In an attempt to help school districts that are slicing jobs to balance their books, some state lawmakers are pitching an early-out retirement program for eligible teachers.
Del. M. Kirkland Cox, the House of Delegates Majority Whip and a government teacher in Chesterfield County schools, says the plan could help school districts manage staffing needs in the face of budget cuts.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has proposed cutting $340 million for nonteaching school support staff and eliminating $27.5 million in state school construction grants to help close a yawning $3.2 billion shortfall in the state budget.
That's causing school districts across Virginia to make tough choices.
Chesterfield County school officials said this week that they are looking at eliminating 525 positions -- about half of which are current employees who will lose their jobs -- and cutting 20 percent from school and department budgets, among other things.
"It's not a silver bullet," Cox, R-Colonial Heights, said of the House plan, adding that while it might not work for everyone, it could help school districts keep teachers in the classroom.
The proposal would let school boards purchase between one and five years of retirement service credit for employees who are 50 years old and have at least 25 years of service.
School districts would have to pay Virginia Retirement Service 20 percent of the eligible employee's current salary for each year of service purchased.
Participation would be voluntary for school districts and employees, who would not be subject to early retirement penalties and could elect a retirement date between July 1 and June 30, 2010. Districts could pay at once or over five years.
The House proposal, if successful, would be included in revisions to the state's two year, $77 billion budget.
Robert P. Vaughn, staff director of the House Appropriations Committee, estimated about 17,000 instructional personnel statewide currently meet the criteria and an additional 1,200 support staffers.
But the plan isn't going to work for every school district, and divisions would have to assess their situation and do the math.
"I would think some divisions will take advantage of it and it's a good option and others would say it really won't save me that much money," said Alfred R. ButlerIV, executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.
Dinwiddie County Superintendent Charles Maranzano Jr., also a superintendents association board member, had not seen the plan as of yesterday evening but said some senior school employees have mentioned that they would consider stepping aside if given an incentive.
Other states have implemented early retirement incentive programs, and the House's plan is modeled after a similar provision in Virginia's Workforce Transition Act for state employees.
"The concept of an early retirement incentive program makes an awful lot of sense," Maranzano said. "Let's see how it survives the process at the General Assembly and what its final form will be."
Younger staffers, who cost less than their senior counterparts, are often the first to go during layoffs.
Tim Bullis, spokesman for Chesterfield schools, said officials have heard about the House proposal, but have not seen legislation.
"When we see it, we'll be looking at the possibilities and what kind of benefits it will have for our employees," he said.
Contact Olympia Meola at (804) 649-6812 or omeola@timesdispatch.com.
Staff writer Juan Lizama contributed to this report.
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