Richard Wiggall, the Elgin-area Unit District 46 superintendent who last summer announced his intention to retire in June, has been hired as principal of a middle school in the district.
Wiggall, 51, will begin his new job in July as principal of Canton Middle School in Streamwood.
Wiggall initially was planning to leave the district, but he asked to stay on after the General Assembly passed a law allowing public educators to retire early with full pensions.
Previously, educators could receive their full retirement benefits only after working 35 years. Now, under the Five-Plus-Five law, educators can retire after 30 years and pay 4 percent of their salary to the Teacher’s Retirement System of Illinois to receive their full benefit.
The purpose of the law is to save cash-strapped districts money by helping them replace older, high-paid educators with those earning lower pay.
A district search committee is working to find Wiggall’s replacement.