AUSTIN, Texas — Texas voters want retired teachers to make a little more each month.
Voters approved Proposition 9 on the Nov. 7 ballot. The amendment to the Texas Constitution will help retired teachers' monthly pay by giving those in the Teacher Retirement System a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA.
Retired teachers haven't received a COLA since 2013. And even then, only teachers who retired by August 2004 got it.
Prop 9 authorizes a one-time COLA between 2% and 6%, depending on when the teacher retired. Lawmakers also passed a bill to give retired teachers between 70 and 75 years old a one-time supplemental payment.
Last month, KVUE spoke to a retired teacher about what the COLA would mean for himself and other retired educators.
"A lot of us tend to live month-to-month on this pension," Joe Ramirez said. "If this passes, hey, that's one more medication I can pay off. That's an extra bag of groceries I can buy each month."
Ramirez also said that since his retirement, his rent has doubled to $2,000 – the same amount he said the average retired teacher gets monthly and solely relies on as income.
The money for the COLA is already set aside in the state budget, but it still needed voters' approval. Voters had the option to approve or reject it.
For the latest election results, head to KVUE.com/elections.