Amidst a flurry of legislation filed this week, one bill addressing a key NCASA priority on expanding options for rehiring retirees in public schools also emerged.

Rep. Todd Carver (R-Iredell) introduced House Bill 106 to revive and expand a now-expired law previously aimed at getting retirees to return to work as teachers in high-needs schools. That law expired in 2021 and was used only minimally in NC public schools because it held potential financial penalties for the school district if the Internal Revenue Service determined the law ran afoul of federal retirement regulations. However, teaching vacancies continue across the state, and several lawmakers, including Rep. Carver, are looking into how they can address that problem.

“Science, math, and special education teachers,” Carver told the Statesville Record and Landmark. “A lot of those vacancies are going unfilled right now or with a long-term substitute. Both superintendents from Mooresville Graded School District and Iredell-Statesville Schools, really from all across the state, superintendents have complained about those positions being really hard to fill.”

Under his new bill, educators could be re-employed at a high-need school – one that is either Title I or has a School Performance Grade of D or F – after only two months in retirement. The current state-mandated break-in service before any retiree can return to work in public schools or state government is six months.

NCASA has been advocating to reduce that retiree sit-out time to help public schools statewide secure more of the veteran educators they need to fill critical staffing vacancies. The organization will work with Rep. Carver and other lawmakers on any needed changes to the legislation as it moves forward for consideration and action.