LI Superintendent All Teachers Make $540K Annually

The S.S. Public Educator, via Robert Carmona's Flickr

Previously we told you that it was time to make a career move to the MTA. Sure, the hours are long, but you could while them away with dreaming of your massive pension. Forget that: public education, now that's where the money is. Bloomberg News reports that Long Island school superintendent James Hunderfund is entitled to a net salary of around $540,000 from the combination of his $316K pension he earned at a previous job along with his current $225K salary from the Malverne school district.

Granted, the report detailing Hunderfund's possible salary was completed by the Empire Center, who is owned by arch-conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute. And "less than 1 percent of retired New York educators are entitled to annual retirement pay of at least $100,000," while "the average pension for educators retiring in 2010 was $52,270." So what? $540,000!

A spokesman from the New York State United Teachers told Bloomberg, "What a surprise—an interest group representing Wall Street wants to reduce government spending." Hey, watch it with the sarcasm, teach! "All this report does is perpetuate myths about public pensions." Maybe, or maybe becoming an educator is the quickest way to get rich other than selling stuff for the Trump Network.

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By Christopher Robbins in News on May 18, 2011 6:26 PM

Comments [rss]

tony iantosca

So, Christopher, you admit that the report was commissioned by an ultra-conservative think-tank, and that less than 1 percent of retired NY educators are entitled to an annual retirement pay of $100,000. Yet you insist that becoming an educator is the quickest way to get rich? And you insist on publishing an article that perpetuates myths about public educators, as though they are the problem? Could the problem also lie with the fact that we've had more than 25 years in this country of cuts to public education? Could it be that teachers and their students are already starting off from a position of disadvantage, with a dire lack of resources? This kind of reporting is blatantly inaccurate and irresponsible. Nice work.

m015094

How the fuck is his pension $316K per year. And they wonder why school district cannot afford teacher that are actually working. Complete BULLSHIT.

anon

its funny how everyone trashes wall street while these people get paid with private money and take nothing from tax payers but only pay into the system more than anyone else. and then you read articles like this that goes on all the time throughout the govt and no one cares. every LI school district is like this. our district just cut 3 teachers 5 lunch aides and several other low positions while giving the superintendent a 5% raise up to around $250k. but no one in the school speaks up bc the super is the boss and if you say anything u can get cut.

Politburo

Take nothing from taxpayers? Might want to check again on that one.

anon

I have checked it. And I dont just mean reading the newspapers slander. I mean actually seeing the internal accounts of many executives and big banks. What the media/govt says is mostly false. They are just trying to divert attention from themselves while they waste your tax money endlessly.

MermaidFornicator

"What the media/govt says is mostly false." if that's true, then you can't believe what they say about teacher pensions either. therefore you lose this & all future arguments.

anon

there is no arguement. just an ignorant public to the facts and a govt that wants people to think that wall street are the bad guys when in fact its the govt who is raping us.