Lynbrook school board considers addendum to teachers’ retirement incentive, would move retirement date to Sept. 30

The Lynbrook Union Free School District held a special meeting Feb. 24 to consider an addendum to a memorandum of agreement with the Lindbergh Teachers Association that would move a required retirement date from June 30, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2025, with the goal of encouraging additional retirements to reduce staffing costs.

Dr. Lynch, a staff member who presented the item, said the district established a one-time retirement incentive for up to 10 Lindbergh Teachers Association (LTA) unit members and that the addendum would add a single sentence to the existing memorandum of agreement to extend the retirement-effective date to Sept. 30. “We decided that that attrition process needed a little boost,” Dr. Lynch said, describing the change as a way to “hurry the attrition process along.”

The incentive, first agreed in a memorandum of agreement dated Jan. 28, 2025, is open to eligible unit members including teachers, psychologists, counselors, social workers, speech therapists and nurses. As described at the meeting, the eligibility threshold for the incentive is age 55 with 30 years of service credit; eligible unit members who meet the retirement rules would be required to retire by the specified effective date to receive the payout.

Under the terms read into the record, the payout schedule in the memorandum is: $1,000 for the first 30 accrued sick days, $500 for sick days 31 through 50, and $120 for sick days 51 through 240. The district did not provide a per-person maximum in the meeting beyond that schedule; presenters described the payments as drawn from a designated reserve set aside for this purpose.

Dr. Lynch said the district has $3,100,000 in the reserve that can be used only for payments of this type. He said if all 10 eligible unit members maximized the payout described in the memorandum, the approximate total cost would be about $600,000. “We’re at such the point in the budget development process that every bit counts,” Dr. Lynch said.

Board discussion focused on the voluntary nature of the incentive. “The whole purpose of this incentive, we’re not firing teachers. Right? We’re not forcing anybody to take this incentive,” said a board member during questions. Dr. Lynch confirmed the addendum’s purpose is to allow some staff to return to work as a substitute in September, accrue additional sick days if needed, and then retire effective Sept. 30 so the district can realize the budget savings.

Board members discussed current interest in the program. Dr. Lynch told the board he had met with the eighth teacher who had indicated interest and that two more teachers were expected to sign by Friday, which would reach the 10-person target the board set when it adopted the original incentive.

With no members of the public present, the board did not open a public-comment period. The board president read a resolution on the floor that would amend paragraph 3 of the Jan. 28, 2025, memorandum of agreement by adding an option that makes the unit member eligible if they are able to retire without penalty under TRS or ERS rules and regulations on or before June 30, 2025, and elect to have a retirement-effective date of Sept. 30, 2025.

Board member Shannon moved to accept the resolution; Board member Luna seconded the motion. The transcript does not record a roll-call or voice vote or the final outcome of that motion; the vote tally and final disposition are not specified in the meeting record provided.

The meeting closed with routine announcements and scheduling of a budget work session on March 4 and the regular board meeting on March 12.