The early retirements of teachers totaling 95-1/2 years of experience and non-certified staff with another 63-1/2 years of experience were approved by the Greene County Schools board of education at its Dec. 21 meeting.
The three teachers who are retiring are high school teachers: English teacher Randy Reuter with 32-1/2 years, science teacher Kelly Simpson with 32 years, and business education teacher Mavis Sawhill with 31 years of service in the Jefferson, Jefferson-Scranton and Greene County district.
Also retiring are Susan Lansman, an associate in the East Greene and Greene County district for 28 years; Joyce Kurth, an associate and then a custodian in the Jefferson, J-S and Greene County district for 25 years; and Marilyn Tasler, an associate in the J-S and Greene County district for 10-1/2 years.
The board approved an early retirement incentive in November, capping the total amount to be paid at $200,000. The incentive – 45 percent of the employee’s current year contracted salary excluding overtime, supplemental/coaching pay or extended contract pay, and teacher salary supplement – will be paid in equal lump sums in December 2017 and June 2018. The total to be paid to the six retirees is $162,850.
The district uses early retirement as a budget tool. Incentives are paid from the management fund, not the operating fund (from which teacher salaries comes). In some cases, it is used for staff reduction; in other cases, less experienced teachers will be hired at a lower annual salary.
