Most workers have a clear understanding of what will happen with regard to their jobs if they do something that gets them fired or lands them in jail. Losing one’s pay is a given.
But after Washington County schoolteacher Charlene Schmitz was suspended for “inappropriate behavior” with a 14-year-old student, she continued to draw her salary. After she was terminated upon conviction in February 2008, she still got paid. Even as she sat in the state penitentiary serving a 10-year sentence for enticing a child, she still got a check as though she were still on the job.
That continued until the end of November, 2010, when her license was revoked. From the time she was first suspended, she received more than $158,000 in salary and retirement benefits.
Convoluted tenure rules made this possible, and revision in the legislature should keep it from happening again.
However, there’s something equally baffling that deserves consideration: When public workers are convicted of corruption in connection with their taxpayer-supported jobs, should they be allowed to collect a pension for the rest of their lives?
Take, for instance, former postsecondary chancellor Roy Johnson, who continues to collect more than $132,000 per year in pension even after pleading guilty to taking bribes and kickbacks while overseeing the state’s community colleges.
Closer to home, former state representative Terry Spicer pleaded guilty to accepting bribes while serving as a lawmaker, and lost his job as superintendent of Elba schools just short of having enough time in to retire. But at age 60, he’ll get his pension.
Considering that these pensions are funded in part by the same taxpayers who are the victims of public corruption, it makes sense that loss of that pension should be automatic upon conviction or guilty plea.
When the state legislature convenes on Feb. 7, Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) plans to introduce legislation that would pull the plug on the taxpayer-funded portion of such pensions. He reasons that if the lucrative pension of a public employee or official is at risk, the worker or official might be less likely to engage in corrupt behavior.
It’s sound logic, and should move through both houses to the governor’s desk in record time.
We’re not holding our breath, but there is hope. After all, legislators passed a law to stop educators from getting paid while in jail, even if they were embarrassed into doing it.
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