Voluntary Retirement or Separation

The Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet (CEC) to offered voluntary early retirement or separation incentives for classified staff, exempt staff, and faculty employees.

Although the deadlines for participation in these programs have passed, this information remains published for the reference of those individuals who participated in one of these programs.

Voluntary retirement or separation incentive plans are a management tool and are not an employee right or benefit. Acceptance of an incentive offer is strictly voluntary. 

Eligibility requirements, incentive amounts, participation processes, and conditions vary by employee type. Jump to information regarding your employee type (Full-Time Faculty | Classified | Exempt Pro-Staff | Exempt Non-Represented).

General Information & Resources

Employees who participate in a voluntary separation incentive program are not required to retire as a condition of participating. Employees considering retirement are encouraged to consult with the administrator responsible for their retirement plan. General resources and contact information can be found below.

Full Time Faculty

The Voluntary Faculty Separation Incentive Plan provided eligible full-time faculty with an opportunity to receive a payment of 50% their 2020-2021 base salary for the regular academic year in return for their voluntary separation from the District.

Eligible full-time faculty electing to participate in the program must complete the Participation Request Form and return it to their campus human resources team.

Acceptance of the District’s offer by the full-time faculty, as part of this plan, requires signing a tenure buyout agreement and delivering it to the District no later than the effective date of the employee’s separation.

Below are additional details regarding the plan. Further details can be found in the MOU between the the District and the union.

  • Participation Window: This one-time window of opportunity is available from August 4, 2020 through September 18, 2020.
  • Participation Deadline: Full-time faculty will accept this offer by submitting a signed notice of intent to participate in the program, on the required form, no later than September 18, 2020, with an effective date for their separation no later than September 18, 2020.
  • Eligibility:  Full-time faculty with at least ten (10) years of employment with the District, subject to certain limitations outlined in the plan MOU.
  • Incentive Amount: Faculty who separate their employment from the District under his plan will receive an incentive payment equal to 50% of their base salary for the 2020-2021 regular academic year.
  • Payout Details: Payout will be in the form of a lump sum payment less required withholding. Payments will be made within thirty days of the employee’s last day of employment.
  • Leave Balances: Unused leave accruals (e.g. sick leave) will also be paid out in a manner consistent with the generally applicable District policies and SCD/AFT bargaining agreement provisions, less required withholding.
  • Retirement Contributions: Any payments made under this MOU will not include retirement plan contributions nor will the payment amount otherwise be considered income for retirement (average final compensation) purposes.
  • Return to Service: Faculty who accept a separation incentive who return to teaching will be paid from the part-time faculty pay schedule and will be classified as part-time in accordance with the Agreement. Faculty members 

Classified Staff

The Voluntary Separation Incentive Plan, approved by the Office of Financial Management (OFM), provides eligible classified with an opportunity to receive a payment based on their years of service and their 2020-2021 base salary in return for their voluntary separation from the District.

Eligible classified staff who elect to participate in the program must complete the Notice of Intent to Participate Form and return it to their campus human resources team.

The Colleges will consider the requests to participate in the program. Formal offers to participate in the program will be made by the District to accepted classified staff. Acceptance of the District’s offer by classified staff, as part of this plan, requires signing a separation agreement and delivering it to the District no later than the effective date of the employee’s separation.

Below are additional details regarding the plan. Further details can be found in the plan documents.

  • Participation Window: Interested staff will submit a notice of interest to participate, on the required form, between August 10, 2020 and August 31, 2020. This form will include a desired effective separation date no later than November 2, 2020. The District will make formal offers to participate to interested staff no later than September 18, 2020. Staff formally offered to participate in the program will have until November 2, 2020 to accept the District’s offer.
  • Participation Deadline: After receiving a formal offer to participate in the program, classified staff offered to participate will have until November 2, 2020 to accept the District's offer to separate from the District. Acceptance of the District’s offer by the employee as part of this Plan must include signing a separation agreement and delivering it to the District no later than the effective date of the employee’s separation.
  • Eligibility:  Classified staff with at least three (3) years of service with the District, subject to certain limitations outlined in the plan document.
  • Incentive Amount: Classified staff who separate their employment from the District under his plan will receive an incentive payment based on a percentage of their 2020-2021 annual base salary. The percentage amount is determined by the number of years of services the employee has with the District. Refer to the plan document for specific incentive amounts. The incentive amount may not exceed 25,000$.
  • Payout Details: Payout will be in the form of a lump sum payment less required withholding. Payments will be made within thirty days of the employee’s last day of employment.
  • Leave Balances: Unused leave accruals (e.g. vacation leave) will also be paid out in a manner consistent with the generally applicable District policies.
  • Retirement Contributions: Any payments made under this plan will not include retirement plan contributions nor will the payment amount otherwise be considered income for retirement (average final compensation) purposes.
  • Return to Service: Following a separation or retirement payment under this Plan, any employee who returns to state service in five or fewer years (as an employee or contractor) must repay the incentive payment. An exception or partial exception to this provision may be granted, provided the new agency seeking to hire the former employee has sought and gained approval from the OFM director prior to the date of hire. Such exceptions are evaluated on their potential benefit to the state. However, such approvals are infrequent. Employment with a local government jurisdiction or school district, or work as an unpaid volunteer, does not trigger the repayment requirements.

