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About Social Security

History: Georgia and Texas are the only states where the decision to participate in Social Security was made at the local level. Some school systems opted to participate solely in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas; in most cases that decision affects the entire school, but there are districts where non-certified employees pay into Social Security and certified do not. At the bottom of this page is a list of Texas school districts that DO pay into Social Security, for some or all employees.  

The Problem: At issue are two offset provisions, called the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, which may reduce your Social Security payment under certain circumstances. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Government Pension Offset alone reduces benefits for some 300,000 individuals by more than $3,600 a year. 

You may be affected if, in the course of your career, (1) you work both in places that pay into Social Security and places that do not, or (2) you work in a Social Security environment and your spouse works in a non-Social Security environment or vice versa.

Find Out if You’re Affected: Only the Social Security Administration can tell you the effect that working in a non-Social Security school district will have on you personally. If you are working in such a place now or are thinking about it, contact the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213 to get answers about your individual situation. 

Even if you think you are not affected  – or just aren’t sure – it is important to check.  And the sooner you do it the better, so you will have more time to plan based on what you learn.  Don’t wait until it is too late!   

What You Can Do: The National Education Association is spearheading the fight to eliminate the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision provisions. To get involved or read more, visit http://www.nea.org/socialsecurity. 
 

School Districts that Participate in Social Security