The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education passed a resolution on Monday, Apr. 1, authorizing the rehire of retired teachers in the event of a shortage of qualified candidates in certain teaching areas or disciplines. The idea is that such a move provides an opportunity to access the extensive expertise and experience of a group of professionals on an annual basis to fill the vacancies that may not otherwise be filled.
According to the resolution, rehired teachers will continue to receive retirement benefits from the plan and benefits through reemployment by the School District, though they will not accrue additional service credit during the period of reemployment, and they will be eligible to receive the group health plan coverage provided to active members employed by the District.
“There is a huge benefit to the school district [by] bringing back talents–people we’ve invested in who have worked years in this school district to fill these positions that are hard to fill,” said Board of Education President Zen Kelly. “So, that’s what this does. It’s a little bit every year we’ve got to repass this resolution in order to qualify for the program that does this.”
There are a few rules the district will have to follow before any retired teachers are rehired. The position that a retired teacher is to fill must first be publicly advertised for 10 business days and actively recruited in search of a qualified candidate other than a member who is retired; retirees to be hired must have had no prearrangement of reemployment prior to retirement and experience a minimum of 60 days or six months of separation depending on the age of the retiree.
The resolution passed by unanimous vote.