News  Retired Boston Headmaster Agrees to Pay Boston Retirement Board more than $34,000 Following OIG Investigation

Linda Nathan, a retired Boston Public Schools headmaster, agreed to repay $34,498 to the Boston Retirement Board to settle allegations that she failed to comply with state laws limiting the compensation a retired public employee can earn from a public employer.

In April 2020, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that Ms. Nathan continued to work for a Boston public school after she had retired from the school system.  The OIG determined that as the executive director of a non-profit organization created to support a charter school in Boston, Ms. Nathan was “rendering service” to a public body and, therefore, was subject to the earning limitations in Section 91(b) of Chapter 32 of the General Laws.

Section 91(b) limits earnings so that public employees cannot receive more in public funds after retirement than they did as full-time public employees. The OIG further found that Ms. Nathan’s pension combined with her compensation from the non-profit exceeded her pre-retirement salary, in violation of state law.

In October 2021, the Boston Retirement Board held a hearing to determine the dollar amount of Ms. Nathan’s overearnings. The hearing officer issued his decision in March 2022. The Board voted to approve the settlement on April 27, 2022.

To learn more about the investigation, read the OIG’s full letter:

Violation of Post-Retirement Earnings Limits