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Forest Grove School Board approves retirement, resignation incentive for licensed staff pending union ratification
Summary
The Forest Grove School District board approved a plan offering eligible licensed staff a one-time $24,000 payment or one year of health-insurance premium contributions, with recipients barred from district employment for two school years; the agreement is contingent on ratification by the FGEA.
The Forest Grove School District Board of Directors voted April 3 to approve a retirement and resignation incentive for eligible licensed staff, the board said, pending ratification by the Forest Grove Education Association (FGEA).
Sarah Hamlin, the district’s director of human resources, told the board the district and the FGEA leadership "have worked together on language to provide a retirement and resignation incentive for licensed staff." Under the proposal, qualifying employees would choose either a one-time $24,000 payment or health-insurance premium contributions up to the 2026–27 plan cap for one year.
Hamlin said eligible educators must have at least 10 consecutive years of service and must occupy a specified salary placement (described in the proposal as row M, columns five or six on the district salary schedule). She also said employees who accept the incentive would be required to notify the district in writing by April 20 of which option they select; the lump-sum payment would be paid July 20, 2026, if chosen.
When Director Briea Franco asked whether participants could return to the district in a different role, Hamlin replied that recipients "would not be able to return to employment for Forest Grove School District in those two years in any capacity," explaining the restriction is intended to preserve the program’s cost-savings and the reductions-in-force flexibility the district seeks.
Board members asked staff to clarify the numbering and formatting in the program language so it clearly presents the two mutually exclusive options — lump sum or insurance premium assistance — and Hamlin said the district would provide explanatory materials and an opportunity for interested staff to consult with association leadership before making decisions.
A motion to approve the proposed agreement between the FGEA and the Forest Grove School District for the 2025–2026 retirement/resignation incentive, contingent on FGEA ratification, was made and seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote at the meeting. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally.
Board members expressed appreciation to district staff and association representatives for negotiating the agreement. The motion’s approval allows the district and association to proceed with outreach and enrollment materials pending the association vote.
