Recruitment & Retention

Teachers Racing to Retire in New Jersey

By Bryan Toporek — July 13, 2010 1 min read
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New Jersey has seen a surge in retiring teachers this year—data from the state Department of Treasury’s Division of Pensions and Benefits reveals that teachers are retiring at twice the expected rate, according to MyCentralJersey.com.

Typically, the month of July has the largest number of retirement filings for teachers in the state. Last July, the division received 2,203 retirement applications; this year, the number has jumped to 5,444 retirement applications.

“About half [of the retirements] you would expect,” said Steve Wollmer, director of communications for the New Jersey Education Association. “What we’re also hearing is people are fed up with the political climate, and the uncertainty of what they’re getting back into...There are grumblings about (Gov. Chris Christie) going after existing pensions.”

One bright spot in the teacher exodus: Teachers that were expecting layoffs may end up being spared.

“The net effect on the public schools is we’re losing 10,000 positions. With more teachers retiring fewer teachers will be laid off,” Wollmer said.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.