Deadline: February 3

Employees wishing to retire at the end of the school year and participate in district retirement programs such as the Classified Early Retirement Plan (VRP), and/or Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) must submit a retirement letter to Human Resources no later than 5:00 p.m. on February 3 of the current year. The retirement letter must be signed and submitted to Nancy Jirik in the Human Resources Department at the Education Center.

Signed retirement letters may be scanned and emailed to Nancy Jirik @ njirikec@olatheschools.org or placed in interschool mail.

After February 3, a confirmation email will be sent to each employee who submitted a retirement letter, and will include information to set up a retirement conference during the month of February, March or April. A member of the retirement team will help employees review their KPERS application, notarize signatures, and provide individualized district benefit information. 

Employees may visit the KPERS website and create an online account to view their estimated benefits. The retirement calculator located on their KPERS personal account screen provides estimates based on the retirement date selected.

Questions about retirement options and KPERS should be directed to Nancy Jirik at 913-780-8041 or by emailing njirikec@olatheschools.org

The Classified Early Retirement Plan (VRP) applies to active classified staff, not temporary or seasonal. Classified employees will receive a one-time lump sum payment based on their number of continuous years of service into a 403(b) account with TIAA. The payment is calculated as a percentage of your current base salary.

• 15 to 19 years of service will receive 10%
• 20 to 24 years of service will receive 14%
• 25+ years of service will receive 20% 

To qualify, the following criteria must be met:

• The employee must be formally retiring with Olathe Public Schools with a minimum of 15 continuous years of service.
• The employee must be formally retiring from KPERS at the same time.
• The employee must submit a signed retirement letter by February 3 in the year they wish to retire.

For more information, contact Nancy Jirik at 913-780-8041 or by emailing njirikec@olatheschools.org

At the time of retirement, up to 425 unused sick days will be converted into a daily rate and deposited into an HRA account with WEX. The current rate for the 2024 year is $83.00 per day. The rate may fluctuate based on the current costs associated with the District's medical plans. This money may be used for any medical, dental, or vision expenses after retirement. This account may also be used to pay for medical, dental or vision premiums if an employee chooses to stay on the District's retiree benefits. The employee does not need to qualify for VRP to be eligible for the HRA benefit. The HRA benefit will last until the account balance is zero. There is no survivor benefit upon the death of the employee.

To qualify, the following criteria must be met:

• The employee needs to be retiring with Olathe Public Schools with a minimum of five continuous years of service.
• The employee needs to be retiring with KPERS at the same time.
• The employee needs to be retiring from a benefits eligible position.

For more information, call Nancy Jirik at 913-780-8041 or by emailing njirikec@olatheschools.org