Senate advances bill to restore personal and sick leave for reemployed retired teachers

The Guam Legislature on the floor advanced Bill 48-38 COR, a measure to restore limited sick and personal leave for retired teachers who return to work for the Guam Department of Education (GDOE).

The bill, as explained on the floor, would let reemployed retired teachers accrue sick leave at the same rate as active GDOE 12-month employees (four hours per pay period) and grant returning teachers 72 hours of personal leave for the school year. The bill applies to limited-term contracts that typically run from August through May and specifies the leave would not roll into permanent-employee accruals.

Supporters said the change is intended to ease a staffing shortage and to encourage experienced educators to return to classrooms. "They're in full support of just that," said Senator Aborja, the bills author, referring to discussions with GDOE about the proposal. Senator Tydigui, who questioned whether the measure contained unneeded limits, said the benefits could help persuade retirees to return to teaching: "65 is the new forties," she told colleagues.

Why this matters: Senators described teacher vacancies as a continuing challenge for the islands public schools. Several members referenced prior legislation that allowed sick-leave accrual for retirees reemployed by other agencies (Bill 50-38, now Public Law 38-17) and said Bill 48-38 COR would align GDOE returning teachers with that coverage while adding 72 hours of personal leave.

Key provisions and clarifications reported on the floor: - Sick leave accrual: four hours per pay period, matching DOA policy for active employees. - Personal leave: 72 hours per school year for returning teachers on limited-term (AugMay) contracts. - Implementation: the superintendent of GDOE is directed to establish procedures to implement the section within 90 days of enactment; the bills author said the intent is for the department to determine operational details rather than create a burdensome new process. - Collective-bargaining scope: the Guam Federation of Teachers (GFT) represents classified full-time employees; the floor discussion indicated the federation does not represent the limited-term returning retirees under the proposed language.

What senators said: Multiple senators rose in support during the floor debate, praising testimony from the public hearing and GDOE and Guam Board of Education representatives. Senator from Tel Aviv (floor identification) noted the island saw as many as 400 vacancies in past years and said returning retirees have helped close that gap. The bills author said the measure grew from requests by the Board of Education and conversations with GDOE.

Procedural outcome: On the floor the sponsor moved to add the senators present as cosponsors; the motion was ordered without objection. The author then moved to place Bill 48-38 COR, as amended, in the third-reading file for a final vote; the motion was ordered without objection and the bill advanced to the third-reading file.

Discussion vs. decision: The floor debate included policy and implementation questions (discussion), clarifications that GFT coverage does not extend to limited-term retirees (clarifying direction), and a formal procedural action to move the measure into the third-reading file (formal action placed in the third-reading file as amended).

Next steps: The bill was placed in the third-reading file; a final floor vote was not recorded in the transcript segment provided. If scheduled for third reading, the chamber will vote on final passage on a later calendar.

Ending: Senators said the change is intended as a modest incentive for experienced educators to return to classrooms while preserving limits on accrual and retirement accounting; supporters urged colleagues to back the measure at third reading.