MARCH 2001 - In our recent articles on state employees' and teachers' pensions and salaries, we did not include Boston Teachers. Although Boston Teachers are members of the City of Boston Retirement System, their costs are picked up by the state and, therefore, are included in the Commonwealth's funding schedule as reported by PERAC.

PERAC's most recent report, as of January 1, 2000, showed that the average pension for a Boston Teacher, including survivors, was $22,612. This is $2,706 greater than the average for members of the Teachers' Retirement System which includes all retired teachers and survivors except Boston.

Active teachers in the City of Boston have an average salary of $55,623. This is $10,590 higher than the average of all other teachers in the state. And higher salaries, equate to higher pensions. There are 5,128 active teachers in the Boston School System.

This does not mean that Boston teachers are necessarily the highest paid in the state. There may be a few very affluent suburban communities that have a higher pay scale. Boston's salaries do not include the most recent increase negotiated by the Boston Teachers' Union, perhaps the strongest and most militant of any local teachers' union in the state.

Association member Catherine Dacey, who retired from the Clarence R. Edwards Junior High in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood, feels that "Boston teachers deserve to be better paid. I used the T, but many teachers who drive have to fight for parking places on the streets.

"I taught for 43 years and handled some pretty tough kids. I doubt that most teachers in our wealthy towns could make it in Boston. I'm not knocking the youngsters I taught... some came from difficult backgrounds and you have to be able to get their attention and maintain discipline."