The number of six-figure pensions paid to retired New York City education professionals has increased more than fivefold in the past decade, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website.

Out of 6,279 New York City Teachers’ Retirement System (NYCTRS) members who retired in the last two years and had been retired for a full year in 2019, 160 were eligible for pensions of $100,000 or more.

Fifty-four NYCTRS retirees as of 2019 received pensions of at least $200,000, including 13 with annual benefits exceeding $300,000 and six topping $400,000. Ten years earlier, only one NYCTRS retiree had a pension higher than $200,000.

The percentage of City University of New York (CUNY) retirees with six-figure pensions was higher than other entities in the NYCTRS system. More than ten percent of CUNY retirees were eligible for $100,000 or more, including 23 of the top 100 pensions paid by the system. For the eighth year in a row, the highest pension was for retired CUNY professor Edgar McManus, who last year was eligible to receive $561,754.

Among NYCTRS members retired for a full year in 2019, the top five pension recipients were:

  • Myriam P. Sarachik, distinguished professor of Physics at CUNY, $452,003;
  • Rosa J. Akidil, school psychologist, $325,266;
  • Sheila L. Sorokoff, guidance counselor, $249,849;
  • Vickie L. Boyd, teacher, $242,610; and
  • Ellen Wolk, learning disabilities specialist, $238,131.

The 813 teachers, college instructors, and school administrators who retired in 2018 with at least 30 years of service credit last year received pensions averaging $70,256.

These data are made public thanks to the Empire Center’s successful court challenges against efforts by public agencies to conceal information from taxpayers. The Center remains involved in litigation to protect and expand the public’s ability to examine public pensions and spending.

The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.

You may also like

NYC Employee Pension Payments Cross $6 billion; 70 Members Collect $200k+

The pension plan covering most New York City government agencies, including the City’s subway system, had 70 members with pension payments of at least $200,000 last year, almost quadrupling 2019’s tally of 19, according to new , the Read More

23 MTA Workers Receive $200K in Overtime as Total Payroll Surpasses $8 Billion

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s payroll surpassed $8 billion in 2024 – a 2.6 percent increase since 2023, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Overtime, as measured using payroll records, totaled $ Read More

State Lawmakers Spend $268 Million on Legislative Operations

Spending by state lawmakers on office personnel and administrative costs varies widely, with some paying out nearly twice as much as others on their office operations, according to the most recent reported, posted to SeeThroughNY.net. Read More

Empire Center Digs Through Albany’s Pork Barrel

Albany steered over $226 million in grant awards to 581 local projects between June 2024 and April 2025 through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), according to the Empire Center recently received und Read More

Teacher Pensions Added to SeeThroughNY Include 26 Over $300k

New York’s two teacher pension systems last year had 26 retirees eligible to collect pensions of more than $300,000, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Data reported from Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of Read More

School Districts Plan To Spend Over $35K Per Student, Outpacing Inflation

School districts presenting budgets to voters on Tuesday, May 20, plan to spend an average of $35,012 per student, up 4.6 percent from the current school year, according to new state data. Data collected by the state Education Departme Read More

SeeThroughNY Updated With 1,000+ Latest Union Contracts

New York’s of state and local government union contracts has been updated with the latest collective bargaining agreements for local teachers, police, firefighters, libraries, and public authorities. Among the on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center Read More

The Empire Center Comments on the Budget Deal in Albany

As Governor Hochul and legislative leaders belatedly released details of their agreement on a state budget for fiscal year 2026, the Empire Center released a statement from its Senior Fellow for Health Policy, Bill Hammond: Read More