To keep teachers in classrooms

Steve Marcus

Terrie Tsuneta teaches math to fourth graders Tuesday at Paul Culley Empowerment Elementary School. Faced with a looming exodus of experienced teachers and an ongoing shortage of experienced administrators, the School District wants to suspend an early retirement incentive program.

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 | 2 a.m.

With the hunt already on for the thousands of new Clark County teachers needed for the 2008-09 school year, the last thing Chief Human Resources Officer Martha Tittle needs is a district policy that adds to the problem.

That’s why Tittle, at the direction of Superintendent Walt Rulffes, will ask the School Board tonight to consider eliminating an early retirement incentive program. A vote is set for March 27.

In addition to reducing vacancies, ditching the program would cut costs — more than $2 million annually in retirement credits and health insurance premiums, according to the district. The savings are needed to help the district comply with the governor’s call for a 4.5 percent budget cut to K-12 education over the biennium. That amounts to $66 million in Clark County.

But for Tittle the more important result of the change is that it should prevent additional vacancies.

Because of new school construction, retirements, resignations and teachers moving up the ranks to administration, the School District already expects to need about 3,000 new teachers for the upcoming academic year and will have to fill vacancies for administrators, food service workers, custodians, clerical staff and other support employees.

“We need to retain experienced teachers, administrators and support staff,” Tittle said. “This really isn’t the time to be encouraging anyone to leave.”

By the close of the 2006-07 academic year, 124 employees — 24 administrators, 26 support employees and 74 teachers — had taken advantage of the early retirement incentive. For 2005-06 the total was 110 employees, and for 2004-05 it was 124.

Those are relatively small numbers, given that the district employs more than 30,000 people full time. But with recruiting becoming increasingly difficult and experienced administrators in short supply, the incentive program is out of step, Tittle said.

The program, created in 1984, made School District employees eligible for early retirement after 15 to 29 years of district employment if they have accrued at least 110 days of sick leave. The greater the number of unused sick days, the greater the district’s contribution toward purchasing credits with the state’s Public Employees’ Retirement System.

If the program is eliminated, licensed personnel — teachers, specialists, school nurses, psychologists and speech pathologists — would still have a narrow early retirement option. Under the terms of their negotiated contract, licensed personnel with 29 years’ tenure and at least 100 days of sick leave can retire early, with the district picking up the cost of the 30th year’s retirement credit.

The district is also bracing for the effect of a change to state law that has raised fears of a huge spike in teacher retirements over the next six months. Teachers who don’t retire by Sept. 1 will not be eligible for subsidized health care coverage through the state-managed benefits program.

The district and the teachers union are hashing out a new health insurance plan for retirees that both sides hope will keep people from retiring in time to qualify for the subsidized state plan. It would also provide coverage to retired teachers after the state plan’s window closes. Currently, retired teachers who don’t opt for the state plan must find their own health insurance.

So far, the change in the state law has not spurred an exodus of veteran teachers. But, Tittle said, the school year is still young. Teachers typically inform the district of retirement plans beginning in March, with the numbers peaking in July, before the start of the new academic year.

If approved by the School Board, the retirement incentive for teachers with 15 to 29 years’ tenure would end in September. District regulations require six months’ notice.

Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, said she understands the logic of ending the incentive program, but wishes the district could take the $2 million that will be saved by the move “and use it for something to encourage teachers to stay put.”

Ruth Dodrill, who is in her 43rd year of teaching — the last 23 of which have been in Clark County — plans to stay put for now, but many of her friends and colleagues have left the profession in recent years. Some wanted to take advantage of the early retirement incentive, while others made the move with an eye toward their future health care costs.

Dodrill knows the job wears many people out.

“Teaching is one of those few jobs that doesn’t end when the workday is over,” she said. “You’re always thinking about your students, about the next project. You don’t ever really leave it behind.”

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at emily@lasvegassun.com.