Bill > H2865

This bill amends the Massachusetts General Laws to allow former parochial school and private or public academy teachers to purchase up to 10 years of service credit in the state retirement system, subject to specific conditions. To be eligible, teachers must have held an appropriate teaching certificate and worked in a school approved by the state education department. Teachers can buy back these years of service by making contributions to the retirement fund based on the average salary for teachers in Massachusetts during those years, with interest calculated from the time the contributions would have originally been made. The bill requires that the teacher's last ten years of creditable service must be as a state employee or teacher in Massachusetts. Teachers can make this payment through a single lump sum or through annual payments, and they will be granted service credit proportional to their contributions. If a teacher does not meet all initial requirements, the bill provides an alternative pathway to purchase service credit by paying the equivalent contributions they would have made had they been a state employee, plus regular interest. This provision helps recognize and value the teaching service of educators who worked in parochial and private schools before becoming public school teachers.

Budget and Finance, Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2865