Applications for the United Educators of San Francisco early retirement incentive were due on March 1.

The early retirement incentive, approved by a majority vote by UESF members on Feb. 17, provides $4,300 to teachers who commit to retiring at the end of the 2009-2010 school year. To receive the monetary incentive, teachers must have declared their intent to retire by March 1.

The purpose of the incentive is to help people make a decision about whether to retire, according to union building co-representative and science teacher Kathy Melvin. “If teachers are considering whether to work one additional year, we are hoping that the incentive will make their decision easier,” Melvin said.

According to union building co-representative and social studies teacher Ken Tray, the incentive may somewhat alleviate the effects of the budget crisis by opening the positions of retiring teachers. “The district is facing an unprecedented fiscal crisis,” he said. “Unfortunately, the district has already issued 482 layoff notices to teachers and 277 layoffs or reduction in hours to paraprofessionals, and one way to lessen layoffs is to increase the number of teachers who are retiring.”

With the San Francisco Unified School District facing the largest budget deficit in history, the motivation behind the $4,300 incentive is also economic. “It’s straight up economics,” Melvin said. “We can afford more new teachers.”

A teacher’s salary depends on how long they have taught in the SFUSD and the college degrees and credits they have. Salaries rise incrementally the longer a teacher works for the district. For example, a fully credentialed teacher who holds a Bachelor’s Degree and who has taught for one year makes $47,000 this school year. Teachers who have worked in the district longer and have done more graduate work receive higher salaries, so a 30-year veteran who holds a Bachelor’s Degree plus 60 college credits earns $82,000.

According to Melvin, the incentive is not meant to indicate that teachers with longevity are not valued. “It’s not a disrespect to teachers who have been teaching in the district longer,” Melvin said. “We are not trying to force anyone out.”

UESF Communications Director Matthew Hardy expanded on sentiments similar to Melvin’s. “We seek a balance of experienced and newer teachers, and great young teachers are ready to step in and fill the shoes of retiring teachers,” Hardy said.

Tray prefers to look at the $4,300 incentive as a gift of appreciation to retiring teachers. “It’s a little too modest a figure to call an incentive,” he said. “I would call it more of a ‘thank you.’”

The incentive did not affect some teachers’ decision to retire if they already had the intention to retire. “The incentive did not sway me one way or another since I had already decided to retire after this school year,” a faculty member who wished to remain anonymous said. “Friends at other schools consider the amount and March 1 deadline an insult to teachers. At the prior ‘golden handshake’ offer, the district canceled the offer at the last minute without any explanation to those who signed up to retire. I expect the majority of staff to submit their retirement at the last minute as payback for poor treatment from the district.”

According to Hardy, concerns like those of the faculty member will not be an issue this year. “At this point, the SFUSD cannot cancel the offer because it is a legally binding contract,” Hardy said.

Tray also assures that retirees will receive the monetary incentive. “This is a very different ‘handshake.’ It’s less than golden, and retirees will receive it, unless something like a tsunami wipes us all out,” he said.

According to Tray, around 106 district employees have declared their intent to retire at the end of this year, though the figure is normally closer to 120 or 130. Both the district and UESF had hoped for an increase in the number of teachers retiring, but, according to Tray, the economy may have affected their decision. “Because of the uncertain economic times, some teachers may have decided to work another year for greater financial security,” Tray said.

The funds for the retirement incentive came from extra money from the Proposition A school parcel tax. According to Melvin, a vote conducted by the UESF revealed that union members prioritize healthcare and retirement, so the UESF decided to use the additional funds towards teacher retirement. The incentive was negotiated between the UESF and SFUSD by collective bargaining, according to Tray.

To come up with the $4,300 amount, the UESF divided the amount of additional funds by the projected number of teachers retiring at the end of this school year.

Teachers and SFUSD employees who declared their intent to retire will receive the $4,300 stipend by July 1, according to a UESF news article (www.uesf.org).

As of July 1, 2009, all members of the UESF receive a $600 stipend upon retirement, according to Section 24.4 of the UESF contract. This year’s $4,300 incentive includes that $600 stipend; members retiring this year who did not declare their intent to retire by March 1 will receive the $600 only. The stipend will return to $600 for all members next year.