Over 400 retired educators of Bay Area receive eye-popping pension payouts of $100,000 or more
Over 400 retired educators of Bay Area receive eye-popping pension payouts of $100,000 or more
Bad Education: Transparent California Releases 2014 CalSTRS Pension Data
TUSTIN — Today, TransparentCalifornia.com released 2014 pension records for 256,305 CalSTRS pensioners, received through a series of public records request.
The data reveals that at just the 10 biggest school districts in the Bay Area 403 CalSTRS pensioners took home pension payouts of $100,000 or more in 2014. The average pension for those who worked 30 years or more at these districts was $65,413 for the year. Of those who retired in 2000 and later, the figure was $74,220. (These payouts do not include the value of generous health benefits.)
Transparent California is California’s largest and most comprehensive database of public sector compensation and is run by the California Policy Center and Nevada Policy Research Institute.
Statewide, 8,888 CalSTRS retirees received pension payouts of $100,000 or more in 2014. The average pension for those who worked 30 years or more was $66,641 for the year. Of those who retired in 2000 and later, the figure was $74,910.
To view the data click here. To explore the data by specific school district click here.
“Widespread six-figure pension payouts for retired educators challenge the popular conception of the poor retired teacher struggling to get by on a fixed pension,” said Mark Bucher, president of the California Policy Center. “The release of this data will give policymakers, journalists and Californians-at-large better context of hot-button issues surrounding teacher contracts and compensation.”
The three biggest CalSTRS pension recipients in the Bay Area in 2014 were:
- James Smith, Evergreen Elementary, who received $287,434
- Marilyn Miller, Hillsborough City Elementary, who received $280,035
- Johanna Vandermolen, Campbell Union Elementary, who received $278,003
The top three biggest CalSTRS pension recipients statewide in 2014 were:
- William Habermehl, Orange County Office of Education, who received $347,856
- Richard Bray, Tustin Unified School District, who received $307,135
- Edward Hernandez Jr., Rancho Santiago Community College District, who received $304,652
Based on the ten biggest school districts in each region, the average pensions of those who worked 30 years or more by other California region were:
- Sacramento & the Central Valley: $63,682
- Central Coast: $60,532
- Greater Los Angeles: $69,002
- Greater San Diego: $65,605
Ten biggest school districts by total payroll in the Bay Area
| Name | County | Avg. Full-Career Pension | |
| Bay Area = Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Marin | |||
| San Francisco Unified | San Francisco | $59,391 | |
| Oakland Unified | Alameda | $61,305 | |
| Fremont Unified | Alameda | $74,745 | |
| San Jose Unified | Santa Clara | $67,318 | |
| Mt. Diablo Unified | Contra Costa | $60,151 | |
| San Ramon Valley Unified | Contra Costa | $69,326 | |
| West Contra Costa Unified | Contra Costa | $61,465 | |
| East Side Union High | Santa Clara | $78,187 | |
| Cupertino Union Elementary | Santa Clara | $73,359 | |
| Antioch Unified | Contra Costa | $64,821 | |
Transparent California is a project of two nonpartisan, free-market think tanks, the California Policy Center and Nevada Policy Research Institute. Learn more at TransparentCalifornia.com.
