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Board hears limits on Poets in Schools funding as STRS/PERS rules bar some retirees
Summary
Staff told trustees that classification rules require Poets in Schools payments to be certified or classified work, which prevents some STRS retirees from being paid and limits participation. MCOE staff said they will continue the program and seek ways to allow retired teachers to participate without jeopardizing retirement benefits.
County staff explained that the Poets in Schools program—funded by the Mendocino County Office of Education—must categorize paid instruction as either certificated (STRS) or classified (PERS) work. Because some poets are retired teachers who participate under STRS rules, the county cannot pay poets who are STRS retirees without risking penalties for the retiree or the agency.
"The work that we pay for has to be categorized as either certificated work or classified work," a staff member said, describing the constraint. Staff explained that retired teachers who were never enrolled in PERS but are in STRS cannot be paid as poets under current determinations; however, retirees who were in PERS may be eligible. Trustees discussed that substitution rules differ from the poets' teaching model, and staff said there is no immediate board decision to make — the agency must comply with STRS/PERS rules and may pursue policy or legislative changes in the future if desired. The board did not take action but asked staff to continue administering the program within statutory rules and to explore options to broaden participation.
