Rick Karlin is reporting at Capitol Confidential the number of school administrators and teachers eligible for six-figure taxpayer-funded pensions has nearly tripled between 2009 and 2014, according to the Empire Center. The center has posted the most recent list of New York City and state teacher pensions on their website, SeeThroughNY [dot] net. Most of the pensions paying more than $200,000 a year appear to be on Long Island and in the New York City suburbs, although there are some SUNY pensions included. Almost 5,000 educators statewide were eligible for pensions above $100,000 in 2014. Pension costs for retirees, as well as health insurance costs, are often cited by school district officials as some of their biggest expenses and a reason that they struggle to stay within the state’s approximately 2 percent cap on property taxes.The Empire Center for Public Policy is a non-partisan, independent think tank. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.