Pomona Unified offers early-retirement bonus
Author: Monica Rodriguez , Staff Writer
POMONA - Longtime certificated employees of the Pomona Unified School District are expected to receive notification this week they are eligible for an early retirement incentive program.
The school district will offer eligible personnel a "retirement supplement" averaging $65,000 if they retire at the end of the current academic year.
If enough people take the offer it could save the district millions in personnel costs and "mitigate any budget reduction layoffs," said Pam Lopez, district assistant superintendent of business services and chief financial officer.
"We worked hard to come up with a retirement incentive plan that treats our teachers and administrators with respect," Interim Superintendent Richard Martinez, said in a district statement. "It's respectful both to retirees who have served our students so well, and to those newer teachers whose positions we'll be able to preserve."
The district estimates that if 80 employees take the offer the district could save about $22 million over a five-year period and about $4.5 million the first year.
A total of 265 certificated employees qualify for the incentive, district officials said.
If more people took the offer "it could be very favorable" for the district, said Pam Lopez, district assistant superintendent of business services and chief financial officer.
The president of the Associated Pomona Teachers, or APT, said Monday the district's proposal is a positive step.
"It seems (the proposal has) been generous and well thought out," said Tyra Weis, APT president.
In the last two years the district has made about $40 million worth of cuts and it's now preparing for what is predicted to be about $36 million in reductions for the 2010-2011 school year.
School board President Andrew Wong said the retirement incentive will provide assistance in dealing with the dark financial picture ahead.
"We believe it's part of the innovative solutions we need to come up with to address the budget shortfall we face this year," Wong said.
The district offered an early retirement incentive last academic year but it didn't draw the response "we would have liked," Wong said. "We'll see if there's additional interest this time."
Last year's offer involved providing qualified personnel a $24,000 retirement supplement over two or five years, said Leslie Barnes, the district's business manager.
A total of 43 people took the offer, she said.
This year the district is providing a higher incentive by working with Public Agency Retirement Services, a firm that provides retirement benefits to those in the public sector.
The offer is open to all certificated personnel, most of whom are teachers but also includes employees such as counselors and school nurses.
Candidates for the program would be employees who are 55 or older and have worked with the district for at least 15 years, Barnes said.
Also eligible are those who are 58 or older and worked for Pomona Unified at least 13 years, Weis said.
All certificated personnel, including administrators, could take advantage of the program, Barnes said.
The $65,000 - the average payout - will be paid over a period each employee chooses, she said.
Employees in areas such as adult education and child development, a number of whom are part-timers, will receive smaller payouts, Barnes said.
If 70 or 80 people were to accept the incentive it would mean many fewer job cuts, district officials said.
If teachers with more seniority chose to take the retirement incentive it would open up classroom positions for newer teachers who otherwise might be laid off, Weis said.
Through this offer "more people at the bottom can move up," she said, adding that would mean fewer families would be affected by layoffs.
This proposal will still leave "experienced teachers that can help train" newer teachers coming up, she said.
"It will go a long way in retaining our newer teachers," Weis said.
Interest in the program has been high, Weis said, adding her office began receiving calls from APT members inquiring about it almost immediately after it received board approval.
Those who accept the offer will be able to retire at the end of June but it's possible that some personnel could leave earlier if it doesn't create a disruption in their area of responsibility, Barnes said.
monica . rodriguez @inlandnewspapers.com
(909) 483-9336
The school district will offer eligible personnel a "retirement supplement" averaging $65,000 if they retire at the end of the current academic year.
If enough people take the offer it could save the district millions in personnel costs and "mitigate any budget reduction layoffs," said Pam Lopez, district assistant superintendent of business services and chief financial officer.
"We worked hard to come up with a retirement incentive plan that treats our teachers and administrators with respect," Interim Superintendent Richard Martinez, said in a district statement. "It's respectful both to retirees who have served our students so well, and to those newer teachers whose positions we'll be able to preserve."
The district estimates that if 80 employees take the offer the district could save about $22 million over a five-year period and about $4.5 million the first year.
A total of 265 certificated employees qualify for the incentive, district officials said.
If more people took the offer "it could be very favorable" for the district, said Pam Lopez, district assistant superintendent of business services and chief financial officer.
The president of the Associated Pomona Teachers, or APT, said Monday the district's proposal is a positive step.
"It seems (the proposal has) been generous and well thought out," said Tyra Weis, APT president.
In the last two years the district has made about $40 million worth of cuts and it's now preparing for what is predicted to be about $36 million in reductions for the 2010-2011 school year.
School board President Andrew Wong said the retirement incentive will provide assistance in dealing with the dark financial picture ahead.
"We believe it's part of the innovative solutions we need to come up with to address the budget shortfall we face this year," Wong said.
The district offered an early retirement incentive last academic year but it didn't draw the response "we would have liked," Wong said. "We'll see if there's additional interest this time."
Last year's offer involved providing qualified personnel a $24,000 retirement supplement over two or five years, said Leslie Barnes, the district's business manager.
A total of 43 people took the offer, she said.
This year the district is providing a higher incentive by working with Public Agency Retirement Services, a firm that provides retirement benefits to those in the public sector.
The offer is open to all certificated personnel, most of whom are teachers but also includes employees such as counselors and school nurses.
Candidates for the program would be employees who are 55 or older and have worked with the district for at least 15 years, Barnes said.
Also eligible are those who are 58 or older and worked for Pomona Unified at least 13 years, Weis said.
All certificated personnel, including administrators, could take advantage of the program, Barnes said.
The $65,000 - the average payout - will be paid over a period each employee chooses, she said.
Employees in areas such as adult education and child development, a number of whom are part-timers, will receive smaller payouts, Barnes said.
If 70 or 80 people were to accept the incentive it would mean many fewer job cuts, district officials said.
If teachers with more seniority chose to take the retirement incentive it would open up classroom positions for newer teachers who otherwise might be laid off, Weis said.
Through this offer "more people at the bottom can move up," she said, adding that would mean fewer families would be affected by layoffs.
This proposal will still leave "experienced teachers that can help train" newer teachers coming up, she said.
"It will go a long way in retaining our newer teachers," Weis said.
Interest in the program has been high, Weis said, adding her office began receiving calls from APT members inquiring about it almost immediately after it received board approval.
Those who accept the offer will be able to retire at the end of June but it's possible that some personnel could leave earlier if it doesn't create a disruption in their area of responsibility, Barnes said.
monica . rodriguez @inlandnewspapers.com
(909) 483-9336
It is too bad that PUSD did not deign to offer this program last year, like many surrounding districts did. Instead they threatened to fire 1/3 of the teachers. Sadly, whatever gains are realized by a retirement incentive this year would have been even greater if they had offered it last year.