As used in this chapter, the term:

(1) "Accumulated contributions" means the sum of all the amounts deducted from the earnable compensation of a member or paid by the member to establish or reestablish credit for service, which amounts are credited to his individual account in the annuity savings fund, together with regular interest on such amounts, as provided in Code Section 47-3-41. Beginning July 1, 1987, "accumulated contributions" shall include the amount of employee contributions paid by employers on behalf of members and credited to the individual accounts of members in the annuity savings fund, together with regular interest thereon.

(2) "Actuarial equivalent" means a benefit of equal value when computed at regular interest upon the basis of the mortality tables last adopted by the board of trustees.

(3) "Annuity" means annual payments for life derived from the accumulated contributions of a member.

(4) "Annuity reserve" means the present value of all payments to be made on account of an annuity or benefit in lieu of an annuity, computed at regular interest upon the basis of the mortality tables adopted by the board of trustees.

(5) "Annuity savings fund" means the fund set forth under Code Section 47-3-41.

(6) "Average final compensation" means the average annual earnable compensation of a teacher during the last five years of creditable service or, if he has had less than five years of creditable service, his average annual earnable compensation during his total creditable service.

(7) "Beneficiary" means any person in receipt of a pension, an annuity, a retirement allowance, or other benefit under this chapter.

(8) "Board of trustees" means the board of trustees as provided for in Code Section 47-3-21 and whose purpose is to administer the retirement system.

(8.1) "Certified professional personnel" means employees of the State Board of Education or the Professional Standards Commission who, by policy of the State Board of Education, are required to possess a valid professional certificate issued by the Professional Standards Commission.

(9) "Commencement date" means January 1, 1945.

(10) "Creditable service" means prior service plus membership service.

(11) "Earnable compensation" means the full rate of regular compensation payable to a member for his full normal working time and includes compensation paid to a member by an employer from grants or contracts made by outside agencies with the employer. All moneys paid by an employer for a member or by a member into any plan of tax sheltered annuity shall be included as earnable compensation for the purpose of computing any contributions required to be made to the retirement system and also for the purpose of computing any benefits or allowances payable under this chapter.

(12) "Employer" means the State of Georgia, the county or independent board of education, the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, or any other agency of and within this state by which a teacher is paid. Notwithstanding any provisions in prior or future Acts to the contrary, the county and regional library boards of trustees shall be deemed to be the employer of the county or regional librarians, whose salaries are paid in full or in part from state funds.

(13) "Expense fund" means the fund set forth in Code Section 47-3-47.

(14) "Local retirement fund" means any teachers' retirement fund or other arrangement for the payment of retirement benefits to teachers, but not including the retirement system created under this chapter, which fund was maintained during the calendar year 1943 and is financed wholly or in part by contributions made by an employer.

(15) "Member" means any teacher included in the membership of the retirement system.

(16) "Membership service" means service as a teacher rendered while a member of the retirement system for which credit is allowable.

(17) "Pension" means periodic payments for life, derived from contributions of the state or other employer.

(18) "Pension accumulation fund" means the fund set forth under Code Section 47-3-43.

(19) "Pension reserve" means the present value of all payments to be made on account of a pension, or benefit in lieu of a pension, computed at regular interest upon the basis of the mortality tables last adopted by the board of trustees.

(20) "Prior service" means service rendered prior to January 1, 1945, for which credit is allowable under Code Sections 47-3-83, 47-3-86, and 47-3-87.

(21) "Public school" means any day school which is conducted within this state and which is under the authority and supervision of a duly elected county or independent board of education.

(22) "Regular interest" means interest compounded annually at such a rate as shall be determined by the board of trustees in accordance with this chapter.

(23) "Retirement" means withdrawal from service with a retirement allowance granted under this chapter.

(24) "Retirement allowance" means the sum of the annuity and the pension, or any optional benefit payable in lieu thereof, under Code Section 47-3-121. All retirement allowances shall be payable in equal monthly installments, provided that the board of trustees may pay a lump sum of equivalent actuarial value in lieu of a retirement allowance of less than $10.00 per month.

(25) "Retirement system" means the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia established under Code Section 47-3-20.

(26) "Service" means service rendered as a teacher and paid for by this state or other employer.

(27) "Service credit" means creditable service, as defined in this Code section.

