The Newark Board of Education (NBOE) is poised to take advantage of new legislation that allows them to hire retired teachers and offer a new pathway to issue a limited certificate of eligibility to those who meet the established criteria.
“As we continue to identify creative ways to place certified individuals in our classrooms, we are excited about the ability to hire retired teachers and to provide a pathway for new teachers to get certified,” said Superintendent Roger León.
On February 24, 2022, the New Jersey State Department of Treasury’s Division of Pensions and Benefits released a Notice to Certifying Officers regarding the implementation of P.L.2021, c.408 (Chapter 408). Chapter 408 provides local educational agencies (LEA), including school districts, charter schools, renaissance school projects, and Approved Private Schools for Students with Disabilities (APSSD), to temporarily hire teachers and professional staff members providing special services who have retired from the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) without re-enrollment in the TPAF for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.
On April 1, 2022, the NBOE’s application for Chapter 408 was approved. Since then, more than 40 retired teachers have expressed interest in being hired to teach in Newark. The district is currently working to pair these individuals with Principals. All qualified individuals interested in applying for Chapter 408, the NBOE Retiree Teacher, can access the application at Retiree Teacher (Job ID: 1049).
In addition to Chapter 408, the district has submitted an application to the State Department of Education requesting to be a part of Chapter 224, which Governor Murphy signed into law on September 24, 2021, as P.L.2021, c.224 (Chapter 224). This five-year pilot program allows the issuance of a limited certificate of eligibility (CE) and a limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing (CEAS) in an instructional area for candidates who meet specific requirements. We are extremely excited about the prospect of the Limited CE/CEAS pilot program being approved to implement another viable pathway for candidates to become certified teachers in our schools.
With the proper support, professional development, and mentoring in place, the district believes this candidate pool will yield effective teachers and help to reduce the teacher shortage.
Board President Dawn Haynes said, “I could not be more pleased about these two programs and I am confident that they will further increase our pool of qualified applicants, which will help fill many of our critical need teaching positions as outlined in the applications.”