Testimony in Support House Bill 562 (Senate Bill 668) Teachers’ Retirement and Pension Systems – Reemployment of Retirees
| MSTA's testimony rehired retired legislation |
| House Bill 478 |
| House Bill 562 |
| House Bill 962 |
House Appropriations Committee
February 27, 2007
1:00 P.M.
Randal Mickens
Government Relations
The Maryland State Teachers Association supports House Bill 562 (Senate Bill 668), which changes the criteria under which retired teachers and principals may be rehired by the school system.
The effect of this bill would be an expansion of the rehired retired program by requiring that retired teachers and principals rehired under this program would only have to meet one set of criteria, pertaining to either the type of school in which they may work or the subjects they would be allowed to teach, instead of having to meet both sets of criteria. This bill also changes one criterion, from schools that receive funding under Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to schools where more than 50% of students are eligible for free and reduce-price meals.
This bill recognizes that many school systems across the state continue to face challenges in recruiting and retaining enough highly qualified teachers for all of its classroom needs. This challenge is especially acute in schools in danger of not meeting adequate yearly progress on state assessment tests. This bill would provide superintendents with some additional flexibility to rehire some retired teachers to meet certain staffing needs in their jurisdiction.
Because a highly qualified teacher in every classroom is important to maximizing student achievement on state assessment tests, we urge a favorable report on this House Bill 562 (Senate Bill 668).
