Bringing Back Retired Teachers Offers Benefits, Challenges
July 16, 2019
By: Christina Vercelletto
Source: Education Dive
The Chicago Teachers Union saw a victory this past spring when Illinois legislators increased the number of days retired teachers can substitute teach without losing pension benefits by 20%, from 100 days a year to 120.
The state is also extending through 2021 a law that lets retired teachers go back to teaching for a full school year without the usual “return to work” restrictions, such as the “post-retirement” work limit of 120 days or 600 hours. The caveat, though, is that the teaching job must be in a district specifically determined by the regional superintendent to have a shortage in the subject area the retiree will be teaching.
District leaders also see such policies as one strategy for addressing vacancies.