SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Staffing shortages are forcing school districts all over to shift to remote learning or cancel classes altogether. Lawmakers in New Jersey are working on a bill to fill the gaps with qualified educators.
Retired teachers are not allowed to return to the classroom without messing with their pension formula, so officials in Trenton have worked up a bill that would give them an exemption if they are substitute teaching to fill holes during the pandemic.
Camden County Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt said it’s a logical solution to a big problem right now.
“What this bill would allow them to do is to come back into the workforce and suspend their pension during the timeframe that they’re back into the workforce without any sort of penalties or concerns,” she explained.
Related
The people who have been filling in as substitutes are greatly appreciated, Lampitt said, but without a background in teaching or expertise in a given field, there’s only so much they can do. That’s why retired teachers are preferred when needed to fill in on a long-term basis.
“If it’s a short-term substitution, that’s one thing. They can look at the teacher’s previous curriculum and be able to implement it for the day. But if this is a long-term substitute situation, then we need to ensure the fact that the teacher that’s standing in front of our students in the classroom are experts in their field,” she said.
The bill does have broad bipartisan support, but Lampitt isn’t sure when the final version will land on the governor’s desk for a signature.
