The San Diego school board has approved a plan to encourage the district's most experienced teachers to retire early to save the district millions of dollars and avoid layoffs.
The plan negotiated by the teachers' union includes retirement incentives and was approved by the school board Tuesday.
School officials say the plan could save the district more than $7.6 million in the next few years.
On average, about 250 teachers retire per year. The plan would need 633 teachers to volunteer for early retirement.
The district faces a $77 million deficit in next year's budget. The district has already committed to $45.3 million in cuts through hiring and spending freezes and consolidating school bus routes.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
