With the Republican-controlled Legislature’s vow to push for changes in public employee benefits and legalizing charter schools, education officials, including those with local teacher unions, say teachers are targets and children are the victims.

House Speaker Mike Hubbard, of Auburn, said recently that legalizing charter schools and revamping retirement benefits for new public employees top the list of changes.

Republicans say the changes will ultimately save taxpayer dollars and do away with legislative strongholds of the current leadership for the Alabama Education Association. That group’s executive secretary, Paul Hubbert, and associate executive secretary, Joe Reed, are retiring and could have replacements named as early as this week.

The change has begun with a new teacher tenure law and an increase in the amount public employees must pay into their pensions. That figure has gone from 5 percent of their salaries to 7.5 percent, a figure GOP members say is the going average.

“Our goal is to keep everyone on the payroll under the plan we currently have, and that’s a tall order,” said state Rep. Lynn Greer, R-Rogersville. “We’ve got to do something; we just don’t have the money. We’re trying to do all we can to help teachers but that isn’t recognized. We have a good retirement plan in place, but we can’t sustain what we have.”

Changes to pension benefits are expected to come up when the Legislature convenes in February. Greer said there’s a good possibility the issue could be decided then.

State Rep. Marcel Black, D-Muscle Shoals, said benefits are among the few incentives Alabama has to hire and retain good, quality teachers.

“We certainly don’t offer the pay that other states do, and lessening the benefits in any way will make it much more difficult to get those good teachers,” he said.

As for the possibility of adding charter schools, Black said it’s “ridiculous.”

“I’m a believer in taking care of what you’ve got, and (charter schools) are just another drain on the public school system,” Black said. “Besides, the jury is still out on charter schools.

“The AEA leadership with Hubbert and Reed is at the root of the issue. The victims here are the school children. We can’t expect good teachers to continue committing their lifetimes to a job that not only isn’t financially lucrative but is lacking in the area of benefits.”

Currently, public employees can begin drawing full retirement benefits at any age if they’ve worked 25 years. Under consideration is raising the number of years of service to 30 or requiring service years plus age equal a particular number.

GOP leaders have said any changes to pension benefits will only apply to new employees.

Greer said Alabama is the only state in the South with a 25-year teacher retirement.

“More than 40 states have modified their teacher retirement, and we may even have to do it again,” Greer said. “It seems the AEA’s goal is to make teachers hate all Republicans. It’s a shame, really.”

Sheffield Education Association President Johnny Tompkins said the issues in the Legislature are of legitimate concern to all teachers.

“The payoff for teachers comes at the end, at retirement time and all that could certainly change,” Tompkins said. “The intent may have been to attack the AEA, but it affects teachers in general.”

As for starting charter schools in Alabama, Tompkins said it’s difficult to imagine the feasibility of such a move, “when you’re already underfunded with what you have.

“I’ve seen the studies on the performance of students in charter schools, and it’s no better than in public schools,” he said.

Tommy Bice, state superintendent of education, said he and officials with his department will be participating in discussions with lawmakers about retirement benefits and charter schools and are “gathering the information needed to determine what’s best for students and public education in Alabama.”

Lisa Singleton-Rickman can be reached at 256-740-5735 or lisa.singleton-rickman@TimesDaily.com.