For those who\u2019ve retired from the classroom since 2004, monthly retirement checks have remained roughly the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On average, the Texas Retired Teachers Association says a Teacher Retirement System of Texas Retiree\u2019s monthly annuity is $2,145.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m making the same annuity that I made in 2006, and obviously things have changed a lot in 17 years,\u201d said Judy Bryant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bryan is a retiree from Dallas ISD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, she supplements her pension and social security through work with the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers and the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, helping to lobby lawmakers for a cost-of-living adjustment or COLA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re tired of having to go beg the legislature every other year, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve been doing it for so long,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But thanks to a recent decision by Texas lawmakers, that soon could change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the most bold effort to address our retired public school employee pension we\u2019ve ever done,\u201d said Texas Representative Greg Bonnen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friday, the House voted unanimously to approve a constitutional amendment to provide an ongoing cost of living adjustment to pensions of two, four or six percent. It would be based on the number of years since a teacher retired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan would also include a supplemental payment for those over the age of 70, funded in part by Texas\u2019s surplus along with a small increase in contributions from active employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bryant argues the COLA shouldn\u2019t burden those still working. She\u2019d also like to see it increased to match inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, she says it\u2019s a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are thankful that we have gotten this far this time because we never have before. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of respect for us as retired educators of all types,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That bill now goes back to the Senate and then a conference committee where the two bodies will work out some differences between their versions of the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the House plan, voters would get the final say come fall. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The House voted unanimously to approve a constitutional amendment to provide an ongoing cost of living adjustment to pensions of two, four or six percent. It would be based on the number of years since a teacher retired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":8143195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-04-30T03:24:27Z","apple_news_api_id":"c49ed517-a1da-45ea-bbd2-8ab936404ed1","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-04-30T03:24:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AxJ7VF6HaReq70oq5NkBO0Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"syndicated_id":"","should_nationalize":false,"nbc_subtitle":"","nbc_first_published_date":"April 29, 2023","nbc_prevent_modified_update":false,"nbc_linkout_title":"","nbc_linkout_url":"","nbc_linkout_excerpt_link":"","nbc_primary_category_id":1098,"nbc_primary_tag_id":2695,"nbc_alexa_brief":"","nbc_social_page_title":"","nbc_page_title":"Texas Teacher Pensions Could Get First Bump in Two Decades","nbc_seo_description":"The House voted unanimously to approve a constitutional amendment to provide an ongoing cost of living adjustment to pensions of two, four or six percent.","nbc_social_description":"","nbc_national_headline":"","entities":"","lede_video_id":"1:8:3247157","lead_embed_url":"","featured_media_caption":"","nbc_canonical_market":"","nbc_canonical_url":"","nbc_hide_from_recirculation":"","nbc_hide_from_search":"","dark_mode":"","title_below":"","disable_copyright":"","copyright_override":"","nbc_syndication_category":"","nbc_national_collections":[],"nopreroll":false,"ninja_forms_form":"","sst_source_id":"","nbc_disable_legacy_embeds":false,"nbc_legacy_processEmbedsFirst":"","cnbc_logo":"","cnbc_linkout":"","nbc_feed_loader_prevent_updates":"","post_video_prompt":"","should_automatic_app_promotion":"1","should_automatic_app_ad":"1","nbc_checkout_experience_enabled":false,"should_linkout_to_syndication_parent":"","cnbc_data_hash":"","sponsor_image":0,"sponsor_url":"","rsn_disable_insider":false,"nbc_updated_post_date":"","feed_remote_id":"","feed_thumbnail_url":""},"categories":[1098],"tags":[2464,42928,27,2695],"nbc_push_tag":[],"sensitivity":[],"collection":[291211,1147,330663],"source":"","prepublish_checks":{"nbc\/require-category":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has categories.","data":null},"nbc\/require-tag":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has tags.","data":null},"nbc\/validate-lead-embed":{"status":"complete","message":"Lead Embed empty.","data":null},"nbc\/published-lead-video":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has published lead video.","data":null},"nbc\/page-slug":{"status":"complete","message":"Post is not a page.","data":null}},"apple_news_notices":[],"network_object_id":"1:8:3247134","post_brand":"NBC","rights":{"1:1":0,"1:2":0,"1:3":0,"1:4":0,"1:5":0,"1:6":0,"1:7":0,"1:8":1,"1:9":0,"1:10":0,"1:11":0,"1:12":0,"1:13":0,"1:14":0,"1:15":0,"1:16":0,"1:17":0,"1:18":0,"1:19":0,"1:20":0,"1:21":0,"1:22":0,"1:23":0,"1:24":0,"1:25":0,"1:26":0,"1:27":0,"1:28":0,"1:29":0,"1:30":0,"1:31":0,"1:32":0,"1:33":0,"1:34":0,"1:35":0,"1:36":0,"1:37":0,"1:38":0,"1:41":0,"1:42":0,"1:43":0,"1:44":0,"1:45":0,"1:46":0,"1:47":0,"1:48":0,"1:49":0,"1:50":0,"1:51":0},"syndication_rights":{"1:1":0,"1:2":0,"1:3":0,"1:4":0,"1:5":0,"1:6":0,"1:7":0,"1:8":1,"1:9":0,"1:10":0,"1:11":0,"1:12":0,"1:13":0,"1:14":0,"1:15":0,"1:16":0,"1:17":0,"1:18":0,"1:19":0,"1:20":0,"1:21":0,"1:22":0,"1:23":0,"1:24":0,"1:25":0,"1:26":0,"1:27":0,"1:28":0,"1:29":0,"1:30":0,"1:31":0,"1:32":0,"1:33":0,"1:34":0,"1:35":0,"1:36":0,"1:37":0,"1:38":0,"1:41":0,"1:42":0,"1:43":0,"1:44":0,"1:45":0,"1:46":0,"1:47":0,"1:48":0,"1:49":0,"1:50":0,"1:51":0},"syndication":{"nationalized":false,"syndicated":false,"syndicated_out":false,"linked":true,"id":"","site_id":""},"content_blocks":[{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
