(a) Any person who becomes a teacher after January 1, 1944, shall become a member of the retirement system as a condition of his employment, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.

(b) Any person who was a teacher on January 1, 1943, or became a teacher prior to January 1, 1944, shall be a member unless prior to January 1, 1944, he filed with the board of trustees, on a form provided by it, a notice of his election not to be included in the membership of the retirement system and a duly executed waiver of all present and prospective benefits which would otherwise accrue to him by participating in the retirement system. Such a teacher who elected not to become a member may at any time thereafter apply for and be admitted to membership, but without credit for that service rendered after July 1, 1943, and before the time he becomes a member, and without prior service credit.

(c) Any teacher who was alive as of March 28, 1947, who has reached the age of 60, who had taught for at least 35 years as of March 19, 1943, in the public schools of the state operated by the Department of Education or any of the state educational institutions financed by this state and who retired from service in such schools or educational institutions before March 19, 1943, shall be deemed a member of the retirement system. Benefits to be paid to such a member shall be computed on the average earnings received by such a member for the last five years of actual service rendered in such schools and educational institutions.

(d) A teacher otherwise eligible shall be classified as a member only while he is in the service of an employer not operating a local retirement system.

(e) The membership of any member shall terminate upon the member's:

(1) Death;

(2) Retirement under this retirement system;

(3) Withdrawal of his contributions;

(4) Rendering less than one year of service in a period of five consecutive years as a member; or

(5) Employment by an employer which operates a local retirement fund, unless the member has ten or more years of creditable service with this retirement system, in which case the member may elect to continue membership in this retirement system, subject to the same terms and conditions as other members.

(e.1) A member who has not withdrawn the member's contributions to the retirement system and who has a break in service of more than four years but not more than five years may be reinstated to membership if the member pays a sum equal to 12 1/2 percent of the member's salary for the last year of service prior to the break in service. A member who has not withdrawn the member's contributions to the retirement system and who has a break in service of more than five years but not more than six years may be reinstated to membership if the member pays a sum equal to 25 percent of the member's salary for the last year of service prior to the break in service. A member who has not withdrawn the member's contributions to the retirement system may be reinstated to membership without paying the reinstatement fees after the member renders at least one year of membership service subsequent to the break in service. All interest credits shall cease after any such break in service but shall begin again on the date of payment of the sum required for reinstatement to membership or on the first day of July immediately following the completion of one year of membership service following the break in service. The board of trustees may approve the continued membership of a member while in the armed forces of the United States or other emergency wartime service of the United States, or a member whose membership would be terminated because of illness which prevents the member from rendering the service otherwise required by this Code section. The board of trustees may also grant an additional year of leave to a teacher for each child born to or adopted by such teacher while on authorized leave.

(f)(1) In the event a member desires to pursue a program of full-time study which will require that he render less than one year of service in a period of five consecutive years and which would otherwise result in termination of his membership, the board of trustees may approve a leave of absence for study purposes in addition to the normal four-year break in service which the member could otherwise take, so that the combined break in service does not exceed six years. Such study leave shall be continuous. In no event shall such a member's account remain in an active status for longer than six consecutive years for such purpose.

(2) A member who undertakes full-time graduate study designed to advance or improve his or her training or abilities as a teacher is entitled to receive creditable service for a period of graduate study under the following conditions:

(A) The member must have been a full-time teacher in the public schools of this state or in the University System of Georgia under the board of regents immediately prior to the period of graduate study. Any such period of graduate study interrupted solely for a period of active duty military service begun during a period in which the military draft is in effect shall be deemed not to have been interrupted for purposes of this subparagraph;

(B) The member must submit a transcript or similar document to the retirement system as verification of the graduate study pursued;

(C) The member must return to full-time employment as a teacher in the public schools of this state or in the University System of Georgia under the board of regents for a minimum of five years following such period of graduate study;

(D) The member must pay the appropriate member contributions plus applicable accrued interest in accordance with regulations adopted by the board of trustees on the basis of the salary the member was receiving for full-time employment as a teacher immediately prior to the period of graduate study; and

(E) Either the member's present employer or the member must pay the appropriate employer contributions and applicable accrued interest thereon if the source of funds from which the member was paid immediately prior to his or her period of graduate study was other than state funds.

(3) The foregoing provisions of this subsection shall apply to periods of graduate study heretofore and hereafter granted, but nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed to rescind any creditable service granted prior to July 1, 1981, pursuant to this subsection or its predecessors.

(g) Any other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding, if a member with ten or more years' creditable service after becoming a member is employed by an employer operating a local retirement fund, his membership does not automatically terminate and he may elect to maintain his membership rather than participate in the local retirement fund, subject to the same terms and conditions as other members of the retirement system.

(h) 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, shall become members of the retirement system as a condition of employment, unless such personnel elect membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia at the time of their employment. Such election shall be made in writing to the board of trustees of this retirement system and to the board of trustees of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia. Once such election is made by such personnel, the election is irrevocable during the tenure of employment with the State Board of Education or the State Department of Education. The State Board of Education shall provide by regulation for informing prospective employees who are to be employed as certified professional personnel of the option provided for by this subsection so that such personnel may choose membership in this retirement system or the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia at the time of their employment.

