RICHMOND — Senators on the General Assembly’s budget conference committee refused to go along with a proposal for the state and localities to fund an early retirement package for teachers.
The plan had been suggested in January by House Republican leaders, including Del. Lacey Putney, I-Bedford, as a way to shrink school budgets in the face of declining revenues and possibly avoid teacher layoffs.
“The Senate wouldn’t agree to it,” said Del. Clarke Hogan, R-Halifax County.
Hogan and Putney were among the six House members on the General Assembly’s budget conference committee, which reached agreement with six senators near midnight Friday on the state’s budget through June 2010.
Putney said senators stuck to their belief that early retirements would be a budget buster.
“They said the fiscal impact was excessive, too much so on localities and too much on the state,” Putney said.
“They were overlooking the fact that localities would save millions if they could retire some of the older ones and keep the younger ones at much lower salaries,” Putney said, referring to teachers.
Senators said they opposed the plan because it would place a financial burden on localities that didn’t want to participate in the program.
“My guess is, that plan will surface again next year,” Putney added.
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