Peg Bugara

Dear Mr. Diossa

It would be nice if the board was made up of the four pillars in the State House: Education, Justice, Commerce and Litera . Balancing a board already against teachers and retirees invalidates those pillars.



I am writing to you as my treasurer for Little Compton, as a Rhode Island retired teacher of 31 years it was my pleasure to work for the Newport School District as Supervisor of Health and Physical Education K-12. It was also my pleasure to volunteer to work at the state level in curriculum development in Health and Physical Education. When I started teaching it was part of my understanding that if I put in “X” years and contributed to the retirement system, (whether I wanted) to the state retirement, when I retired, I would get a retirement check with a 3 % COLA based on years of service and the best three years for my salary. I retired in 2002. As we both know, retirement COLAs were suspended for many in 2011.



As the cost of living has gone up roughly 30% since 2011 my retirement has not gone up. What I made in 2011 was roughly $3600.00/month. This September my check was $3685.00. How am I to support myself and all the wasteful spending the state and federal government is doing now? Please tell me how an $85.00 raise in thirteen years is justice? The COLA and pay raises in this state have been excessive but nothing for all the work we did.



Gina Raimondo invested our retirement monies into the accounts of her supporters and then lost the money and decided she would just take the money from us, who cares about teachers, police, fire, or staff to run these organizations, she didn’t, Seth didn’t. I am hoping that your conscience will right the wrong you have done to your retirees. I can no longer support wasteful spending by you and by me any longer. Every penny is accounted for especially during these past years where everything has gone up and up and up, but my check has not moved.

Your teachers and staff, police and fire have supported your careers with votes and donations, isn’t time now you support us?



Please, it is time to support your own in this state! Also, can we forget the charts that these folks are bringing they mean nothing when you look at a static paycheck.



Thank you for your help.

Peg Bugara

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