LANSING (WKZO) - Yesterday was the deadline for teachers and other educational staff members to notify school officials whether they plan to take advantage of the new early retirement incentives, and so far the results have been underwhelming. In fact, it appears that only those teachers who planned to retire anyway are cashing in. That means the financial benefits that school districts hoped to see from paying lower salaries for new teachers, may not be available. Districts will benefit, however, from having to contribute less to the retirement and health plans of remaining teachers, also part of the state incentive bill.
27,000 were projected to take the plunge, only 12,000 have signed up so far.
