THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION News From Our Division Chairs
Past President William McDevitt
billnjmea@aol.com Random Thoughts
Everybody says that you’ll know when it’s time. Twenty or so years ago my mantra was 55 and out. Then something changed. I started to enjoy what I was doing
much more than I did during the initial learning phase of teaching. I went through this long period of progress. I was becoming personally and educationally fulfilled. I went back to school, my program grew, and things were looking great. My mantra changed to – I’m going to keep going until I don’t feel it anymore. Three years ago it hit. Everything was still going well – better than ever - but something had changed. I started to feel different. I real-
ized that 30+ years of marching band had taken its toll. I knew at that point that I was seeing the light turn on at the end of the tunnel. Since that time, it has been a whirlwind, but I have been slowly preparing myself for June 30th – my last day. So why am I writing this article? I wanted the opportunity to pass along some things that I have learned in the past
3 years that I didn’t know before I made my decision. I’m hoping that these things will help those that are thinking about retiring and allay some of the anxieties that come with the decision. The first thing that I did when I mentally decided on a date was sign up for one of the “XYZ’s of Retirement” ses-
sions offered by NJEA staff and sponsored by my county office. This is different than the individual consultation that NJEA offers every member. At this workshop you will receive a thick manual answering most of the questions that you will have about pensions and benefits. There is a basic formula that they give you to help you estimate your pension benefit based on your salary, years of service, and age. They also explain the different types of health plans. Here are some things that they told us that I didn’t know: Your monthly pension benefit will change depending on your choice of beneficiary payout. Health benefits have no “cost sharing”, although some of the benefits that you now enjoy cost extra – like optical. You cannot go back into a school for 180 days for any type of work. That includes coaching, subbing, and any other type of extra-curricular situation. You are not even allowed to discuss the possibility of future work with anyone in administration. Any of these situations could jeopardize your pension. The gentleman giving the workshop ap- propriately said, “If you are really eager to get back into the school, don’t leave in the first place!” There are different tiers for determining benefits. Luckily, if you are considering retirement right now, you are on
the good tier. Those that still have a few years may have more years than they think. You are entitled to a one-on-one consultation with an NJEA Pensions and Benefits Specialist. This ½ hour meet-
ing will cover everything that you will need to know for your specific situation and help you make the tough decisions about the level of benefits that you would like to receive.
continued on page 8 TEMPO 6 MARCH 2018
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