The Broward school district plans to rehire a high-level administrator who retired at the end of August and put her back in her old job -- though making less money.

It's a legal practice, and Joanne Harrison would be taking a close to $43,000 pay cut to return to her post as deputy superintendent for educational programs and student support if the School Board approves her appointment Tuesday.

Bringing back retired employees is sometimes controversial. The Broward Teachers Union -- whose relationship with the district is already combative -- has decried past rehirings as a waste of district dollars because some employees have made more money than they did when they retired, which is not the case with Harrison.

Superintendent Jim Notter said he expects ``all kinds of attacks'' at Tuesday's board meeting. But he called rehiring Harrison ``the best thing for our kids,'' adding that her new $135,000 salary -- down from nearly $178,000 before she retired -- would be comparable to what others with less experience would have made in the job.

``To me it was very clear that we needed her background and experience,'' Notter said. ``Her experience for the same dollars, to me, is a no-brainer.''

Notter has said he only rehires employees for critical positions or for their specific expertise -- something the union has disputed. In Harrison's case, Notter said she has been instrumental in implementing the state's new approach this year for turning around failing schools.

And he cited her experience, with more than 30 years with the district, in dealing with contentious school attendance boundaries -- a looming issue, with empty seats in eastern Broward schools and overcrowded classrooms in western ones.

Harrison retired under a popular state program for public employees called Deferred Retirement Option Program, or DROP.

When employees enter the program, they earn interest in their retirement investment account for five years before they retire and cash out the money.

Until reversing its position in May, the school district had allowed teachers -- but not administrators -- to apply for three one-year contract extensions after the five-year DROP period.

The plan is meant to encourage early retirement and make way for younger, lower-salaried employees.

The teachers say rehiring recent retirees keeps the district from saving money.

After they retire, employees must wait at least a month before working for the school district again.

If they return as teachers, they don't lose any retirement benefits and can immediately start collecting their district paychecks and retirement checks at the same time -- a practice known as double dipping.

Principals and administrators like Harrison lose 11 months of retirement benefits before they can pull down both checks at the same time.

Harrison and 12 other people applied for the deputy superintendent job.

The district interviewed six of them -- including three district executive directors looking to move up the administrative ladder, records show. One of those directors listed Harrison among her top references.

The deputy superintendent job description calls for a master's degree, with a doctorate preferred, and 10 years' experience in instruction, human resources or administration.

The other five people interviewed fulfilled those requirements, though Harrison was the only one with a doctorate (two others are pursuing theirs).

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