Teacher Pension to remain on state ledgers

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/legislature/bal-budget0408,0,1428330.story

A recent article in the Baltimore Sun reports that a committee from the State House and Senate have decided to keep teacher pensions on the state ledgers. Pensions for teachers will cost Maryland $900 million this year. The Senate proposed to shift some of this cost from the State to local governments. However the conference committee established a commission to find ways to sustain the pensions at the State level. They had originally wanted to shift a little over 1/3 of the $900 million to the counties.

If this were to happen counties would have to find ways to come up with that money like raising taxes or cutting other services. In fact even with those measures they still might not even be able to come up with that amount of money. If that were to happen it would also more than likely affect the future pensions of current teachers. They would probably have to use up some of the money that teachers are presently contributing to the fund which would also most likely affect their pensions when it is time for retirement. I think that it is good that the State keep paying these teachers pensions.