I have been a teacher for 32 years in Maine. I am 55 years old and planned to retire in a few years.

If the proposed budget goes through, I would have two choices: retire at the end of this school year because the cost of health insurance on a retired teacher’s income would be cost prohibitive; or stay in the profession until I turn 65.

I have been paying into Social Security doing second jobs throughout my career, earning enough quarters to collect a small pension, but I will never be able to collect any of it due to the government pension offset/windfall elimination provision. Even if I work elsewhere after retiring, I will, again, be paying into a system that won’t return any of my contribution.

If I stay for another 10 years, I would increase my retirement benefits, but I wonder how beneficial it is to the students and the community.

I am saddened to see great teachers who, at the end of their career, are burned out and have lost their enthusiasm. Some of them were forced out of the classroom due to onset of dementia or ill health. Many of them died within a few years of their retirement, never having any quality time to reap the rewards of their many years of dedication.

My dream was always to leave the classroom before students, parents, colleagues and administration started saying, “How sad; she was once a great teacher but she should have retired years ago.”

Jean Roy, Lewiston