At least twice lately (BDN, Nov. 23-24 and Dec. 16) the Bangor Daily News has published articles concerning teaching in Maine. Those articles have mentioned the present teacher shortage, the recruitment of teachers into the teaching field from the private sector, interviews with teachers who have entered the teaching field midlife from other careers, teacher certification standards and proposed changes to that standard.

How Maine fills the empty spots in the front of classrooms with competent, caring instructors in the future is going to be a major challenge. For the state to fill those slots without warning working aspiring educators of pitfalls that changing careers creates concerning their financial security in retirement, however, is unconscionable.

Everyone considering career changes from the private to public sector needs to be aware that a change from paying into private Social Security to paying into the public Maine State Retirement System severely reduces earned Social Security benefits. The move from private to public or vice versa activates laws referred to as the “Social Security Offsets” and they are devastating to the retirement income of those who cross that career line in Maine. One of the offsets reduces an earned Social Security benefit by 60 percent and the other reduces a spousal benefit by between 66 and 100 percent.

The Maine State Board of Education and the Maine Department of Education need to play fair with potential teachers. Tell them of the many rewards of teaching in Maine, but warn them about the offsets too. In the interest of fairness, since the Bangor Daily News seems to be involved in the “teacher issue,” how about a story on these laws and what they are doing to the educators of Maine?

Sue Shaw

Penobscot