During the state’s legislative session break, officials with the Public Pension Oversight Board crafted various measures affecting retirees in different fields. The Teachers’ Retirement System Sick and Annual Leave Proposal would change how sick days, which can be accrued and paid out upon retirement, are funded.
In Kentucky, public school teachers can redeem some of their unused sick leave as compensation upon retirement. The number of sick and personal leave days awarded per year is currently determined by the district and paid for, if cashed out, by the Teachers’ Retirement System. Some state lawmakers said they aim to limit strain on the TRS by standardizing the number of sick days the state will pay for.
State Senator Jimmy Higdon, sponsor of the proposal, said it would ensure the TRS gives the same amount of funding to retiring teachers in any county.
“If the school district gives you more than 12 days, 10 sick days and 2 personal days. If they give you more than that and you accumulate that, TRS will only pay you for the 10 sick days and 2 personal days,” said Higdon. “And we’re not taking that away from the teacher, they can still get it. But the school district, if they’re going to give more, they have to pay for it.”
A similar measure was also introduced last year as Senate Bill 4, but it met bipartisan opposition and died in the House. Higdon said he is reintroducing the idea again this legislative session after conferring with education officials.
“I’m not trying to take anything away from the teachers. I want them to get the benefits they think they have coming or they know they having coming. But we need to have it, it needs to be standard across the state,” said Higdon.
The TRS Sick and Annual Leave Proposal also includes a mandatory 30 days of paid maternity leave for teachers who give birth during the school year. Currently, Kentucky teachers are only guaranteed 12 weeks of unpaid leave through the federal Family Medical Leave Act.