Hamden Superintendent of Schools Announces Retirement

You can thank Disgraced Governor John Rowland for these mid-year resignations. Prior to his actions, those working under the CT State Teachers Retirement Plan could work 40 years and retire at 80% of pay (teachers in CT do not get Social Security). Rowland cut the maximum pension to 75%, achieved after 37 1/2 years. It doesn't make sense to complete the school year and lose more than 6% of your pay to the pension plan and not get a penny extra benefit. So every January, many veteran teachers retire mid-year.
Unlike teachers, Superintendents can retire and then be hired on a per diem basis at their existing or higher salary. They can work as interim Superintendents for a coupe of years straight without losing any pension money.
Former Hamden Superintendent, Fran Rabinowitz got state permission to collect her hefty pension while running the Bridgeport School system into the ground for a three year period. She now collects her pension and a salary as Director of the CT Association of Public School Superintendents.

When your child's teacher retires mid year, remember it was the Republicans who caused this problem

big deal..."ready to retire"? I'll bet two things...

1) he'll look for a better/bigger job for more money
2) Hamden will look for a replacement and they'll offer the next candidate more money than Goler was making...

Further, based on Hamden's recent aggregate test results, they ought to severely cut the salaries of administrators, including the superintendent, across the board. The results show they are not getting it done.

There needs to be a better look at retirement years for teachers. Thirty seven and a half is insane. This job has massive burnout at the end for many educators and if they reduce the amount of years I believe many younger adults may go into the field. We will see the biggest national teacher resignation in the next 6 months to a year. I honestly don’t know how many building will be staffed next year. They are all ready sinking right now.

Ex-HVN: While a Republican Governor, decades ago, may have started the policy, most times in the last fifty years Democrats have controlled the legislature. We have not had a Republican Governor since Rell, and currently have a Democrat super-majority. Rowland was responsible for policies under Rowland. Democrats are solely responsible for all state policies today, and for the past several years.
BTW, both parties are responsible for failing to fund Teachers' Retirement. Teachers themselves have rarely made an issue of it, preferring more ECS and other present spending rather than funding retirements.
Meanwhile, Red Alert thinks 37.5 years is too long, so I imagine he would oppose retirement after 40 years.

Teaching is currently a high stress job and yes police retire after 20 as do the fire department. Give or take around that many years. You want this younger generation to skip the at home jobs and other professions you need to fix the system. Anything over 30 is over kill right now. You have teachers in the system right now at the highest pay scale for 20 plus years. The state runs the retirement fund not the city. You can hire two teachers at the price you are paying one burnt out teacher.

....and, contrary to popular belief, CT teachers do not get retiree health insurance either. That is what keeps many around into their sixties.