REPORTS: MASS RETIREMENT OF TEACHERS COULD BE COMING

Up to as many as 30,000 teachers could retire in the next few months to avoid ever having to pay for health benefits. New Jersey Education Association officials have said publicly that a large exodus of teachers is likely based on new reforms implemented in healthcare benefits. The plan the state has been developing would allow anyone who retired before Aug. 1 would be eligible to receive free medical benefits for life; anyone who retires after that date would have to pay into their benefits.