Lee Signs Law Allowing Retired Teachers To Fill School Staffing Shortages
Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Governor Lee held a ceremonial signing last Thursday of new legislation that is intended to help with current school staffing shortages. He was joined by Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston-District 12) and Representative Rebecca Alexander (R-Jonesborough-District 7), sponsors of the legislation.
The new law will permit retired educators to be rehired as teachers or bus drivers without losing their retirement benefits. Previously, members of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System were allowed to work but only for a maximum of 120 days. The new legislation will remove that limit and allow them to work for an entire year. That one year contract can be renewed annually if they are still lacking other qualified applicants.
This does not mean retired teachers can work full-time and still receive their entire retirement benefit. Instead, those benefits will be reduced to 70% of the entitled retirement compensation, instead of being suspended completely.
“Our K-12 schools are facing serious staffing challenges for classroom teachers and bus drivers,” said Yager. “This law will help address those issues and eliminate barriers for qualified and experienced retired teachers to return to the classroom. The idea for this legislation came to me from educators in my district.”
The legislation will be in effect from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
