I write this letter on behalf of Richard McFalls, retired superintendent for School Union 98, who has been denied full retirement benefits by the Maine State Retirement System. This letter is written not at McFalls’ request, but because I feel three very important words, honesty, professionalism, and ethics, do not exhist where MSRS is concerned.

MSRS maintains McFalls has not provided appropriate documentation to prove that an increase in salary was not to enhance McFalls’ retirement benefit.

After McFalls was given a raise to remain in Union 98 (he was a finalist for the Ellsworth superintendency), a law was enacted and made retroactive that stated any increase over 10 percent in the calculating years for retirement would be disallowed. In dollars, that’s about a $4,500 loss for McFalls each year of his retirement.

MSRS has received committee member letters stating “… the additional raise given… McFalls… was not for the purpose of retirement, but… to keep him as Superintendent of Union 98…The Board felt strongly… McFalls shuld not be permitted to leave without an effort on our part to retain his valuable services and expertise…be further advised…the raise was not provided in connection with Mr. McFalls’ retirement” and “…Our pay package…was approximately $10,000 below comparable Unions…I urged our Board…to consider Mr. McFalls’ pay in order to discourage his departure.”

In addition to letters MSRS was also provided with minutes of meetings, newspaper articles and a salary comparison.

Dan Calderwood, MSMA, testified before the Joint Standing Committee on Aging Veterans and Retirement and MSRS personnel describing persons who received legitimate pay increases, specifically citing McFalls’ cituation. The Legislature responded by adding a sentence to the law that an increase in salary may be earnable compensation. Karen L. Taylor Trenton