For those who\u2019ve retired from the classroom since 2004, monthly retirement checks have remained roughly the same.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
On average, the Texas Retired Teachers Association says a Teacher Retirement System of Texas Retiree\u2019s monthly annuity is $2,145.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
\u201cI\u2019m making the same annuity that I made in 2006, and obviously things have changed a lot in 17 years,\u201d said Judy Bryant.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
Bryan is a retiree from Dallas ISD.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
Today, she supplements her pension and social security through work with the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers and the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, helping to lobby lawmakers for a cost-of-living adjustment or COLA.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
\u201cWe\u2019re tired of having to go beg the legislature every other year, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve been doing it for so long,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
But thanks to a recent decision by Texas lawmakers, that soon could change. <\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
\u201cThis is the most bold effort to address our retired public school employee pension we\u2019ve ever done,\u201d said Texas Representative Greg Bonnen.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
Friday, the House voted unanimously to approve a constitutional amendment to provide an ongoing cost of living adjustment to pensions of two, four or six percent. It would be based on the number of years since a teacher retired.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
The plan would also include a supplemental payment for those over the age of 70, funded in part by Texas\u2019s surplus along with a small increase in contributions from active employees.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
Bryant argues the COLA shouldn\u2019t burden those still working. She\u2019d also like to see it increased to match inflation.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
Still, she says it\u2019s a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
\u201cWe are thankful that we have gotten this far this time because we never have before. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of respect for us as retired educators of all types,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
That bill now goes back to the Senate and then a conference committee where the two bodies will work out some differences between their versions of the bill.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n
Under the House plan, voters would get the final say come fall. <\/p>\n"}],"nbc_attributes":{"size":"S"},"bylines":[{"description":"Allie Spillyards <\/span>\nAllie Spillyards joined NBC 5 in October 2017. She\u2019s a general assignment reporter who often works out of Dallas or Collin county. You can usually catch her stories on NBC 5 at 10 p.m.\n\n\n\nAllie is a North Texas native who was born and raised in Wylie.\n\n\n\nShe\u2019s made several stops in the southeast, working most recently at WIS in Columbia, SC where she anchored weekend mornings and covered general news. While in Columbia, she reported on the tragic shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and followed the controversy over removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds. She also covered the historic flooding in October 2015 that destroyed hundreds of homes and left 17 people dead.\n\n\n\nE-mail Allie<\/a>| Follow Allie on Twitter<\/a> | Like Allie on Facebook<\/a> | Follow Allie on Instagram<\/a>\n\n\n\nPrior to South Carolina, Allie worked as a reporter at WCNC in Charlotte, NC.\n\n\n\nShe started her career at WVLT in Knoxville, TN as a general assignment reporter. She then helped launch a weekend morning newscast as an anchor before moving to weekday mornings.\n\n\n\nIn 2017, Allie was awarded a fellowship to train in computer assisted reporting with Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc.\n\n\n\nAllie\u2019s a proud graduate of the University of Missouri where she learned her way around a newsroom at KOMU both on and off air. She has a bachelor\u2019s in journalism and a minor in political science. While there, Allie spent a semester in Brussels, Belgium as an intern at Reuters.\n\n\n\nNow that she\u2019s back in North Texas, Allie lives in Dallas with her husband, Blake, and their spoiled rotten rescue pup, Roux. She\u2019s thrilled to be back home, telling stories from familiar communities and reporting news that impacts friends, family and neighbors.\n","display_name":"Allie Spillyards","id":"1:8:2232679","url":"https:\/\/www.nbcdfw.com\/author\/allie-spillyards\/","twitter":"alliespillyards","twitter_url":"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alliespillyards","thumbnail":[],"user_id":564}],"canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.nbcdfw.com\/news\/local\/texas-teacher-pensions-could-get-first-bump-in-two-decades\/3247134\/","eyebrow":{"link":"https:\/\/www.nbcdfw.com\/tag\/texas-house\/","label":"Texas House","sponsored":false},"object_sensitivity":"","sponsor":{"id":"","type":"","dart_url":"","dart_pixel":"","link_out_name":"","link_out_url":"","name":"","sponsor_id":"","sponsor_ad_id":"","to_homepage":false,"sponsor_expiration":"","expired":false},"object_date":"