Q: If I am in Tier 2 and retire before age 55, do I have to wait until age 55 to collect my pension or will I be penalized? I am age 52 in my 30th year of service. I have also been credited with two years from the state.

A: Retirement means off the payroll of your district and receiving a monthly pension from the New York State Teachers' Retirement System. The earliest a member can retire under normal service retirement is the day of his or her 55th birthday. If you decide to leave teaching before that event, you are "vested," which means you are not on the payroll but also not receiving a pension. That pension is vested for you until your 55th birthday. You would apply for retirement at that appropriate time and begin collecting a retirement allowance.

Q: I am 57, came into teaching late in life (and love it!). Our current contract expires in 2008. As I observe the writing on the wall, I feel that my district will probably want to seriously cut into the retirees' medical coverage in the next contract. My quandary is that if I retire in 2008 in order to get my health insurance paid, my retirement will be seriously reduced. If I stay into the next contract, I will get more retirement but will probably risk a serious reduction in the health care package. This feels like a Catch-22.

A: Unfortunately, we don't give advice. We merely share the information we have regarding NYS Teachers' Retirement System and retirement issues. It sounds like you really enjoy teaching and want to stay — however, you are the person who will have to decide which priority is most important to you: what you like doing vs. the possibility of a fiscal impact. Why not wait and see how you feel about it during the next school year?

Q: Lately, I've heard nothing about the inequity that many of us have experienced when we had to put in a 3 percent contribution toward retirement. There was talk that we would be awarded one month for every month we contributed beyond the initial 10 years. I contributed for either 20 or 21 years — more than twice as long as my colleagues will now be expected to contribute. Some of us are getting closer to retirement and I truly feel that this has been very unfair to many of us. Please update me on what is happening on this issue.

A: The bill you reference is part of NYSUT's Legislative Program, meaning it is a priority proposal the union will be pushing for. It will be reintroduced to the state Legislature in the spring.

At that time (around April or May) you might wish to contact your state senator and assemblyperson, as well as the new governor, and urge them to act favorably on this bill.