Retirement

Resignation Inquiries - SAISD Human Resources Department, 325-947-3838 x774.

SAISD Board Policy DFE (LOCAL) states: 

General Requirements

All resignations shall be submitted in writing to the superintendent or other person designated by Board action in accordance with this policy. The employee shall give reasonable notice and shall include in the letter a statement of the reasons for resigning. A prepaid certified or registered letter of resignation shall be considered submitted upon mailing.

Resignation Letter

All employees are required to submit a letter of resignation when ending employment.

• Address the letter
  • to Dr. Jason Skelton, Executive Director of Human Resources
  • copy your immediate supervisor
• Include in the letter
  • The reason for your resignation 
  • Your last day of employment
  • Your signature
  • The date of your signature
• Send the letter to the Human Resources Department in one of the following ways
  • by email to hr@saisd.org 
  • through inter-school mail addressed to Dr. Jason Skelton - HR Department
  • by hand delivery to the HR Department, Administration Building, 1621 University Avenue

Receipt of Resignation 

SAISD Board Policy DFE (LOCAL) states: 

At-Will Employees

The Superintendent shall be authorized to accept the resignation of an at-will employee at any time. The Superintendent may delegate to other administrators the authority to accept a resignation of an at-will employee.

Contract Employees

The Superintendent or other person designated by Board action shall be authorized to receive a contract employee’s resignation effective at the end of the school year or submitted after the last day of the school year and before the penalty-free resignation date.  If an employee provides a resignation to a supervisor who has not been designated by the Board to accept resignations, the supervisor shall instruct the employee to submit the resignation to the Superintendent or other person designated by Board action. The resignation requires no further action by the District and is accepted upon receipt by the Superintendent or other person designated by Board action.

The Superintendent or other person designated by Board action shall be authorized to accept a contract employee’s resignation submitted or effective at any other time. If an employee provides a resignation to a supervisor who has not been designated by the Board to accept resignations, the supervisor shall instruct the employee to submit the resignation to the Superintendent or other person designated by Board action. The Superintendent or other person designated by Board action shall either accept the resignation or submit the matter to the Board in order to pursue sanctions allowed by law.

Withdrawal of Resignation

Once submitted and accepted, the resignation of a contract employee may not be withdrawn without consent of the Board or designee.

Exit Session

Exiting employees are required to participate in an exit session with the human resources, payroll, and benefits staff prior to leaving employment. The benefits staff contacts the employee and schedules the session, then follows up with an email confirmation of the exit session date and time.  Included in the email is the Request for Records & Release of Information form that will be discussed in the exit session. The exiting employee is encouraged to complete the form prior to the exit session.  The link to the exit survey is also included in the confirmation email. The session may be conducted in person, by phone, or virtually.

During the exit session, information discussed includes 

• final pay
• options for continuation of health insurance benefits
• conversion of supplemental benefit plans
• continuation of participation in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas or withdrawal of contributions
• continuation of other retirement investment plans
• cancellation or conversion of other payroll deductions
• status of leave balances, paid vacation, and compensatory time balances, if applicable
• forwarding mailing address and personal email address
• service record
• other employment records
• future requests for employment verification

Employment Records 

During the exit session or at any time after employment, the exiting employee may request their personnel file and official service record.  The individual completes the Request for Records & Release of Information.  The HR staff processes the request within 30 days of the request.  

Personal Information Disclosure or Non-disclosure

The Texas Public Information Act allows employees, officials, and former employees and officials to elect whether to keep their personal information confidential. Unless the exiting employee elects to keep their information confidential, the following may be subject to public release if requested under the Texas Public Information Act: home address, personal email address, home and cell phone numbers, Social Security number, emergency contact information, and any other information that reveals whether you have family members.   The exiting employee is given the opportunity to make this election during the exit process by completing the Request for Records & Release of Information. 

Authorization for Release of Employment Information

During the exit session or at any time after employment, the exiting employee may authorize the district to release information concerning or relating to the individual’s employment with the district.  This employment information, both oral and written, may include material contained in the personnel file and evaluative statements and judgments from the former supervisors.

Professional Learning Portfolio

The exiting employee is strongly encouraged to print their professional learning portfolio from the learning management system (Eduphoria:Strive). The portfolio may be needed in the future if renewing an educator certification or if seeking other employment.  After exiting the district, the individual’s access to the system and the portfolio is disabled.  

Deactivation of District Email

The exiting employee’s district email account is deactivated after the final day of employment.

Access to Employee Access Center

The exiting employees continue to have access to the Employee Access Center after leaving the District.  This includes access to previous pay information, deductions, leave, and IRS Form W-2,

Return of District-Issued Property

Prior to or on the final day of employment, employees exiting the district are required to return all district property to the immediate supervisor.  This includes district keys, uniforms, electronic devices, equipment and materials, all files (i.e., student records, district financial records, activity funds), and all employee identification badges.

