12 Retired Hudson Valley Educators Collect Pensions of More Than $200K a Year

By PAIGE MCATEE and LANNING TALIAFERRO

Hudson Valley school districts pay a lot in pensions for retired employees.

Below is a list of the 25 ex-Hudson Valley school district employees who collect the highest annual pension payments, based on information from SeeThroughNY, a transparency website run by the Empire Center.

Compared to the rest of New York, former school employees get the best treatment on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley.

The New York state list of pensioners of the New York State Teachers Retirement System is dominated by former downstate superintendents, including No. 11, Nancy Taddiken, the retired Edgemont schools superintendent.

But the Hudson Valley is minor-league compared to Long Island, the source of 9 of the top 10, and where four educators receive upward of $300,000 in pension payouts.

The New York State Teacher Retirement System says it’s “consistently among the top-performing and best-funded public pension funds, particularly among teacher retirement systems.”

According to the NYSTRS 2015 annual report: Final average salary is generally determined by the average of the employee’s three highest consecutive school years of regular salary. This is excluding “termination pay, retirement bonuses, pay for unused sick leave or accumulated vacation, and increases in salary which exceed certain limitations.”

Below is the list of the top 25 highest paid school district retirees from the Hudson Valley, which includes their district name and payout:

1. Taddiken, Nancy L., Edgemont Schools: $236,180
2. Glassman, Phyllis, Ossining Union Free Schools: $213,053
3. Organisciak, Richard E, New Rochelle City School District: $212,382
4. Auriemma, Frank V., Pearl River schools: $211,650
5. Lauro, Dennis R, Jr, Pelham Union Free Schools,Westchester 2 BOCES: $206,748
6. Watkins, Dodge R, Haverstraw-Stony Point Central Schools: $206,546
7. Lichtenfeld, Robert V, Katonah-Lewisboro Union Free Schools: $205,617
8. Monahan, Brian D, Haverstraw-Stony Point Central Schools,Westchester Community College: $202,813
9. Fried, Paul R, Mamaroneck Union Free Schools: $202,127
10. Natale, Joseph L, SUNY College at New Paltz, Warwick Valley Central Schools: $201,839
11. Sandbank, Janice, Brewster Central Schools: $200,361
12. Connolly, Kenneth J, Lakeland Central Schools: $200,344
13. Marien, Joanne A, Somers Central Schools: Somers Central Schools
14. Morgano, John C, Pearl River Union Free Schools, $199,333
15. Castro, Marjorie E, Croton-Harmon Union Free Schools, $196,905
16. Dennis, Bruce L, Bedford Central Schools: $193,683
17. Freund, Sidney A, Dobbs Ferry Union Free Schools,North Salem Central Schools: $191,169
18. Chambers, John A, Byram Hills at Armonk Central Schools: $188,014
19. Maurer, Richard E, Ardsley Union Free Schools: $187,087
20. Antonecchia, Donald A, Pleasantville Union Free Schools: $186,945
21. Freimark, Norman I, Mount Pleasant Cottage Union Free Schools: $186,274
22. Taylor, Jacquelyn M, Byram Hills at Armonk Central Schools: $186,086
23. Pauline, Robert A, Elmsford Union Free Schools: $185,771
24. Smalls, Ronald L, Greenburgh Central Schools: $182,220
25. Friedman, Jason P, East Ramapo Central Schools: $181,854