Professional Development Frequently Asked Questions

Free parking is available at the very top of Garage B (1511 San Jacinto). You will receive an email prior to the course with a parking permit. The parking permit should be placed on the dashboard where it can be clearly seen from the front of the vehicle.

Warning: Parking citations will be issued if...

You are not on the very top of the parking garage (uncovered space - not on incline ramp);
You do not clearly display parking permit on front dashboard;
You are not parked within a lined parking space, including if any part of the vehicle is over the line;
You are parked with the rear of the vehicle facing the curb or parking stop; or
You are double parked.

Please reach out to Professional Development to provide you with a parking pass to Garage P. Also, vehicles with a valid disability parking permit can park free at the meters around the downtown area. There are several meters around the Capitol Complex which can be found at ATD: Austin ADA Parking Options.

The SAO is not able to dismiss parking tickets.

We are not set up to process credit cards at this time. We accept checks and RTI payments (inter-state-agency payments).

The SAO does not provide lunch. There are several restaurants within walking distance from the SAO. We have a list of nearby restaurants in each training room. We also have a refrigerator and microwave in our coffee bar area. Please feel free to bring in your own drinks and food if you prefer.

The Texas constitution prohibits a state agency from purchasing food. A refrigerator and microwave are available if you would like to bring food or snacks. There is a small vending area on the first floor to purchase snacks and drinks.
Sources: TEX. C0NST. art. III, § 51; art. VIII, § 3; art. XVI, § 6(a); Op. Tex. Att’y Gen. No, C-557 (1965).

You will receive an email the day after the class with a link to our evaluation system. Login with your unique ID and email address. Complete your evaluation and click, “submit.” Once you have submitted your evaluation, you will see a button to print your certificate.

If class ended that day, you will not be able to access the evaluation until the following day. Contact Professional Development to verify your Unique ID. If someone else registered you for the course, they may have created a new Unique ID for you.

Business casual is fine. You might want to bring a light sweater or jacket as room temperatures vary.

Yes. Please feel free to bring in your own drinks and food if you prefer. A refrigerator and microwave are available in the coffee bar area. Refreshments and snacks are available at Fresh Market on the Plaza Level of the building.

All course confirmations are sent to the email address associated with the Unique ID. If you did not get a confirmation email, reach out to Professional Development to confirm the registration.

Yes. Courses are occasionally canceled or rescheduled due to low enrollment. We determine whether a course has enough participants 16 days prior to the course date. If we cancel or reschedule, we will email the participant and their billing contact no later than 14 days before the original class date.

Some participants prefer to wait closer to the course date to register. However, we encourage participants to register early so we know if we have enough participants or whether we need to do additional marketing to try and fill the course.

If you are making travel plans to come to Austin, we recommend making "refundable" air and hotel reservations or wait until 14 days before the class to actually book your reservations. Feel free to contact the course coordinator if you need more information on the status of the class earlier.

No. You can find find contact information for nearby hotels by viewing our Travel Locations document. Many of the downtown hotels will honor the "state rate," but SAO cannot help you secure rooms at the "state rate."

Yes. If there is time, please email Professional Development the course name, date, who is being substituted, and the original registered participant. We ask the substitute to register, even if there are no seats available (they will be added to the waitlist). If you received any special pre-class instructions, please see that it is passed on to the substitute. There is no charge for substituting participants.

The course will be held via online platforms such as Zoom, Teams, etc. A few days before the course starts, Professional Development will email you with details. If you don’t receive an email with course information, email Professional Development. To participate in an online course, participants will need an internet connection and a computer/tablet with a keyboard and a microphone.

Conferences IO tracks participation for online classes. This includes checking in at the start of the course, polls or attestation codes, and checking out at the end of the course. You access it on your phone, using a QR code or on your device going to https://saotexas.cnf.io/. You do not need to download an app.