Larded pensions are a taxing proposition
At most jobs, sick time is something you take when you're sick.
Maybe you can roll over a few years worth in case you have a major illness.
But generally, it's use it or lose it.
The same goes for vacation time.
Not in the public schools, where unused sick days and vacation time become a golden parachute for some educators.
Many teachers and administrators cash in hundreds of days in unused time upon retirement, amounting in some cases to tens -- sometimes hundreds -- of thousands of dollars.
And the most veteran among them get to use the benefit to bulk up their pensions.
That's how North Tonawanda Superintendent John George ended up with a $205,809 pension that's bigger than the paycheck he earned while working.
And how Carmen Granto, the longtime Niagara Falls superintendent, is expected to end up with a pension bigger than his $131,000 annual salary when he retires in June.
It's not just superintendents benefiting from the perk.
Teachers as well as administrators in the the Buffalo schools pump up their pensions this way, as do teachers in the Depew School District.
It's a great way to finance a comfortable retirement but, critics point out, it comes at a price to taxpayers.
-- Mary Pasciak
