Retired teachers continue to give back to the SLO community

What do retired teachers mean to San Luis Obispo County? A lot! After years — sometimes decades — in the classroom giving back to their students, retired teachers continue to give back to local communities through their pocketbook and their passion for volunteerism. The week of Nov. 6-12 was California’s 18th annual Retired Teachers Week.

According to figures from the California Retired Teachers Association, retired teachers statewide donated more than 2 million hours of volunteer service in the past year, valued at more than $55 million. In addition to their donated time, retired teachers are part of the swell of economic benefits California receives from public pensioners as they spend their pension benefit checks.

In California, expenditures stemming from state and local pensions supported 376,572 jobs and $10.9 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues. In fact, each dollar paid out in pension benefits supported $1.65 in total economic activity in California!

Retired teachers continue to give back — both economically and through volunteer service. We cared about our students and our communities while we worked, and that caring doesn’t stop at retirement. Learn more at www.calrta.org or on Facebook.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Retired teachers continue to give back to the SLO community."