More Teachers Opt for Retirement Incentive

More teachers in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District opted for a retirement incentive, and so far,

The school board approved the retirement of 31 teachers Tuesday night at its regular meeting, and most will return next year on a limited contract and reduced salary.

Educators will receive two payments of $28,000, which is more than double what was offered in the previous program, said Scott Gainer, the district’s chief financial officer, by e-mail.

The incentive was created with the $703,700 the district received from the Education Jobs Fund grant, which is traditionally used to save or create teaching jobs.

By hiring beginning teachers to replace those who are leaving, the district could save millions, said Superintendent Douglas Heuer.

“If 30 people leave and we replace them with beginning teachers, then we’ve essentially saved $1.2 million. Over time, this savings will be compounded every year, amounting to a multimillion-dollar savings to the district,” he said.

Tuesday night’s school board meeting was only about 15 minutes long. In addition to the retirements, members approved two grants totaling $150,000, and Eric Coble, school board president, made several announcements.

“We are fairly certain that the collective bargaining rights of public employees are going to be significantly impacted, and we as a board believe it is important to let our community and our staff know that we support the right to collectively bargain,” Coble said, referring to Senate Bill 5, which, as he said, could limit or ban Ohio's 27-year-old law that allows public employees to collectively bargain.

He also announced that he attended the first of what will be regular meetings comprised of no more than two board members from individual east side school districts, including Cleveland Heights-University Heights, Shaker Heights, Mayfield, Solon and Orange to share ideas and concerns. Last month’s topic was how to make board meetings paperless, and April’s meeting will be about finance, he said. 

Editor's Note: The Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District contacted Cleveland Heights Patch to correct its earlier report that teachers receive a one-time payment of $28,000. They will receive two payments of $28,000.