Pro-Staff (AFT-SPS Represented Exempt)

The Voluntary Separation Incentive Plan, approved by the members of the AFT-SPS union, provides eligible professional staff employees (i.e. exempt represented staff) with an opportunity to receive a payment of 50% their 2020-2021 base salary in return for their voluntary separation from the District.

Eligible professional staff who elect to participate in the program must complete the Notice of Intent to Participate Form and return it to their campus human resources team.

The Colleges will consider the requests to participate in the program. Formal offers to participate in the program will be made by the District to accepted staff. Acceptance of the District’s offer by staff, as part of this plan, requires signing a separation agreement and delivering it to the District no later than the effective date of the employee’s separation.

Below are additional details regarding the plan. Further details can be found in the plan documents.

  • Participation Window: Interested staff will submit a notice of interest to participate, on the required form, between August 10, 2020 and August 31, 2020. This form will include a desired effective separation date no later than November 2, 2020. The District will make formal offers to participate to interested staff no later than September 18, 2020. Staff formally offered to participate in the program will have until November 2, 2020 to accept the District’s offer.
  • Participation Deadline: After receiving a formal offer to participate in the program, staff offered to participate will have until November 2, 2020 to accept the District's offer to separate from the District. Acceptance of the District’s offer by the employee as part of this Plan must include signing a separation agreement and delivering it to the District no later than the effective date of the employee’s separation.
  • Eligibility: Full time pro-staff with at least ten (10) years of employment with the District, subject to certain limitations outlined in the plan document.
  • Incentive Amount: Employees will receive an incentive payment equal to 50% of their 2020-2021 annual base salary.
  • Payout Details: Payout will be in the form of a lump sum payment less required withholding. Payments will be made within thirty days of the employee’s last day of employment.
  • Leave Balances: Unused leave accruals (e.g. vacation leave) will also be paid out in a manner consistent with the generally applicable District policies.
  • Retirement Contributions: Any payments made under this plan will not include retirement plan contributions nor will the payment amount otherwise be considered income for retirement (average final compensation) purposes.
  • Return to Service: Employees who are approved to participate in this plan and subsequently seek to return to work within the District within three (3) years of separation will be required to reimburse the District for that amount of the incentive payment received. An exception to this provision may be granted by the District Chancellor provided the rehire request is made through the respective President/Vice Chancellor, prior to the date of rehire or return to work.  Such exceptions granted by the Chancellor may allow for partial repayment of the incentive and any related employment taxes on a pro-rated basis. 

Exempt Staff (Non-Represented)

The Voluntary Separation Incentive Plan provides eligible non-represented exempt staff with an opportunity to receive a payment of 50% their 2020-2021 base salary in return for their voluntary separation from the District.

Eligible exempt, non-represented staff who elect to participate in the program must complete the Notice of Intent to Participate Form and return it to their campus human resources team.

The Colleges will consider the requests to participate in the program. Formal offers to participate in the program will be made by the District to accepted staff. Acceptance of the District’s offer by staff, as part of this plan, requires signing a separation agreement and delivering it to the District no later than the effective date of the employee’s separation.

  • Participation Window: Interested staff will submit a notice of interest to participate, on the required form, between August 10, 2020 and August 31, 2020. This form will include a desired effective separation date no later than November 2, 2020. The District will make formal offers to participate to interested staff no later than September 18, 2020. Staff formally offered to participate in the program will have until November 2, 2020 to accept the District’s offer.
  • Participation Deadline: After receiving a formal offer to participate in the program, staff offered to participate will have until November 2, 2020 to accept the District's offer to separate from the District. Acceptance of the District’s offer by the employee as part of this Plan must include signing a separation agreement and delivering it to the District no later than the effective date of the employee’s separation.
  • Eligibility: Full time exempt, non-represented staff, with at least ten (10) years of employment with the District, subject to certain limitations outlined in the plan document.
  • Incentive Amount: Employees will receive an incentive payment equal to 50% of their 2020-2021 annual base salary.
  • Payout Details: Payout will be in the form of a lump sum payment less required withholding. Payments will be made within thirty days of the employee’s last day of employment.
  • Leave Balances: Unused leave accruals (e.g. vacation leave) will also be paid out in a manner consistent with the generally applicable District policies.
  • Retirement Contributions: Any payments made under this plan will not include retirement plan contributions nor will the payment amount otherwise be considered income for retirement (average final compensation) purposes.
  • Return to Service: Employees who are approved to participate in this plan and subsequently seek to return to work within the District within five (5) years of separation will be required to reimburse the District for that amount of the incentive payment received. An exception to this provision may be granted by the District Chancellor provided the rehire request is made through the respective President/Vice Chancellor, prior to the date of rehire or return to work.  Such exceptions granted by the Chancellor may allow for partial repayment of the incentive and any related employment taxes on a pro-rated basis.