(28) "Teacher" means:

(A) Any of the following persons employed not less than half time by a public school:

(i) Persons who supervise the public schools;

(ii) Classroom teachers; and

(iii) Persons employed in a clerical capacity;

(B) Public school nurses who are employed on a regular basis as much as one-half time or more. The employer's contributions for such public school nurses on all salary amounts which are not paid from state funds shall be paid from local funds;

(C) School librarians;

(D) Administrative officials who supervise teachers;

(E) Full-time public school lunchroom managers or supervisors, full-time public school maintenance managers or supervisors, full-time public school transportation managers or supervisors, and full-time public school warehouse managers or supervisors, upon electing to participate in the retirement system pursuant to Code Section 47-3-63;

(F) Any new certified professional personnel employed for the first time by the State Board of Education or by the State Department of Education on and after July 1, 1983, unless such personnel elect membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia pursuant to subsection (h) of Code Section 47-3-60, and any employee of the State Board of Education or the State Board of Vocational Education employed in a teaching, supervisory, or clerical capacity;

(F.1) Certified professional personnel who are in the unclassified service of the State Merit System of Personnel Administration and who are employed by the State Board of Education or by the State Department of Education and who become members of this retirement system pursuant to the authority of subsection (i) of Code Section 47-3-60;

(F.2) Newly hired professional personnel employed for the first time by the Department of Technical and Adult Education on and after July 1, 1985, and all full-time nonprofessional personnel employed for the first time after July 1, 1987, by postsecondary vocational-technical schools governed by the Department of Technical and Adult Education if otherwise eligible under laws, rules, and regulations, unless such personnel elect membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia pursuant to subsection (j) of Code Section 47-3-60;

(F.3) All full-time employees of a postsecondary vocational-technical school formerly operated by a local board of education or area postsecondary vocational education board as of July 1, 1987, or the date on which the Department of Technical and Adult Education assumes governance of the postsecondary vocational-technical school if otherwise eligible under laws, rules, and regulations, unless such personnel elect membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia pursuant to subsection (j) of Code Section 47-3-60;

(F.4) Personnel employed by the State Board of Education or by the State Department of Education who are authorized to elect and elect to become or remain members of the retirement system pursuant to the applicable provisions of Code Section 47-3-60;

(G) Any bona fide teacher, supervisor of teachers, or clerical employee in any school operated by the Department of Education;

(H) Teacher aides and paraprofessional personnel and members of the staff of any regional educational service agency created pursuant to Code Sections 20-2-270 through 20-2-274;

(I) Registrars of each unit of the University System of Georgia;

(J) The secretary and treasurer of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia;

(K) Teachers, supervisors of teachers, and clerical workers who are employed and paid by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia;

(L) All personnel of the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Georgia;

(M) Any other person employed not less than on a half-time basis and paid by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, with the exception of such maintenance and custodial employees employed prior to July 1, 1978, who elected to forgo membership, provided that the board of trustees shall determine whether any particular employee is a maintenance or custodial employee;

(N) Any full-time employee of the Georgia Association of Educators, Georgia High School Association, or Georgia School Boards Association, provided that such association, as appropriate, and the employee request that the board of trustees permit them to pay the employer and employee contributions, respectively. The state shall make no contributions on account of such employee;

(O) Librarians and clerical personnel employed by regional and county libraries. Any of such librarians and clerical personnel who were members of a local retirement system on January 1, 1977, and who elected to remain members of such local retirement system shall not be required to become members of this retirement system, or if they were members of this retirement system on that date, they may withdraw from such membership. This election must have been made, in writing, to the board of trustees by not later than January 1, 1978. Any of such librarians and clerical personnel failing to so notify the board of trustees by that date shall be members of this retirement system. The employer contributions for such librarians and clerical personnel who are or who become members of this retirement system shall be paid from local funds on all salary amounts of such librarians and clerical personnel which are not paid from state funds. Prior service of such librarians and other service for which such librarians have contributed to the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia is ratified, subject to the same laws and the same rules and regulations applicable to other members of this retirement system;

(P) The full-time executive secretary of the Georgia Vocational Association. Such association shall pay the required employer contribution for membership service. The executive secretary shall be entitled to receive credit for prior teaching service by paying the employee and employer contributions that would have been paid, plus interest at the rate of 8 percent per annum; and

(Q) Attendance officers employed not less than half time for service rendered after June 30, 1992. As used in this subparagraph, "attendance officer" means an attendance officer employed in lieu of a visiting teacher under Subpart 2 of Part 1 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20; provided, however, that the provisions of this subparagraph shall not apply to any former member employed as an attendance officer who retired prior to July 1, 1992.

The term "teacher" shall not be deemed to include any emergency or temporary employee. The board of trustees shall determine in doubtful cases whether any person is included within the definition set forth in this paragraph.

Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs (N) and (P) of paragraph (28) of this Code section, no person becoming an employee of the Georgia Association of Educators, the Georgia High School Association, or the Georgia School Boards Association or becoming the executive secretary of the Georgia Vocational Association after June 30, 1984, shall be a "teacher" within the meaning of paragraph (28) of this Code section or shall be eligible for membership in the retirement system provided for by this chapter unless the person holding any such position is also a "teacher" within the meaning of a subparagraph of paragraph (28) of this Code section other than subparagraph (N) or (P). Except as otherwise provided by Code Section 47-3-84.2, subparagraphs (N) and (P) of paragraph (28) of this Code section shall remain effective after June 30, 1984, only for the purpose of allowing any person who was a member of the retirement system on June 30, 1984, because the person held a position specified by said subparagraph (N) or (P) to continue such membership as long as the person continues to hold such position.