(MOBILE, Ala.) - As many as 3,000 employees of Alabama schools have turned in their resignations. They're retiring to avoid increased health insurance premiums and cuts to retirement benefits.
The cuts were passed in the most recent legislative session, but teachers have found a way to avoid them by retiring before Dec. 1. Teachers who keep their jobs now but retire with less than 25 years experience will see the biggest losses.
"It's a 4 percent penalty for every year under 25 [years of experience]," says Mobile County AEA Director Danny Goodwin. "So if you've only got 10 years, that's going to be a 60 percent penalty."
Teachers who start drawing retirement benefits before they are 65 will also take a hit. Goodwin says he's spoken to one employee who will be losing thousands of dollars over the next several years.
"The maximum I've seen was a lady with 10 years [experience], and age 60," he says. "At the end of the term, it's close to $4,000 more a year that they're paying for insurance."
He says many teachers have expressed concerns about leaving their classrooms so close to finals, but say they don't have a choice.
Mobile County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Roy Nichols says some of the teachers plan to come back after the first of the year with part-time hours. He says other open positions will be offered to teachers who were previously laid off.
