Teachers Head for the Door as New Requirements Take Hold

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Teachers rally against proposed budget cuts in March

Teachers are saying they have had enough of the politicization of their profession and are retiring in numbers this year, a trend reported across the state in recent weeks.

Palm Beach County teacher Margot Collins told the Palm Beach Post why she is leaving after 32 years:

“The whole thing is just overwhelming me these days,” said Collins, 61. “I see what people are going through, and it’s not getting better. There’s so much politics these days, with all the hoopla about the state passing Senate Bill 736, and all the stuff they’re doing to our retirement.”

The retirements follow a year in which lawmakers mandated pay-for-performance statewide, stripped teacher tenure and required teachers to take a 3 percent pay cut in order to contribute more to their pensions. Many of the teachers are entering an early retirement program so they can keep working but avoid the additional 3 percent pension contribution.

Palm Beach County superintendent Bill Malone said the retirement surge is a mixed blessing, losing experienced workers but freeing up money to hire new staff. The district has not had any trouble filling those positions, Malone said.

Has the profession been too politicized? Proponents argue that education reforms, such as merit pay, will increase salaries for the best teachers in the long run and eventually draw more talented candidates into the field.

How should parents react to retiring teachers’ complaints? Taxpayers?