LTUSD employees retiring

unedited oct. mt. news short:

Financial incentives to retire early from LTUSD

By Kathryn Reed

Out with the old and in with the new. That’s the theme throughout Lake Tahoe Unified School District.
Classified members had until Sept. 4 to let the district know if they would be taking a “golden handshake”, while certificated have until Jan. 15 to decide.
Thirteen classified staff will be gone by the end of the calendar year. They include bus drivers, custodians, instructional assistants, secretaries, cafeteria workers and others.
“We don’t how much we will save because we don’t know which jobs we’ll keep,” said Beth Delacour, human resources director.
Reconfiguring and redefining jobs is ongoing. Jobs will be posted at www.ltusd.org.
Classified workers who took the offer are given two years toward their retirement. So, if they had 30 years of service, the district buys two for them so they retire with 32 years. It is costing the district less than $300,000.
The district expects to recoup the expense by either not filling positions or hiring people for less money. The idea is people on the high end of the pay scale are taking the buyout, while those hired will be at the low end.
Delacour is estimating between 10 and 15 teachers will opt for the early retirement. They are being offered $5,000 a year for five years. She said it helps bridge the medical insurance gap from 60 to 65, when people are eligible for Medicare.
This could mean Delacour will be out recruiting for teachers next spring – a change from sending out layoff notices for the past few years.