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Sunnyvale board approves voluntary PARS retirement offer for 31 staff to reduce deficit
Summary
Trustees approved a voluntary supplemental retirement (PARS) offer for eligible certificated and classified nonmanagement employees; staff said 31 employees could participate with a benefit equal to 85% of final salary and administrative fees negotiated to 3.5%.
The Sunnyvale School District board approved a voluntary supplementary retirement plan March 12 designed to reduce staffing costs without involuntary layoffs.
District leaders described the offer as a targeted, voluntary option for eligible certificated and classified nonmanagement employees. Staff said the plan would provide a lump-sum supplemental payment equivalent to 85% of a participant's final salary paid into the plan over five years for the 31 employees expected to be eligible. Administrative fees that were originally proposed at 4.5% were negotiated down to 3.5% of the final payment.
Administrators and trustees emphasized the program's dual goals: to provide a dignified option for long-serving employees and to achieve budgetary savings and staffing flexibility. "This is something that we've engaged in conversations with our associations months in advance," the superintendent said, noting the approach is intended to preserve positions and avoid immediate layoffs.
Trustees asked about eligibility rules; staff said the requirements align with standard STRS/PERS benchmarks (for certificated employees examples include age 55 with five years of district service or age 50 with 30 years of service) and that participants must be at least 0.5 FTE. The board approved the participation by unanimous vote.
