Committee
Education
Author
David Parker
Session
2024 Session
Latest Action
The House Appropriations Committee failed to take action on SB 2685 by the April 2 deadline, causing this bill to die in committee.
Explanation of the Bill
Senate Bill 2685 would authorize retired teachers to work in a critical shortage area for a reduced salary while receiving full retirement benefits from PERS. Under SB 2585, retired teachers who meet all of the following qualifications would be authorized to teach while receiving PERS benefits:
- At least 25 years of creditable service
- Employed as a public school teacher at the time of retirement
- Has been retired at least 90 days
- Receiving retirement allowance from PERS
- Holds a standard teaching license in Mississippi
A qualifying retired teacher would be authorized to teach for up to five years (consecutively or intermittently) in any district designated by the Mississippi Department of Education as a “geographic critical shortage area,” of which there are currently 103 for the 2023-2024 school year. A qualifying retired teacher could also teach a critical shortage subject (special education, math, foreign language, or science) in any school district in Mississippi.
A school district hiring a retired teacher could pay up to 125% of the salary the teacher would have earned, based on years of experience and license type, if they were not retired. 50% of this salary would be contributed as an employee contribution to PERS in order to “actuarially offset any pension liability created by this act” (the employee contribution for most PERS employees is 9%). The remaining 50% would be paid to the retired teacher, in addition to the full PERS benefit. The extent of the PERS benefit varies due to factors including years of creditable service as well as years of retirement, but participating teachers could potentially outearn their final pre-retirement salary (for example, a teacher retiring after 30 years would receive an annual PERS benefit of about $34,680; if they also earned 50% of 125% of their final pre-retirement salary of $58,400, they would receive a total of $71,180 in pre-tax compensation). These teachers would also be eligible for any local salary supplements offered by the district, as well as state supplements for being certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).
SB 2685 is intended to address Mississippi’s critical teacher shortage by expanding the pool of prospective teachers to include retired teachers.
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| 2/19/24 | On February 19, SB 2685 was referred to the Senate Education Committee. |
| 2/29/24 | On February 29, the Senate Education Committee passed a committee substitute for SB 2685. |
| 3/7/24 | On March 7, the Senate passed the committee substitute for SB 2685. The bill will now be transmitted to the House. |
| 3/21/24 | On March 21, the House Education Committee passed SB 2685. |
| 4/2/24 | The House Appropriations Committee failed to take action on SB 2685 by the April 2 deadline, causing this bill to die in committee. |