Public Employee Retirement (PERS) & School Employee Retirement (SERS): These are employee designations within public schools. Depending on the State and the employee plan choice upon hiring will determine what plan options and retirement guarantees are available to the employee. Each plan are not created equally.
Weather certificated or classified, employees should review their options. In our experience, new staff should consult with an expert prior to choosing their plan. Typically, when a plan is chosen, it cannot be changed with some exception that wont be touched on here. Most plans increase pay over as service years are added.
The Defined Benefit for staff is in part based on service credit (years served) and salary with the State retirement plan factor; this is the pension total. Understanding the pension is key to understanding how much “guaranteed’ retirement one should expect. Another consideration for Teachers: some States increase income after service year milestones, education, national teaching accreditation and/or job role.
SERS & PERS Staff might also be members of an additional union, like the International Teamsters for Janitors and Bus Drivers who would receive an additional pension.
Periodic reviews are a key component to retiring with success. Too many Public Employees retire and then find they need to go back to work to supplement their retirement. We fix this problem.
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