Maine § 18362. - Teachers in private, parochial and other schools

§ 18362.. Teachers in private, parochial and other schools

1.  Parochial school or public or private academy.  A member who taught in a parochial school or in a public or private academy may purchase up to 10 years of service credit for that service under the following conditions.

A. The member must have taught in a school approved by the Department of Education or the education department of another state while holding an appropriate teaching certificate.   [PL 1989, c. 78, §4 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 700, Pt. A, §27 (AMD).]

B. The member must have 20 years of creditable service as a member of the participating local district.   [PL 1991, c. 558, §2 (AMD).]

C. The member must, before any retirement benefit becomes effective for the member, make contributions into the Members' Contribution Fund, for the years of private or parochial school teaching on the same basis as the member would have made contributions had the service been as a state employee or teacher in this State, including interest at a rate to be set by the board not to exceed regular interest by 5 or more percentage points. The member's earnings for the years of private or parochial school teaching must be assumed to have been the same as the average salary for teachers in this State as determined by the Department of Education for each of the years when the private or parochial school teaching took place. Interest must be computed beginning at the end of the year when those contributions would have been made, if the service had been as a state employee or teacher in this State, to the date of payment. Payment must be made by a single direct payment or annual direct payments to the Participating Local District Retirement Program in accordance with section 18301, subsection 4.   [PL 2007, c. 491, §231 (AMD).]

D. The member must have begun membership before January 1, 1976.   [PL 1991, c. 558, §2 (NEW).]

E. The member's last 10 years of creditable service before the date of retirement must be as a member of the participating local district.   [PL 1991, c. 558, §2 (NEW).]

F. Upon complete payment of the contributions under paragraph C, the member must be granted service credit for the period of time for which the contributions have been made. Upon making partial payment of the contributions under paragraph C, the member must be granted service credit on a pro rata basis in accordance with rules adopted by the board.   [PL 1991, c. 558, §2 (NEW).]

1-A.  Alternative.  In the determination of the retirement benefit under this Part, if service credit for private or parochial school teaching is not allowed under subsection 1 based upon the member not meeting the requirements of subsection 1, paragraph B or D, additional service credit for private or parochial school teaching is allowed for any member who meets the requirements of subsection 1, paragraphs A and E, if the member, before any retirement benefit becomes effective for that member, pays into the Members' Contribution Fund by a single direct payment or annual direct payments to the Participating Local District Retirement Program an amount that, together with regular interest on that amount, is the actuarial equivalent at the effective date of the retirement benefit of the portion of the retirement benefit based on the additional creditable service.

Annual payments must be made in accordance with section 18301, subsection 4.  

A. Additional amounts paid under this subsection become a part of the member's accumulated contributions.   [PL 1993, c. 387, Pt. A, §19 (NEW).]

B. If any retirement benefit becomes effective before the completion of the payment under this subsection, the member is entitled to service credit for that portion of the additional creditable service that the total amount of payments actually made, plus regular interest on those payments to the date the retirement benefit becomes effective, bears to the actuarial equivalent of the total portion of the retirement benefit based on the additional creditable service.   [PL 1993, c. 387, Pt. A, §19 (NEW).]

2.  Other schools and programs.  A member who terminates service in the State and teaches under the Volunteers in Service to America Program, the Fulbright Exchange Program or the Peace Corps, foreign or domestic, or teaches children of United States Foreign Corps personnel outside the continental limits of the United States is entitled to service credit for that service under the following conditions.

A. The service credit may not exceed 2 years.   [PL 1989, c. 78, §4 (NEW).]

B. The member must return to active service as a member of the Participating Local District Retirement Program within one year of the completion of the teaching outside of the State described in this section.   [PL 2007, c. 491, §233 (AMD).]

C. The member must, before any retirement benefit becomes effective for the member, pay into the Members' Contribution Fund, by a single direct payment or annual direct payments to the Participating Local District Retirement Program, an amount that, together with regular interest on that amount, is the actuarial equivalent, at the effective date of the member's retirement benefit, of the portion of the member's retirement benefit based on the additional creditable service. Annual payments must be made in accordance with section 18301, subsection 4.   [PL 2007, c. 491, §234 (AMD).]