WALES — The school board unanimously voted in favor of offering retirement incentives Wednesday night, and 18 teachers have already taken them up on it.

Superintendent Jim Hodgkin said Thursday that nine teachers had told him they’d be interested in retiring at the end of this school year and another nine at the end of the next school year after the Regional School Unit 4 board approved the idea in concept earlier this month.

On Wednesday night, the board made the incentives official: The district will pay those teachers $4,000 per year until age 65. The amount is intended to help bridge the gap for health care costs until qualifying for Medicare, but it doesn’t have to be spent on health insurance.

In order to take the incentive, teachers have to be eligible to retire, at least either age 60 or 62, depending on their retirement plan in the Maine Public Employees Retirement System.

The board capped it at 12 participants this year, 15 next year.

More than 30 people were eligible. They have to let the district know by April 10.

“I would not be surprised if we had another two or three,” Hodgkin said. “There are people who are eligible who have been very clear they’re not going to retire.

“It’s real unusual to have such a high concentration of people at that end of the scale,” he said. “We can make it win-win; the district wins a little bit, the teachers win a little bit. It’s a good situation.”

Hodgkin said savings were roughly estimated at $10,000 per position but that it will depend on the level of experience and pay of people the district hires to replace those teachers.

kskelton@sunjournal.com