(h.1) Personnel employed for the first time by the State Board of Education or by the State Department of Education on or after July 1, 1988, who, at the time of becoming so employed, are members of this retirement system shall continue as members of this retirement system unless such personnel elect membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia at the time of their employment. Such election shall be made in writing to the board of trustees of this retirement system and to the board of trustees of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia. Once such election is made by such personnel, the election is irrevocable during the tenure of employment with the State Board of Education or the State Department of Education. The State Board of Education shall provide by regulation for informing prospective employees who are subject to the provisions of this subsection of the option provided for by this subsection so that such personnel may choose to continue membership in this retirement system or become members of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia at the time of their employment.

(i)(1) This subsection shall apply to certified professional personnel in the unclassified service of the State Merit System of Personnel Administration who are employed by the State Board of Education or the State Department of Education on July 1, 1986, and who are members of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia and have at least five years of membership service in said retirement system as of July 1, 1986. (2) This subsection shall also apply to any personnel employed by the State Board of Education or by the State Department of Education at any time before July 1, 1988, who are members of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia and who, at the time of becoming employed by said state board or department, had ten or more years of membership service in this retirement system.

(3) At any time from July 1, 1988, until not later than July 1, 1989, personnel described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection are authorized to transfer service credits and membership, including employer and employee contributions, from the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia to this retirement system. Any such personnel electing to transfer such service credits and membership to this retirement system shall be required to make additional contributions to this retirement system so that the annuity account balance of the transferring person shall be the same as though the transferring person had been a member of this retirement system during the period of time for which service credits are transferred from the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia to this retirement system or, in the absence of such payment, the board of trustees of this retirement system shall adjust the transferring person's credits in proportion to the contributions transferred from the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia to this retirement system. Any such personnel shall exercise the authority provided by this paragraph by written notification to the board of trustees of each of the retirement systems.

(4) If any person who transfers to this retirement system pursuant to the authority of this subsection subsequently becomes employed in a position where membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia is required, any creditable service obtained under this retirement system for teaching service in school systems of other states pursuant to Code Section 47-3-89 shall not be eligible for transfer as creditable service to the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, notwithstanding the provisions of Code Section 47-2-92 or any other provision of Chapter 2 of this title, relating to the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia.

(j)(1) 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 state board shall become members of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia as a condition of employment if otherwise eligible under laws, rules, and regulations, unless such personnel elect membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia and are otherwise eligible under laws, rules, and regulations. Once such election is made by such personnel, the election is irrevocable during the tenure of employment with the Department of Technical and Adult Education or any postsecondary vocational-technical school governed thereby. Newly hired employees not eligible for membership in the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia or the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia shall become members of the Public School Employees Retirement System as a condition of employment if eligible. The Department of Technical and Adult Education shall provide by regulation for informing prospective employees who are to be employed as certified professional personnel of the option provided for by this subsection so that such personnel shall choose membership in the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia or the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia or the Public School Employees Retirement System at the time of their employment.

(2) 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 state board assumes governance of the postsecondary vocational-technical school shall elect either to continue membership in the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia or to become members of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia. Once such election is made by such personnel, the election is irrevocable during the tenure of employment with the Department of Technical and Adult Education or any postsecondary vocational-technical school governed thereby. All employees who are members of the Public School Employees Retirement System may elect to continue their membership in the Public School Employees Retirement System or to become members of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia or the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia if otherwise eligible under laws, rules, or regulations.

(3) If any person who transfers to this retirement system pursuant to the authority of this subsection subsequently becomes employed in a position where membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia is required, any creditable service obtained under this retirement system for teaching service in school systems of other states pursuant to Code Section 47-3-89 shall not be eligible for transfer as creditable service to the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, notwithstanding the provisions of Code Section 47-2-92 or any other provision of Chapter 2 of this title.

(k) Any other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding, any person at least 60 years of age who first becomes a teacher on or after July 1, 1987, and any former member of the retirement system at least 60 years of age who has withdrawn from the retirement system employee contributions made during such former membership again becoming a teacher on or after July 1, 1987, shall have the right to decline membership in the retirement system. The right shall be exercised by sending written notice to the board of trustees on a form provided by the board for such purpose. The right must be exercised within 90 days after becoming a teacher. Any person declining membership in the retirement system pursuant to this subsection shall not at any time thereafter be eligible for membership in the retirement system. Any person failing to exercise the right provided by this subsection within 90 days after becoming a teacher shall become and remain a member of the retirement system as a condition of continued employment. Any employee contributions made during the first 90 days as a teacher by a person who exercises the right provided by this subsection shall be reimbursed to the person within 30 days after the board of trustees receives the written notice declining membership in the retirement system.

(l) Any other provisions of this chapter or of Chapter 2 of this title to the contrary notwithstanding, any member of this retirement system with five or more years of continuous membership service who is employed by Central State Hospital and who, without any break in employment, becomes employed in a position where membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia is ordinarily required shall have the option to remain a member of this retirement system, notwithstanding the change in the member's employment status. Such option shall be exercised by notification, in writing, to the boards of trustees of this retirement system and the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia. The employer of any such member who exercises the option provided by this subsection shall be an employer for the purposes of this chapter.

(m) Any other provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, any person who is entitled pursuant to the provisions of this article to make an election between membership in this retirement system and membership in any other retirement system and who subsequently retires and is rehired by the same employer which employed him or her immediately prior to retirement shall continue membership in the retirement system under which he or she initially retired and shall not be entitled to elect membership in any other retirement system.