Massachusetts Senate Set to Correct Decades-Old Retirement Inequity for Public School Teachers

Legislation could benefit up to 8,500 Massachusetts educators, free up funding for cities and towns

(BOSTON—6/3/2026) Massachusetts Senate leaders announced today that the Senate will take up RetirementPlus legislation to allow longtime public school teachers to buy into the enhanced savings program if they missed out when the program was initially launched 25 years ago.

The legislation—S.3109, An Act relative to teacher retirement election—could impact an estimated 6,500 to 8,500 current teachers who missed the chance to join the RetirementPlus pension program when it was rolled out in 2001.

“No teacher should face a diminished retirement because of a paperwork failure or a missed notice decades ago,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “This legislation is about keeping our promise to the people who have dedicated their lives to teaching our kids and by ensuring that every educator has the opportunity to retire with the security and dignity they have earned. I applaud Chair Rodrigues, Senator Brownsberger, and Senator Miranda for their leadership, and am grateful to AFT President Tang for her unwavering advocacy for the educators of Massachusetts.”

“I’m pleased that the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, after careful and thoughtful analysis, is reporting out legislation that promotes retirement security and protects the financial well-being of our hard working teachers, providing them with a new window of opportunity to opt into the RetirementPlus benefit program,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Thanks to the collective support of the Senate President, Senator Miranda, Senator Brownsberger, and many of my Senate colleagues, the Senate’s legislation upholds the dignity of some of the state’s longest serving educators, while addressing the long-term financial impacts on the Commonwealth’s state pension system. With this prudent step, the Senate is acting in a fiscally responsible manner to boost retirement benefits for teachers who have dedicated their time and energy to serve and teach kids in our communities with honor.”

Teachers who join RetirementPlus under this legislation would pay into the program as if they had joined at the outset, plus interest, in order to ensure both fiscal stability and fairness for teachers and retirees who have been participating throughout the past 25 years.

The bill would reopen the opt-in window on a one-time basis, until mid-2027, for eligible teachers who missed the chance to join in 2001. This long window aims to provides ample time for teachers to be made aware of their new opportunity, weigh their options, and decide whether to participate in RetirementPlus.

“This legislation will allow many educators who were disadvantaged by errors and poor communication to make themselves whole,” said Senate President Pro Tempore William Brownsberger (D-Belmont). “The Senate has taken a careful and deliberate approach to this legislation and reached a fair result for the teachers who have given so much for our children.”

“We are grateful to Senate President Karen Spilka and President Pro Tem Will Brownsberger for their leadership and determination in getting this legislation across the finish line,” said Senator Liz Miranda (D-Boston), primary Senate sponsor of the legislation. “Our teachers have devoted their careers to educating our children and strengthening our communities. With this legislation, the Senate is ensuring that teachers are not penalized for missing an enrollment deadline while on maternity leave, medical leave, or due to the confusion surrounding the original rollout of RetirementPlus decades ago. This bill helps correct that inequity and ensures that educators who have spent decades serving the Commonwealth have the opportunity to retire with the dignity and security they have earned through their years of public service.”

“From teachers on maternity leave left out to teachers dropped from the program with no notification to teachers whose notices were sent to old addresses, the roll-out of Retirement Plus continues to impact the lives of educators across the state nearly 25 years later,” said AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang. “We greatly appreciate the leadership of the Senate President and our allies in the Senate for their work in support of educators across the Commonwealth and their commitment to passing this legislation to give our longest-serving teachers the equitable and secure retirement they deserve.”

Full details of the legislation are available in a fact sheet in the Senate press room.

Public testimony on the proposal was heard at a hearing on July 16, 2025, by the Joint Committee on Public Service. The committee voted to give favorable reports to versions of the bill filed in the House and Senate on July 16, 2025 and July 29, 2025, respectively. Senate members of the Joint Committee on Public Service voted 5-0 to advance the legislation, which was filed in the Senate by Senator Liz Miranda.
All votes taken at the committee and chamber levels are publicly posted on the Legislature’s website.

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