pensions

A state appellate panel today said Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf has the authority to impose salary caps on New Jersey’s school superintendents, dealing Gov. Chris Christie’s administration another win over the battle to hold down school spending.

As Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanual pushes ahead on his promise to reform the city’s underperforming classrooms, he faces several daunting tasks: slashing an estimated $1 billion budget deficit, confronting a woefully underfunded employee pension system and finding money for the pay raises that settled the first teacher walkout in a generation. He hasn’t ruled out school closings and tax increases, both of which would be hugely unpopular.

In five years, pension contributions for area school districts are projected to increase by $172.9 million.

The Easton Area (Penn.) School District is offering some of its longtime employees $5,000 if they submit notice by Friday to resign or retire, a move school officials say could offset teacher layoffs.

Several Washtenaw County schools are receiving fewer retirement notices than usual this spring as some teachers wait for legislators to act on reforming the school employee pension fund.

At a time when suburban school districts are pushing back hard against taking over the state's share of teacher retirement costs, many are paying thousands of dollars — sometimes hundreds of thousands — in penalties for giving big raises to administrators and teachers and driving up pensions.