The teachers union said it is considering a legal challenge on behalf of more than 180 retired paraprofessionals whose disability pensions were slashed after the city’s pension system found their payments had been miscalculated for years.
Earlier this summer, the retirees received letters from the city’s Teachers’ Retirement System informing them of the mistake — and that the pension system would claw back a portion of the overpayments from future checks.
For some retired paraprofessionals, teacher aides who work with students with disabilities and special needs, that amounts to tens of thousands of dollars that many say they are simply unable to pay. The pension mishap has impacted 185 retirees so far, according to the United Federation of Teachers.
“To do this to us now, going after older people, it’s inhumane, it’s horrible and it’s cruel,” said Sheri Principato, 64, who retired in 2008 after she was attacked by a student.
Principato said her pension dropped to less than $10,000 a year. “Now my checks started bouncing. I had to dip into my savings.”
The teachers union threatened to sue.
“We are currently exploring a legal challenge as well as changes through the legislature. TRS made the error and it went unchecked for 20 years,” Michael Sill, the UFT secretary, said in a statement. “Our paraprofessionals are the victims here and should not be the ones to pay for the agency’s error.”
The union has been dealing directly with TRS to address the pension reversal, which comes as the City Council approved a controversial $10,000 yearly supplemental payment for working paraprofessionals, who earn some of the lowest salaries in the Education Department.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Wednesday that his administration is monitoring the situation.
“The city is one of many parties when it comes to the stewarding of these pensions and, to my knowledge, the Law Department has come forward and identified this as a mistake that took place over many, many years,” Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference. “We are going to keep a close eye on it and make sure that we are following up.”
A Law Department spokesperson did not elaborate on Mamdani’s remarks. A spokesperson for the city comptroller’s office referred The City Reporter to the Teachers’ Retirement System, which did not respond to requests for comment.
The controversy dates to mid-June, when the retired paraprofessionals began receiving the letters from TRS informing them of their reduced payments. The Staten Island Advance first reported on the pension reversal.
“We understand that this news may be upsetting and that any reduction in monthly income can create financial concerns,” TRS wrote in a June 18 letter to Principato. “We sincerely apologize for our error and for the impact this correction may have on you.”
TRS informed Principato and others that their pensions would only be charged for overpayments made in the last three years instead of the full amount. “Like they’re doing me a favor,” she said.
Anthony Delgardio, 50, retired from his job in a special education high school in Brooklyn more than 12 years ago after he was attacked by a student. He suffered a concussion and broken bones and continues to struggle with memory loss and mobility issues.
His pension has been reduced to less than $1,000 a month — half of what he earned prior to the reversal — with TRS saying he now owes more than $38,000 in overpayments. Delgardio, who was living in Florida, says he moved in with his sister on Long Island to cut back on expenses and is contemplating selling his home. “I can’t even buy a toothbrush right now,” said Delgardio.
“I loved teaching, I felt like I had so much to offer,” he said. “And I lost everything.”
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