Campbell County School Board members voted Monday to pay all pension premiums for eligible new employees.
As part of the budget process earlier this year, state lawmakers voted to require new state employees to contribute 5 percent of their pay each month to their pensions. Individual school divisions have the option to pick up some or all of the 5 percent contribution on their employees’ behalf.
School Superintendent Robert Johnson told board members that he does not foresee hiring any new teachers in the short term, outside of rehiring former Campbell County Schools employees who recently lost their jobs due to budget cuts.
Moreover, he questioned whether it made sense to have different standards for different employees in this matter. Under state guidelines, the county could charge the 5 percent to a hire with no prior state employment, but would still be required to pay for an new employee who had been enrolled in the Virginia Retirement System prior to applying for a job with Campbell County.
“If you think about it, it creates some inequities in our payline,” Johnson said, adding that he believes state lawmakers will make adjustments to the plan and that someday all employees will have to start contributing to their pensions.
“We want more information before we lock into something,” he said. He also said that most other Virginia school divisions seem to be going the same direction as Campbell County Schools on this issue.
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