Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-07-15
TEACHER RETIREMENT FUND
The Trustees File Complaint With
Attorney General Against DeIin-
quent Boards OF Education.

quent Boards OF Education.
Preliminary to proceeding against
delinquent Boards of Education gem
orally, the Board of Trustees of the
Teachers Retirement Fund has filed
against the Boards of the Cities of
Passaic, Burlington and Bridgeton, as
per the following resolution, unani-
mously adopted by the Trustees at
their last meeting:
sRESOLVED,-T the non-com-
pliance with the terms of the Teach
ers' Retirement Fund law by the City
of Passaic, Passaic County, be report
ed to the Attorney General with in
structions to take such proceedings
as may be necessary and proper"
Similar resolutions were adopted as
to Bridgeton and Burlington.
From the date of the enactment of
the Teachers Retirement Fund Law,
in 1896, it has been fashionable for
many Boards of Education to disre-
gard it's provisions as to the deduction
of the legally prescribed percentage
from the monthly salary payments to
members of the Fund, whereby the
Fund has suffered serious loss.
Acknowledgement McCarter ruled
that no person once member of the
Fund may withdraw therefrom or
cease paying dues thereto while con-
tinuing in public or State school SER
vice in New Jersey
e-+ra,.r~, foe4,,,,r i, Il,
that many Boards of Education, tho
repeatedly warned, do not seem to
wake up to the fact that the Retire
ment Fund Act is mandatory, and that
they are responsible for every cent the
Fund has lost by their failure to com
ply with the Law.
The original Act (that of 1880 di-
rected that Boards of Education
should reserve for the Fund that legal
percentage s'of the salaries paid
each month to the teachers who shall
elect to come under the pro-
visions OF this Act" The Law has
been amended several times, but the
foregoing provision was always re-
tanned.
In the amendment OF 1907, it was
clerk, principal, supervisor, supervis-
ing-principal or superintendent re-
ceiving his or her first appointment
in any New Jersey public or State
school on or after January 1st, 1908,
shall, by virtue of such appointment,
becomea member of the Teachers Re-
tirement Fund, and Boards of Educa-
tion were made responsible for the
collection of the dues of such members
and their remittance to the State
Treasurer, who receives and has the
custody of all moneys belonging to
the Fund 1t should be observed that
this sby virtue of appointment pro-
vision did not apply to any person who
had been regularly employed in any
New Jersey public or State school
prior to January 1st, 1908; for these,
the matter was left entirely optional.
Boards of Education are by law re-
quired: tai to ascertain which of
their newly-appointed teachers are
members of the Fund, and to record
them as such; (b) to reserve the legal
percentages monthly from the month
ly salaries of all members of the Fund
in their employ; (c) to draw orders
y
school moneys of their respective
school districts for the amounts thus
reserved, and (d) to forward the same
to said custodians with a complete
list of members, their respective per-
centage rates, monthly salaries and
the amount deducted from each. The
said custodian shall Immediately send
said list, together with a check for
the amount named therein, to the
State Treasurer.
Many Boards, other than the three
named are disregarding the Law in
various particulars, but more especial
Iy as to the provision which makes
Fund-members of all teachers who re-
ceive their first New Jersey appoint-
ment on or after January 1st, 1908.
Several pages of a schedule issued by
the State Treasurer are devoted to
the names of recent members, on
whose account nothing had been re-
ceived. Such failure on the part of
numerous School Boards to deduct
and remit the dues of members has
entailed the loss of many thousands
of dollars.
The Board of Trustees of the Fund
have exhausted persuasion in their eff
forts to secure voluntary compile
ance with the Statute till, now, their
duty as Trustees compels them to ap-
peal to the Attorney General.
Trnfh in POstmaStprS HumOr.