Committee to seek legal review after proposal to pay retired teachers earned performance stipends

A proposal to pay retiring teachers the performance stipends they earned drew support from one board member and immediate legal caution from administration, and the committee voted to refer the matter to counsel.

Mister Piazza told the committee he had been approached by teachers who earn a "highly effective" rating but retire before the stipend payout and therefore receive no additional pay. "I want to see us try to get those people the money that they've earned," Piazza said, arguing the stipend was intended as earned compensation for above-and-beyond performance.

Administration and counsel urged caution. Counsel noted constitutional and state-retirement limits on post-retirement compensation, saying once an employee retires from the state retirement system "they cannot any longer receive compensation for us because they are retired," and cautioned that the district may be constrained from making retroactive payments or bonuses after the fact.

Because of those legal questions, a committee member moved to refer the proposal to the district's general counsel for review; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call. Committee members stressed they wanted to find a "creative" solution if possible, but agreed legal clarification was needed before any policy or payment changes.

The referral means counsel will report back with legal options and constraints; no change to stipend rules or payments was adopted at the meeting.