Vermont's pension experiment

Stephen C. Fehr, Stateline.org Vermont officials have reached agreement on a teacher pension plan that could become a model for financially-strapped states seeking ways to reduce the rising cost of employee retirement  benefits. The accord between the Legislature, the state treasurer and Vermont’s largest public employee union will result in most teachers working additional years and making higher contributions to the pension fund but receiving a larger pension check on retirement. The state will initially save $15 million a year, or about 10 percent of Vermont’s current budget shortfall…