The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Ed Orcutt allowing school districts to hire teachers who retired early as substitutes without putting the teachers’ retirement benefits in jeopardy.
The House passed the bill 96 to 1 on Monday.
The bill now awaits a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
House Bill 1737 would allow retired teachers with early retirement provisions to work as substitutes up to 630 hours annually without suspending their benefits. The provision would sunset Aug. 1, 2020.
“Rather than just having someone come in and manage a classroom of kids, this bill would allow school districts to hire qualified substitute teachers and ensure students have a productive education day,” Orcutt, R-Kalama, is quoted in a press release.
Ninety-eight percent of school principals in Washington have indicated they were struggling to find substitutes, according to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Eighty percent of the principals reported hiring under-qualified substitutes.
“This concerns our kids more than retirees,” Orcutt said. “It is about changing a policy that is preventing our schools from hiring highly experienced retired teachers to come back to the classroom as substitutes.”
In 2015 the bill passed the House, but the Senate didn’t take a vote before the end of the session.
