Montgomery, AL – The top beneficiaries of a state retirement program designed to help Alabama retain experienced school teachers and state employees are high-ranking college and state administrators, lobbyists, football coaches and some private sector executives.
New York Times Regional Newspapers in Tuscaloosa and Gadsden report that the top 100 account holders in the Deferred Retirement Option Program include Alabama Education Association top executives Paul Hubbert and Joe Reed. Also on the list are University of Alabama System Chancellor Malcolm Portera and Alabama athletic director Mal Moore.
Hubbert says AEA pays the costs of DROP for its employees, including Hubbert and Reed.
A Republican-backed bill to end the program is in position to get final passage in the Legislature when lawmakers return from spring break on March 22.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)