Campus/District Social Media

If the exiting employee manages any social media platform and campus/department for the campus/District, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or any campus/department webpages, the individual is to email the Communications Department at communications@saisd.org and the individual will be removed and another employee assigned.

Final Pay Check Date

When the exiting employee leaves employment prior to the end of the employment year, the individual’s final pay check is issued through direct deposit on the regularly scheduled pay date following the last day of employment.

When the exiting employee leaves employment after completing the employment year, the date of the individual’s final paycheck is determined by the pay cycle of the individual’s employment calendar. 

 

Compensatory Time (Non-Exempt Employees)

If the exiting employee was employed in a non-exempt position and has a compensatory time balance on the resignation date, the time is paid in the final paycheck at the individual’s last hourly rate of pay, or an average of the past 3 years, whichever is higher in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Compensatory time earned in previous pay periods is not eligible for TRS wages.

Paid Vacation

If the exiting employee is eligible for paid vacation time, the accrued time earned during the current year is paid in the final paycheck. The pay is calculated based on the number of days worked. Paid vacation is not eligible as TRS wages.

State Paid Leave Balance

If the exiting employee has a balance of State Personal Leave and/or State Sick Leave (accumulated prior to 1995), the balance is recorded in the individual’s Service Record.  The individual is not paid for this leave [Board Policy DEC (LOCAL)].  State Sick Leave (accumulated prior to 1995) and State Personal Leave are transferable to other districts.

Local Paid Leave Balance

If the exiting employee has a balance of Local Sick Leave and/or Local Personal Leave, the balance is cleared from the employee’s record.  The individual is not paid for this leave [Board Policy DEC (LOCAL)].

Overuse of State and Local Leave

Employed for Full Employment Year - If an employee uses more Local Leave than earned and remains employed with the District through his or her last duty day of the employment year, the District deducts the cost of the excess leave days from the final paycheck. 

Employed for Less Than Full Employment Year - If the exiting employee leaves the District before the last duty day of the employment year, State and Local Leave are prorated based on the actual time employed and the final paycheck is reduced for: 

1. State Leave the employee used beyond his or her pro rata entitlement; and
2. Local Leave the employee used but had not earned as of the date of separation. 

Attendance Incentive

If the exiting employee is eligible for the Attendance Incentive, the incentive is paid in the final paycheck.  The incentive is not eligible for TRS wages.

Eligibility

1. The individual must be employed in a full-time position, and
2. The individual must be eligible to retire with full benefits under the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) without any reductions for early retirement, or have at least 25 continuous years of service with the District.

Payment Upon Separation

A maximum of six days out of the number of earned yearly State Leave days and Local Leave days are credited annually for computation of compensation under the Attendance Incentive policy. 

An eligible employee is allowed to accumulate a maximum of 80 days of credit for the Attendance Incentive.

An employee with an attendance incentive balance of more than 80 days as of May 31, 2011, retains the balance and is compensated for the days in accordance with Board Policy DEC (LOCAL). 

With the exception of absences for religious holy days, each day of leave used during the employee’s duty year is deducted from the maximum six days that may be credited annually for the Attendance Incentive compensation. 

Compensation is determined by using one-half of the employee’s total number of credited Attendance Incentive days and the employee’s daily rate of pay at the time of separation. 

Disability Retirement

A full-time employee who retires under TRS due to a certified disability is eligible to receive the Attendance Incentive as described above regardless of the number of years of continuous service in the District. 

Survivor Compensation

The Attendance Incentive is paid to a deceased employee’s estate or beneficiary, provided the employee would have been eligible to receive it had the person separated from service with the District under usual circumstances.

Teacher Retirement System Account

The exiting employee is encouraged to review their TRS account information and maintain a current mailing address with TRS, make name changes in a timely manner, and keep beneficiary information current. Access Keep TRS Information Current to review and update information.
 

What happens to benefits when you leave the District? 

The following document contains information you need to keep the supplemental benefits that remain available to you after you leave the District.

What Happens to Benefits when you Leave the District?

** Please review the Resignation Process prior to reading through the Retirement Process. **

Retirement Inquiries - SAISD Payroll & Benefits Department, 325-947-3838 x785.

The Teacher Retirement System administers a defined benefit retirement plan that is a qualified pension trust under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. The pension trust fund provides service and disability retirement, as well as death and survivor benefits, to eligible Texas public education employees and their beneficiaries.

Retirement benefits are financed by member and state contributions, and through investment earnings of the pension trust fund.

Exiting employees planning to retire with TRS are encouraged to visit the TRS website or call TRS at 1-800-223-8778 for information.

Links to TRS resources to assist in retirement planning:

MyTRS Information 

MyTRS Login 

Retirement Eligibility Requirements 

Planning for Retirement 

TRS Healthcare 

Employment After Retirement

After retirement, if the individual considers returning to employment, they are encouraged to review the Employment After Retirement information on the TRS website and the Employment After Retirement Brochure to ensure familiarity with return to work provisions and any potential loss of annuity and surcharges.