The Charlottesville school division is considering implementing additional retirement benefits for its employees that would become permanent, unlike the one-time incentive that was approved last year partly to cut expenses.
Administrators also said that Superintendent Rosa S. Atkins has been named the Superintendent of the Year for the Virginia Department of Education’s Region 5, which includes the Charlottesville area and parts of the Shenandoah Valley. She will be one of seven candidates eligible to win the statewide honor.
Faye Giglio, the division’s director of human resources, said a cap on the number of years of experience for new school division hires would be implemented to pay for the new retirement program. For teachers and other employees who are placed on the salary scale based on years of experience, the maximum number of years that would be credited is 20.
The new benefits, which would go into effect on June 30, would be available to those city schools employees who are eligible for retirement on that date.
A full-time employee who works at least seven hours per day and has been employed for at least 10 consecutive years at the time of retirement would get up to $4,000 per year for medical expenses. That would last for a maximum of seven years or until the employee becomes eligible for Medicare. Employees could also choose to get a one-time payout of $5,000 if they are not eligible for or do not choose to get health insurance.
Full-time employees who work less than seven hours per day could get up to $2,000 a year for the same duration or receive a one-time payout of $2,500.
“I’m very pleased to see that this is appearing in our division,” School Board member Colette Blount said. The board discussed the proposal at its Thursday meeting.
Employees who sign up for retirement by April 15, as an incentive, would receive a $1,000 bonus for doing so. After this year, the deadline would be Feb. 1.
“It’s really a benefit to be earned,” said Ed Gillaspie, the division’s finance director.
Excluding the one-time retirement incentive that was approved by the School Board last year, there had been no such incentives for employees. Last year, city schools administrators said the incentive was a way to get a one-time cash influx, benefit employees and prevent other staff from losing their jobs because of declines in revenue.
In June, 61 employees will be eligible for full retirement, Giglio said.
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