COUNCIL CONSIDERS PREMATURE RETIREMENT SCHEME FOR TEACHERS

Argyll and Bute councillors are to consider setting up a voluntary premature retirement scheme for teachers.

The council’s Executive will discuss a report next week which recommends the scheme be established for teachers aged 55 or over, if they can be released without affecting the capacity of the council to meet its statutory responsibilities as an education authority.

The aim is to assist individual schools in meeting their changing staffing number requirements. In some cases, the premature retiral of post holders will also create vacancies for newly-qualified teachers.

Councillor Isobel Strong, Argyll and Bute’s spokesperson for Education and Lifelong Learning, said the proposed scheme, if agreed, would only apply to teachers who are aged 55 or over, are members of the teachers’ superannuation scheme and have completed at least five years’ pensionable service.

“Under these proposals, teachers in existing posts would be able to formally express and interest in voluntary premature retiral,” she added.

“Individual teachers would only be permitted to leave subject to full consideration of the best interests of the school and the efficiency of the education service.

“If the Executive agrees the plan, I anticipate that we would be particularly interested in hearing from teaching staff who are surplus to their school’s staffing complement or who are employed in a subject area in which there are surplus teachers.”

The other important issue which may have a bearing in relation to this issue is cost to the council.

The number of teachers able to be released, should councillors approve the scheme, will ultimately be determined by the funding available.

The final decision as to which teachers are made a formal offer of voluntary premature retirement or not would rest with the Executive Director. There is no entitlement to premature retirement.

In addition, given that the scheme would be voluntary and that there would be no redundancy, redundancy payments would not be made.

The Executive will consider the report on Monday, May 17