Two Congressmen are proposing a fix for a problem that has hurt teachers for three decades: that they are not treated fairly when it comes to Social Security.

As Representatives Kevin Brady and Richard Neal note, Social Security benefits are reduced for any teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public servants who have worked both public sector and private sector jobs over the course of their careers due to the way benefits are calculated for those who have worked in both jobs covered by Social Security and jobs that are not.

Why aren’t all teachers covered by Social Security? Leslie Kan explains that here. She notes

Nationwide, approximately 1.2 million teachers (about 40 percent of all public K–12 teachers) are not covered under Social Security for their time in the classroom.

(It has to do with the decision made by some states to exclude teachers from Social Security and instead cover them through state pension plans, Kan explains.)

In a separate article, Kan explains why public sector unions resist the idea of having all teachers covered by Social Security.

– Education Next