WICHITA, Kansas — Kansas teachers that don’t feel safe going back to crowded hallways as schools reopen could take medical leave or teach online. But at the many districts that don’t have those options, teachers eye another choice: quitting.
Resigning would mean more than losing steady paychecks during a recession and insurance during a pandemic. Teachers that leave now must pay their districts thousands of dollars.
Most Kansas public teachers must retire or resign early in the summer or pay their school district to find a replacement. Unless a district or a teacher says otherwise, contracts roll over into the new year.