Thinking about retiring?
HISD is planning a special reception to honor all of its retiring employees for their service to the district on May 11 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.
Spring typically marks the time of year when many teachers and staff make retirement decisions, and the district hopes the reception will help celebrate those many people whose careers have served HISD students, in some cases for decades.
“We are truly grateful for the years of dedication and hard work from our retiring employees and we want to let them know how much they are appreciated,” said Gloria Cavazos, chief of Human Resources. “This reception is a small way to show our gratitude and offer well wishes as they embark on a new chapter in their lives.”
For the 2016-2017 school year, the district’s Human Resources department has received notification forms from nearly 300 employees who have retired or are planning to retire at the end of the year. The process to retire usually begins by contacting both the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and working with the district’s Retirement Storefront located in the M.C. Williams Annex Building at 6100 Knox Street.
Besides helping employees fill out the appropriate paperwork, the Retirement Storefront hosts seminars and provides counseling sessions to help employees navigate the decision-making process and answer questions.
The employee must then submit a Resignation/Retirement form to Human Resources.
“We urge teachers and anyone else who is thinking about retiring, to reach out now to the Storefront and get the information they will need on everything from pension and health care benefits to future employment,” said Tammy Young, manager of Employee Support Services. “Retiring is a big life decision and it’s important to consider all the options.”
For employees who have already decided to retire, the next step should be easy. The district is sending out invitations to the retirement reception and simply asking that those who wish to attend RSVP at events@houstonisd.org.
“We hope all of our retiring team members will join us so we can celebrate and honor them,” Cavazos said.
