The latest changes passed by the House amended the Michigan Public School Employee Retirement System (MPSERS) and restructured pension and benefits for public school teachers and retirees. While there may be room for improvement of the current structure, many believe the bill will hurt current, future and retired educators.

According to State Rep. George Darany this will make it much more difficult to attract and keep the best and brightest teachers in the state. "This legislation strips our teachers of their hard-earned pensions and benefits while they already suffer due to the constant stream of budget cuts," he said.  

If you are a teacher or retiree who might be affected, information on the changes will be available soon at www.michigan.gov/ors. A good summary of the complex legislation is also available at www.legislature.mi.gov.