Raleigh, N.C. — About 60 retired teachers still teaching for the Wake County Public School System have received letters asking for their resignations.

The school system recently mailed letters and an accompanying resignation letter to the employees, telling them to sign the letter and return it to the school system by next Wednesday.

District spokesman Michael Evans said the school system cannot renew their contracts, which expire at the end of the school year, because of decreased funding from the county and the state.

"As a courtesy, we thought it was the ethical thing to do to notify these employees," Evans said. "They know their contract may not be renewed at the end of June, so therefore, we ask them to resign. That makes a clean break."

If teachers choose not to sign the resignation letter, Evans said the school system will put a notification in their personnel file, indicating their contract was not renewed. A non-renewal status can prevent a teacher from getting hired in another school system.

The affected teachers are retired educators back in the classroom under a law that allows them to continue teaching without losing their retirement benefits. That legislation expires in October, the school system told them.