A SERP Agreement has been finalized!
Last night we finalized an agreement with the District to offer a Supplemental Early Retirement Program (SERP) for this year.
Ultimately, the District was unwilling to increase the benefit amount beyond 70% of the participating unit member’s final salary due to the impact on both the actuarial projections and the fact that other bargaining units had already settled at that rate.
More details, including timelines for informational sessions with Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS) and CalSTRS, will be sent to SERP-eligible members as it becomes available. (Not sure if you are SERP eligible? Check out section 1.1 in the agreement.) In the meantime, members considering the SERP can schedule individual appointments with CalSTRS directly if they wish. This website and this FAQ will continue to be updated.
This agreement impacts all of us!
While the details of the SERP are most relevant to SDEA members considering retirement, this agreement impacts all our members and our school communities in two ways:
- It includes an agreement to address the ongoing SPED staffing issue. The SERP agreement includes a guarantee that the District will offset the number of Ed Specialist vacancies that occur due to the SERP by reimbursing unit members – including Visiting Teachers – for the cost of obtaining an Ed Specialist credential while they continue working. Especially as we are still awaiting a response from the District regarding the Ed Specialist caseload overage grievance from last year, it is clear that we need more concrete solutions to the SPED staffing shortages.
- Early retirement incentives are a way to avoid layoffs. With enrollment lagging and the limitations of school funding, incentives for early retirements and credentials for high-need areas can reduce the need for layoffs.
SDEA members and their students were clear this past Spring: Layoffs are harmful to our schools!
