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New
retirement law allows 86-year-old teacher
to
keep her job
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June 10, 2003
LAKELAND, FL.
- A provision in a new state law will allow longtime teachers to defer
their retirement for an extra three years, including an 86-year-old Polk
County teacher who isn't ready to give up her classroom yet.
Lakeland High School's Hazel Haley, who has been teaching for 63 years and
is believed to have taught school longer than any Florida teacher, can
return to the classroom in the fall under the new law.
Gov. Jeb Bush signed legislation Monday prolonging the careers of Haley,
an English teacher, and dozens of other teachers around the state who
entered a voluntary retirement program five years ago.
Without the extension of the five-year retirement deferment, teachers like
Haley with at least 30 years of experience faced losing as much as
$100,000 or more in pension if they continued teaching.
Bush's signature extends the Deferred Retirement Option Program another
three years, at which time Haley will have to quit or forfeit her accrued
pension payments.
The retirement changes were part of a bill reducing class sizes.
``I don't know how to find her to tell her this bill has passed,'' Bush
said during a ceremony in which he signed the bill.
``She's got three more years.''
Haley was vacationing in London and was informed by a Lakeland Ledger
reporter of the governor's remarks.
``I would hope to come back in the fall since Mr. Bush was thoughtful
enough,'' she said. ``There's a lot of good teachers who wish to
continue.''
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