Canyons School District employees went to the polls Wednesday to vote on whether to stay in, or opt out, of Social Security.
It's a choice few Americans get to make, but one explored by a handful of Utah municipalities.
Under federal law, any governmental entity created after 1951 that pays into a "defined retirement plan," is supposed to affirmatively decide whether to join Social Security.
Per federal rules, the district held a referendum using paper ballots to be hand counted by the Utah Division of Finance. Preliminary results likely won't be known until Thursday or Friday.
But much to the relief of Canyons officials, polling stations (located at every school and administrative building) reported a high turnout.
"We don't care what the results are, we just want people to show up and vote," said district spokeswoman Jennifer Toomer-Cook, who explained that for the referendum to be valid, at least 1,286 of 2,571 eligible full-time employees had to cast ballots. The decision doesn't impact part-time employees who will continue to pay into Social Security.
Canyons, Utah's first new school district in 100 years, is probably the largest public entity to grapple with the decision to date. Leading up to the referendum, district officials held Q&A sessions, posted informational material online and published "get-out-and-vote" reminders in newsletters and through e-mail.
"I came into school today prepared," said Crescent Elementary Principal Debbie Shumard, who declined to say how she voted.
Teachers and administrators surveyed Wednesday were evenly divided. Plenty were anxious about leaving such a weighty, personal decision up to popular vote.
Whatever is decided is bound to affect each worker differently, acknowledged Jordan High School Principal Tom Sherwood, who predicts the majority will choose to opt out. "They like the idea of having control of their own money."
Sherwood, for one, would rather have "$500,000 in the bank" than a promisory note from the federal government that might never materialize. Social Security is projected to become insolvent by 2037.
Jordan High art teacher Carrie Earl shared Sherwood's sentiment. "I'm really good with my money. I'd rather hang onto it," she said.
But if Canyons employees distrust the federal government, they also question whether the district will live up to its promise to pay its share of a worker's Social Security obligation into a 401(k)-type plan (about 6 percent of an employee's salary).
Canyons employees will also continue to participate in the state's pension plan.
"But if times are tight, what assurance do we have that the district won't decide they can't afford to contribute?" said Vicki Hansen, a 23-year teacher at Crescent Elementary. "I'm a widow and need to make sure I've got something to fall back on."
Others worry about what foregoing Social Security might mean for younger teachers.
A 6 percent pay raise, equivalent to what employees now pay into Social Security, might prove irresistible to entry-level educators, said Jordan High librarian Laurel Harris. "But it's not a pay raise. That's their retirement. They need to invest it, and I don't think they will."
