LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and while most educators will receive small trinkets or notes of appreciation from students and parents, one state lawmaker is asking for Lansing Democrats to let Michigan them keep their pensions.
State Rep. Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) said his colleagues on the other side of the aisle should honor teachers by “ditching their plan to raid the teacher retirement system.”
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“Claiming to show appreciation for teachers the same week you force a vote on raiding their retirement system is nothing short of ironic,” said Markkanen. “Genuine appreciation for teachers demands more than lip service; it requires a commitment to safeguarding their futures and respecting their hard-earned benefits.”
The Michigan Public Schools Employees’ Retirement System (MPSERS) remains drastically underfunded by more than $24 billion. Markkanen said that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer along with Democrats in the Michigan House and Senate Democrats plan to “bankroll their own pet projects” with money from teachers’ retirement system.
One of the reasons this appears to be an option for Michigan’s Democrat majority is that federal COVID-19 money is running out. Bridge Michigan reports that Whitmer aligns her reasoning with paying off a mortgage early. “After years of helping districts make payments, [Whitmer] contends it is safe for the state to scale back and redirect retirement contributions,” Bridge Michigan reported.
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