With schools opening next week across Alabama, many districts are still trying to fill jobs — and new retirement data show they are continuing to lose experienced employees at an elevated rate.
The Retirement Systems of Alabama recorded 3,450 retirements tied to local school systems during the year ending June 30. That equals 3.45 retirements for every 100 certified and support full-time-equivalent positions reported by school systems.
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Certified positions include teachers and other jobs that require a professional certificate. Support positions include jobs such as bus drivers, teacher aides and lunchroom workers.
The rate was down slightly from 3,570 retirements — 3.63 retirements per 100 FTEs — in 2024–25 and remained below the 11-year high of 3.80 in 2020-21.
Still, the 2025–26 rate was higher than in each of the five years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEE THE DATA: Alabama Daily News created an interactive dashboard where readers can view retirement totals and rates for each school system for 2015–16 through 2025–26. The dashboard is best viewed on a large screen.
The rate has moved up and down over the past decade, falling to 2.92 retirements per 100 FTEs in 2022–23, the lowest rate in the 11 years examined, before climbing again.
One reason for the recent increase may be a large experience-based pay raise lawmakers approved beginning in the 2022-23 school year.
Reason for increase
Cullman County Superintendent Shane Barnette said his district expected a large group of employees to retire in 2024–25, after they had worked three years under the higher salary schedule. But some who were eligible to retire stayed one more year, adding to the number who retired in 2025-26.
“We expected to have several retire last year because it was the end of the three-year cycle after the teachers received a significant raise from the state,” Barnette said. “However, many of the employees had reached retirement age but decided to stay one more year, which in turn raised our numbers this year as well.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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