WHAT'S NEW: Assignment letters emailed to Members

We've learned that 2017-18 school year assignment letters have been emailed to Members. Please check your DPSCD email for the information. 

WHAT'S NEW: AFT Leaders Respond to Hearing on Gary B. v. Snyder Case in Detroit

Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, AFT Michigan President David Hecker and Detroit Federation of Teachers President Ivy Bailey following an August 10 hearing in the Gary B. v. Snyder case, which focuses on literacy in and funding of Detroit schools:

“The pattern and practice of disinvestment in our schools is staggering and betrays our obligation to provide all children the well-resourced public schools they need and deserve. Thirty-six states are still spending less on public schools than they did before the Great Recession, and the city of Detroit offers the most striking evidence of what happens to children when we defund our schools.

“Detroit’s teachers are committed to doing everything they can to help the children of Detroit succeed, but we need investment in our children, our schools and our profession. We stand with the children and families bringing this suit because we can no longer tolerate unsafe and unhealthy learning conditions; outdated or nonexistent learning materials; and inadequate investment in the capacity, professional development, and recruitment and retention of Detroit’s teachers, while, at the same time, unaccountable charter schools drain even more resources from public schools. We are fighting for safe and healthy schools, learning conditions and materials that engage kids, and the training and support we need to improve our craft.

“The state created these poor learning conditions, and now Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette are further abdicating their responsibility to the children of Detroit by moving to dismiss this case. All these children and families are asking for is what we owe all families—great, well-resourced public schools where parents want to send their kids, teachers want to teach, and children are engaged.”

WHAT'S NEW: DFT Members approve contract with Detroit Public Schools Community District

The Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) on July 27 ratified a new contract agreement with the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD).

The three-year pact calls for a 3 percent salary increase in the first year and a 4.13 percent increase in the second year. The contract also features a re-opener clause in the third year that allows both parties to negotiate wage terms. The clause states that no wages can be reduced in the third year. The pact is the first multi-year contract without concessions between the DFT and DPSCD in more than a decade.

The agreement also provides a $1,750 one-time bonus to teachers at the top of the salary scale. That bonus will to be paid in September during the upcoming 2017-18 school year. 

“I am pleased that our members have approved the agreement,” stated Ivy Bailey, DFT president. “We certainly deserve more but the package offers us the opportunity to continue building our local, move our school district forward and place students first.”

Under state law, the contract now goes to the Financial Review Commission for consideration.

Option to Purchase Service Credit Ending September 29, 2017

Public Act 92 of 2017, which was signed into law today, discontinues the option to initiate a service credit purchase as of September 29, 2017. This change in the law has no other effect on your pension or retiree healthcare benefits, and it does not affect purchases you’ve already made or tax-deferred payment agreements you may already have in place.

If you’re planning a service credit purchase, full payment for the amount of service you wish to buy or a fully completed Tax-Deferred Payment (TDP) Agreement (R0392C) signed by both you and your employer must be received in our office by 5:00 p.m. EDT, September 29, 2017. Any service credit applications received after that time will not be processed and payments will be refunded appropriately. However, the ability to receive credit for time spent in military service and to reinstate service credit by repaying any refunded pension contributions will remain available to you after that date.

To find out what types of service credit you may be eligible to purchase, the rules, the cost, and how to purchase, our website is your best resource. Go to www.michigan.gov/orsschools and click on Service Credit – Earning and Purchasing.

The best way to find out the cost of buying various types of service credit is to use the tools available in miAccount – log in at www.michigan.gov/orsmiaccount. First, create a pension estimate. The Estimate Pension tool lets you enter any number of “what-if?” scenarios to create multiple estimates. Next, click on Your Service. From there, you can estimate the cost of purchasing Universal Buy-In service credit and various other types. After calculating your cost, click on “When will I recover this cost.” The Breakeven Point for Your Service Purchase calculator uses one of your pension estimates to determine how many years after retiring it would take to recover the cost of your purchase.

Watch for a letter in the mail from our office with more details. If you have any questions after reviewing the resources on our website, log in to miAccount and use our online Message Board for secure, direct access to our representatives.

Sincerely,

Office of Retirement Services