Jon Kimpton

I accepted my first position in a RI public school in 1999 and made the decision to pursue a career in public education rather than the private sector (I am a psychologist), based in part on the benefits promised to me. These included an 80% pension after 30 years of service along with healthcare in retirement and cost of living adjustment to my pension. As a result of the pension reform of 2011, this promise was retracted. I will now be forced to work 7 years longer, will not be able to collect any pension until age 67, will not receive any healthcare coverage, will only be eligible to receive at most a 30% pension benefit, with no COLA to keep up with the increasing cost of living. It is important to understand that families make decisions that have life-long implications based on what is promised by public institutions and their government. My spouse and I will not be able to retire with these reductions in benefits. I planned my life around what I was promised in retirement, and have been forced to take a second job to mitigate the shortfall. In the coming years, my family will likely need to move out of state, as the pension benefit, the way it stands, will not afford us the income to manage the cost of living in RI. My understanding is that the predicted insufficiency of the pension fund, on which the need for the 2011 benefit changes were based, has not been realized over time. This factor alone should be cause for the reinstatement of benefits as they were initially promised. In addition, with regard to reinstatement of benefits, educational professionals should be treated equitably compared to other public servants in RI (law enforcement, fire/rescue, judges, etc.). If public education is truly valued in RI, then benefits afforded to educators need to be on par with those offered in neighboring states. Thank you for the consideration of my testimony.

Submitted via online webform