Fifty public school teachers in Rohnert Park and Cotati, nearly one of every seven instructors there, will end their careers next month by accepting a retirement package that will help the district cut its budget.

The district estimated the retirements will save $350,000 next year and will allow about 30 of the schools' younger teachers to keep their jobs.

The retirees will each receive an annuity equal to about an extra year's salary - nearly $67,000 for the highest-paid instructors. Many of the teachers are spreading the annuity's monthly payments over five or more years.

"I'll have more income retired than I would working," said Bob Beltzner, a Rancho Cotate woodshop teacher with 39 years in education.

The Cotati-Rohnert Park District is poised to make $2.8 million worth of cuts next year as it fashions a $48 million budget.

Cash-strapped school districts have used retirement incentives in the past to balance budgets and to save the jobs of younger teachers. Santa Rosa schools last year offered their own retirement incentive plan, which was accepted by 61 teachers. Those retirees will receive their first incentive payment of $15,000 in July and $15,000 in summer 2005.

However, the Santa Rosa district at the time had nearly 1,000 teachers. The Cotati-Rohnert Park district had almost as big a response, even though it has only about 370 teachers.

Cotati-Rohnert Park officials and teachers' union leaders this year negotiated the details of the retirement program. A key factor was that student enrollment, now about 7,500, has been declining in the district and is expected to drop further for a few more years.

"We know that we're going to need fewer teachers in the next couple of years," said Cotati-Rohnert Park Superintendent Michael Watenpaugh. But the district wanted to avoid layoffs, he said.

Mike Schroeder, president of the Rohnert Park-Cotati Educators Association, said the retirement program not only benefits the retirees but ensures that the community's schools won't lose talented young instructors.

In addition to the 50 teachers, the district's assistant superintendent, Ann Huber, and the principal of Thomas Page School, Andy Carciere, have accepted the retirement package.

The district originally issued 33 teacher layoff notices. It has rescinded all but two of them, but those two, to a counselor and a teacher, may yet be rescinded, Assistant Superintendent Barbara Vrankovich said.

Beltzner, who transferred to Rancho Cotate when it opened in 1967, is one of four industrial arts teachers at the school. All four are retiring in June.

That means the district is looking for teachers for its woodshop, auto, drafting and metals classes. The outgoing teachers have been helping with the recruiting efforts.

"It's going to mean new positions available for a whole new generation of teachers," Schroeder said.

Beltzner said he had considered retiring for the past four years, repeatedly telling students that this year might be his last. He said he kept hoping the state or district would provide a retirement plan.

Now when students ask him whether this time he really is leaving, he said, "I tell them I haven't got any choice."