Certificated staff considering retirement from the Aberdeen School District before the next school year will be eligible for a bonus if they inform the school district about their intentions early.

The school board this week approved offering a $2,000 bonus if this group of employees, which consists mostly of teachers and counselors, provides the district with written notice of their plans by Jan. 27, 2017.

Superintendent Tom Opstad said he got the idea from Mike Parker, superintendent of the Hoquiam School District. Both men are retiring from their jobs at the end of this school year. Hoquiam provides an incentive for early retirement notification, Opstad learned during his meeting with Parker early in the week.

“It’s interesting to look at it as a competition,” he said.

Many people wait until late spring to announce their departures before the next school year. Knowing sooner makes it easier to find workers to fill the positions, said Jim Sawin, the school district’s human resources director.

“We can’t recruit someone until we receive official notice of an employee’s retirement or resignation,” Sawin said.

And new teachers try to secure employment as soon as they can — usually before they graduate college in May or June.

Only eight certificated employees in the Aberdeen School District would be eligible for retirement, but there is stiff competition to recruit replacement employees, he explained.

Offering recruitment incentives will be considered next month by the board — another method used in Hoquiam.

Policy change paves way for trimesters

The board approved District Policy 2410, which details graduation requirements. This action allows Aberdeen High School to implement a trimester calendar this fall.

The new schedule will increase the number of courses in a school year from 12 to 15.

Students will take five courses during three school terms per year.

A state requirement for high school students to complete at least 24 credits to graduate was the impetus for this calendar change because students have only needed to complete 22 credits to graduate. Now they will have to earn 26 credits.

Nondiscrimination policy updated

Added to the district’s nondiscrimination policy were references to not discriminating against students based on their religion, creed, veteran or military status, and marital status.

The policy also now states that the district will take “prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to end the harassment, prevent its recurrence and remedy its effects.”