS over the after-the-fact change. Their legal battle continues. In 2014, a group of retirees sued CalSTRS (William Baxter vs. CalSTRS) in Monterey County Superior Court. They didn’t challenge the miscalculation, but they contested that the time to recover overpayments and recalculate their benefits was over. In 2015, the court ruled in their favor and teachers received back the money CalSTRS retained from overpayments. In 2016, another group of 31 retired teachers—this time in a case called Steven Blaser vs. CalSTRS—sued over reducing pensions and recouping overpayments. The Monterey County Superior Court decision in 2017 was also in the teachers favor. Two appeals followed the superior court rulings, one ending in favor of the retired teachers and one in favor of CalSTRS. The former teachers had been hoping their case would be heard at the California Supreme Court. But on March 16, they learned the appellate ruling will stand. The story began in 1999 when SUHSD and the Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers had a tentative collective bargaining agreement for a sixth teaching period. Normally, fulltime teachers work five periods, and the sixth was a time to prepare their lessons; several teachers opted to teach instead and say administrators asked them to help fill in for needed classes. Teachers say they were told this income would count for their retirement. In 2008, the firm Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. audited SUHSD, and concluded the district improperly reported teachers’ earnings, thereby inflating their retirement benefits. This triggered several actions, including pension recalculation plus an additional 5-percent reduction from future payments for teachers to reimburse CalSTRS for previous overpayments. Linda Mayr recalls thinking that it would be a good idea to take on an extra period. “It will help you,” she recalls her principal saying. “For me, it was, ‘Oh, gee, that’d be nice to have that extra money.’” Sandra Eucker, a retired art teacher and one of the plaintiffs, regularly receives shiny brochures from CalSTRS that say: How will you spend your future? She says whatever the vision was, it wasn’t spending it on lawyers or overpayments. Pension Plan The California Supreme Court is the last resort for retired teachers who want to keep their full pensions. By Celia Jiménez Ann Jaramillo is a retired English language development teacher and one of the plaintiffs in a case against CalSTRS. She taught at Harden, La Paz and El Sausal middle schools. NEWS “We were notified our pensions would be reduced, drastically.” DANIEL DREIFUSS JOIN US FOR AND EGG HUNT EASTER Brunch Two Portola Plaza Monterey, CA 93940 (831) 649-4511 portolahotel.com SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2023 FROM 10AM-2PM DAVE CONLEY ON PIANO EASTER EGG HUNT AT 10AM & NOON VISIT WITH THE EASTER BUNNY RESERVATIONS & PRICING Join us on Easter Sunday inside the Portola Hotel & Spa for a spectacular Easter brunch celebration. Indulge in a lavish brunch buffet featuring holiday favorites like Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Bake, Wild King Salmon, Maple Glazed Pit Ham, Apple Crisp and so much more. $89.95 adults | $74.95 Seniors (over 65) $45.95 for children 12 and under Prices exclude tax and gratuity | 20% Service charge for all parties Reservations are required, please call (831) 649-7870 or email mmares@portolahotel.com
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