Section 25-11-126 - [Employment as teacher in a public school district after retirement](1) Any person who has at least thirty (30) years of creditable service, who was employed as a public school teacher at the time of his or her retirement, has been retired at least ninety (90) days and is receiving a retirement allowance, and holds a standard teaching license in Mississippi, may be employed as a teacher in a public school district after retirement, and choose to continue receiving the retirement allowance under this article during his or her employment as a teacher after retirement in addition to receiving the salary authorized under this section, along with the local contribution of the school district in which the retiree is employed, at the discretion of the school district. Any teacher who has retired with at least twenty-five (25) years of creditable service as of July 1, 2024, may also participate in this program if the teacher otherwise qualifies under this act.(2) A retired teacher may only be hired to teach in a school district designated by the Department of Education as having critical shortages and/or critical subject-area shortages, and shall hold the related standard teaching license and/or endorsements to teach in the subject area. The base compensation authorized for returning retired teachers under Section 37-19-7 shall not be graduated annually in the same manner as teachers who are employed by a school district under traditional employment guidelines, but shall remain static for the entirety of his or her eligible teaching period as a retired teacher.(3)(a) A retired teacher may be employed as a teacher, continue receiving his or her retirement allowance and be a contributing member of the system without accruing additional retirement benefits for a total of five (5) years, which may be performed consecutively or intermittently. This method is designed specifically to provide funding for the system to actuarially offset any pension liability created by this act. Each school district hiring retired teachers under the authority of this section, shall make a direct payment to PERS, which shall serve as pension liability participation assessment. The pension liability participation assessment and the retired teacher's salary for returning to work shall be determined as follows: (i) A school district shall rely on the salary schedule in Section 37-19-7 in considering the salary for a retired teacher; provided, however, that the school district may allocate up to one hundred and twenty-five percent (125%) of the amount provided under the salary schedule comparable to the teacher's years of service and license type as salary and assessment under the program.(ii) After determining the retired teacher's compensation, the school district may pay no more than fifty percent (50%) of the retired teacher's compensation as salary to the retired teacher; and(iii) The remaining fifty percent (50%) of the retired teacher's compensation as salary shall be paid by the school district to PERS as a pension liability participation assessment.(b) If a retired teacher, reemployed under the authority of this section, works in a school district for any portion of a scholastic year less than a full contractual term of traditional teachers, the time worked by the retired teacher shall constitute one (1) of the five (5) years of post retirement teaching eligibility. A retired teacher, under the authority of this section, shall be entitled to work in any applicable school district and shall not be obligated to remain in any one (1) school district for the entirety of his or her post retirement teaching eligibility, but shall be cumulative in nature so as not to exceed five (5) years. The salary authorized under Section 37-19-7 for retired teachers shall be prorated for any period worked by the retired teacher that is less than one (1) full academic year.(c) The State Department of Education shall transfer to the system the Mississippi Adequate Education Program funds of local school districts that on or after July 1, 2024, hire retired members as teachers under this section and other funds that otherwise would have been payable to the districts if the districts had not taken advantage of this section. The crediting of assets and financing shall follow the provisions of Section 25-11-123.(d) Local educational agencies shall transfer to the system Mississippi Adequate Education Program funds of local school districts that on or after July 1, 2024, hire retired members as teachers under this section and other funds that otherwise would have been payable to the districts if the districts had not taken advantage of this section. The crediting of assets and financing must follow the provisions of Section 25-11-123.(4) Under the authority of this section, school districts may employ retired teachers based on criteria established by the department of education for critical teacher shortage areas and critical subject-matter areas. A school district that is not within a critical teacher shortage area may employ teachers for critical subject-matter areas.(5) A person may be hired under this section subject to the following conditions: (a) The retired member holds any teacher's professional license or certificate as may be required in Section 37-3-2, and holds the related standard teaching license and/or endorsements to teach in the applicable subject area;(b) The superintendent of the employing school district certifies in writing to the State Department of Education that the retired member has the requisite experience, training and expertise for the position to be filled;(c) The superintendent of the school district certifies or the principal of the school certifies that there was no preexisting arrangement for the person to be hired;(d) The person had a satisfactory performance review for the most recent period before retirement; and(e) The person is hired to teach in a critical subject-matter area or in a critical teacher shortage area.(6) The State Superintendent of Public Education shall report the persons who are employed under this section to the Executive Director of the Public Employees' Retirement System.(7) The department of education shall promulgate regulations that prescribe a salary schedule that reflects the provisions of this act. Each school district shall create a policy, approved by the local school board, related to the hiring of retired teachers and including, but not limited to, the hiring of full- and part-time retired teacher employees under this section and Section 25-11-127.(8) Any retired teacher who returns to work in accordance with this section shall not be eligible to return to work under the provisions of Section 25-11-127.Added by Laws, 2024, ch. 501, HB 765,§ 10, eff. 7/1/2024.