Fourteen retired New York City educators quietly joined the half-million-dollar club in 2025, with public pension records showing each received more than $500,000 in benefits, and one topping $1 million. The group includes long-serving CUNY professors and former Department of Education administrators. The payouts, drawn from public databases, add to a rising tally of six-figure retiree benefits in the city’s teacher pension system.
According to Empire Center, which analyzed data posted to the SeeThroughNY pension database, 14 retirees drew more than $500,000 in benefits in 2025. Empire Center’s breakdown also shows 7,341 NYCTRS members received over $100,000, a 13.2% increase from the previous year, while 69 retirees collected more than $300,000 and 273 collected over $200,000.
City accounting shows billions in teacher payouts
The New York City Office of the Actuary’s GASB 67/68 report for the fiscal year covering 2025 lists Teachers’ Retirement System benefit payments of about $5.32 billion, according to the New York City Office of the Actuary. That total differs modestly from the Empire Center and SeeThroughNY aggregation, which Empire Center reported at roughly $5.02 billion for 2025. The actuary’s filing provides the formal accounting tables city agencies use to track pension liabilities and benefit flows.
Top recipients include CUNY professors and former principals
The SeeThroughNY pensions database shows the largest single payout went to Harris Zeigler, a psychology professor at Hunter College, whose 2025 pension benefit is listed at $1,064,438. Other large recorded payments include Iris Royster ($674,392), Iris Rodriguez ($643,895), Grace Schulman ($625,553) and Sherrol Lyons ($623,120). The public dataset covers retirees from both the Department of Education and CUNY campuses, and includes new retirees who began drawing full benefits in 2025.
Why some pensions balloon to six figures
Empire Center’s analysis points to a mix of factors, including benefit tiers, final average salary formulas and prior service buybacks, that can increase a member’s service credit and final benefit. Empire Center notes that Tier 1 members with 30 or more years of credit tend to average larger pensions than later tiers and that buybacks appear to boost credits for some retirees. In one conspicuous case, Empire Center highlights Zeigler’s more than 64 years of service as a main driver behind his seven-figure payout.
What this means for budgets and policy
For city residents and policymakers, the climb in six-figure teacher pensions adds a fresh data point to long-running budget conversations about retiree benefits and affordability. With tens of thousands of members in NYCTRS and billions in annual benefit payments, watchdogs and elected officials may use the public records to press for policy changes, from stricter buyback rules to adjustments in tiered benefits. The public dataset makes it easier for researchers and the public to track who receives the largest payouts and why.
