SeeThroughNY releases teachers pension data

The government transparency website SeeThroughNY has published a complete list of 2016-17 retirees entering the New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS).

Excluding New York City educators, who belong to a separate city retirement system, the average pension was $47,730 for all 5,458 NYSTRS members who retired in 2016-17. The total includes both part- and full-time public school teachers and administrators.

SeeThroughNY, a project of the Empire Center think tank, reports maximum pension benefits averaged $68,676 for the 2,495 members of NYSTRS who retired with at least 30 years of credited service time. The average pension for the NYSTRS members with 30 years or more of service was highest in New York City suburban districts.

Two hundred of the 2016-17 NYSTRS retirees, 4 percent of the total, were eligible for pensions of $100,000 or more. The top NYSTRS pension earner retiring in 2016-17 was former Rye Neck UFSD superintendent Peter J. Mustich, who can collect up to $242,686.

The Empire Center won a court challenge to make a complete list of NYSTRS retirees’ pension benefits available to the public.