The Right People Are On The Bus
by Roger Kurtz
February 10, 2009
Since October, I have spent a considerable amount of time working to understand Section 218 agreements, how they apply to Missouri school districts and the implications for public school employees. This issue is complicated by a variety of factors including changes in federal law in 1983 and 1991, a new retirement system for non-certified school employees (PEERS) in 1966, a change in state laws regarding Public School Retirement System (PSRS) eligibility in 1984 and then again in 1992 and 1997. You can add to this tangled timeline a series of school reorganizations during the past 40 years.
Quite honestly, the entire issue is a complicated mess. This is not a Republican or Democrat created problem. There is no one in authority to blame. It is a combination of errors and omissions that can be shared by the federal government, the state, and school districts. And even those who were in leadership positions at critical times when the state and federal laws were changing have long since retired or are no longer living. There are no villains. We can look to the past for information, but we must rely on current laws and current leaders to move us forward.
Thanks to the many letters and phone calls made to the Missouri delegation in Washington, D.C., a Task Force was formed to resolve this issue. This Task Force is comprised of representatives from the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Missouri Office of Administration, and PSRS/PEERS. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has provided information critical to the Task Force’s understanding of school district history and teacher certification. It is anticipated that the Task Force will be reporting its findings to the Missouri Congressional delegation in early March, but no firm deadline has been set.
The Task Force is led by the Regional Commissioner for the Kansas City Region for the Social Security Administration who reports directly to the Commissioner of SSA in its headquarters in Baltimore, MD. The Regional Manager for overseeing IRS’s Federal, State and Local Government (FSLG) entities is involved to make sure the IRS is completely in sync with the SSA as decisions and recommendations are made. Mark Kaiser has been named by Governor Jay Nixon to replace Tom Sadowski as the Missouri Social Security Administrator. With the involvement of Alan Thompson, legal counsel for PSRS on the Task Force, we certainly have the right people on the bus - experts who understand federal and state laws, the Missouri retirement system, and those infamous 218 agreements.
Where are they headed? I have no doubt that the Task Force members understand the implications of their decisions on Missouri educators. In my discussions with members of the task force, I truly believe they are working to minimize the impact of any decision they may make. I encourage school employees to be patient. This tangled web was woven over decades and can not be unraveled without considerable research, study and discussion. Within a few short weeks, the Task Force will report their findings and recommendations to the Missouri Congressional delegation. I am hopeful that this report will alleviate the fears and uncertainty among Missouri educators and provide specific direction for the future.
