TEACHERS; RETIREMENT AND PENSION SYSTEMS; EMPLOYMENT (GENERAL);

TEACHERS - RETIREMENT;

Connecticut laws/regulations;

You asked if a retired teacher can stop receiving Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) benefits and go back to teaching full time in another district.

SUMMARY

A retired teacher may return to teaching in the same or another school district. The process differs depending on whether he will teach in a subject shortage area. In both cases, the employing school district must complete a form and return it to the Teachers’ Retirement Board (TRB).

NON-SUBJECT SHORTAGE AREA

If a reemployed retired teacher will not teach in a subject shortage area, he may earn up to 45% of the maximum allowed for his position (PA 03-232). This is an increase from the maximum allowed under prior law, which was 45% of the entry-level salary for a teacher assigned to the same subject area. He will also continue to receive TRS benefits.

In order for the teacher to receive more than 45% of the maximum salary for his position and stop receiving pension benefits, the employing board of education must complete a form and submit it to TRB. This

form is available on TRB’s website at http: //www. state. ct. us/trb/formsandpubs/POSTRETX. pdf. If at any time the teacher exceeds the earnings limitation while continuing to receive benefits, he must reimburse TRB for the excess amount. His pension benefit will be suspended on the first day of the month in which he exceeds the earnings limitation and will resume on the first day of the month following his re-retirement. The law does not require the district to offer health benefits to the reemployed teacher if he is not employed in a subject shortage area, but it may choose to do so.

SUBJECT SHORTAGE AREA

If a retired teacher will be reemployed in a subject shortage area, the school district must request approval from TRB before employing him. It may do so by completing a form available on TRB’s website at http: //www. state. ct. us/trb/formsandpubs/POSTRETSS. pdf. If TRB approves his reemployment, the teacher may teach in a designated shortage area without regard to the earnings limitation and continue to receive TRS benefits for up to one full year. With prior written approval, he may be granted an extension for an additional school year.

For the 2003-04 school year, subject shortage areas are:

• Music, PreK-12

• Bilingual education, PreK-12

• Special education, 1-12

• Mathematics, 7-12

• Technology education, PreK-12

• Spanish, 7-12

• Remedial reading and language arts, 1-12

• Speech and language pathologist

• School psychologist

The employing school district must also provide the reemployed teacher with the same health insurance offered to active teachers. As long as the teacher works for the system, PA 03-232 bars him from receiving benefits under the state health plans for retired teachers or state-subsidized benefits under the health plan maintained by his last employing board of education.

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