Cheryl Knee

December 11, 2023

Dear Treasurer Diossa and Members of PAWG,

I am a retired Cranston Public School teacher, having retired in 2001. My service began in 1973. My husband of 47 years has mid-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. I am his caregiver. I deal with difficulties of this new “job” as best I can, but I lose a bit of him each day. I will care for him as long as I can, but I worry about what will happen if I become ill or predecease him. We do not have long term care insurance and long term care can be close to $12,000 per month. This is a source of constant worry.

As you may know, Cranston did not participate in Social Security, leaving me a victim of WEP and GPO. The RI Pension Reform Act of 2011 has had an increasingly negative impact on our monthly budget and we supplement each month with money from savings. With current prices I have had to increase the amount of savings I withdraw each month.

When I retired, my husband and I did our due diligence with a financial advisor to plan our financial future. That plan, of course, included the 3% COLA. After the plan was complete, we believed our financial future was secure.

My story is just one of the thousands of retired public servants in the State of Rhode Island who are suffering.

I implore you to restore the 3% cost of living adjustment that was contracted and into which I contributed a significant portion of my salary for my entire career with Cranston Public Schools.



Respectfully,

Cheryl Knee

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