VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Virginia Beach City Public Schools is launching a program to bring retirees back into the division through part-time jobs and volunteer positions.
The Retiree Opportunity Program aims to encourage and support retired staff members.
Ruby Moore, Harriet Kelley and Francine Imbriale
John Mirra is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the school division, which employs about 15,000 people. He says the division is not alone in seeing an exodus of talent as more and more Baby Boomers reach retirement. When they retire, they take with them decades of experience.
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"The value of having retirees come back could be a win-win situation for them and for the school system and ultimately for our students because that’s why we are here," Mirra told News 3 anchor Todd Corillo on Wednesday.
His own office is a prime example of how the program can work. Ruby Moore, Harriet Kelley and Francine Imbriale each retired from Virginia Beach City Public Schools with decades of service. They all have returned in a part-time capacity, covering one to two days each week in the Human Resources office as associates.
"At the time I thought about retiring it sounded great, but then I got actually bored. I got really bored and wanted to come back to work – just on a part-time basis, not on a full time," Imbriale told Corillo with a laugh.
"I really do enjoy it. You meet people, you see people, you run into circumstances and things you wouldn’t do if you were just at home," Moore said. She had 34 years of experience when she retired from full-time work in 2000 and has worked part-time on and off over the past 18 years.
Kelley says her entire experience has been wonderful and that she still runs into former students.
"I still get people who come into the office that were students at schools I’ve been at, and now they are coming in to work for us as a teacher or teacher assistant."
Retirees can complete an application through vbschools.com, which also allows retirees to access retirement network resources, license renewal help and professional development.
