Welcome to the Sunnyside School District. We Have Gathered Answers to Some of Our Most
Welcome to the Sunnyside School District. We have gathered answers to some of our most common questions that we believe you will find helpful in understanding and using your benefits with the Sunnyside School District.
1.When do I get paid? Sunnyside School District pays on the last business day of the month. Paydays for the 2018-2019 year are as follows:
Friday, September 28th
Wednesday, October 31st
Friday, November 30th
Monday, December 31st
Thursday, January 31st
Thursday, February 28th
Friday, March 29th
Tuesday, April 30th
Friday, May 31st
Friday, June 28th
Wednesday, July 31st
Friday, August 30st
2.How is my pay calculated? Certified Employees are paid 1/12 of their base contract September-August. For example, if you are a new teacher that is being paid at the BA+0 salary placement your monthly gross pay would be $3,043.42 per month ($36,521/12 equal payments = $3,043.42 each month).
3.When does my insurance begin and what does it cover? Insurance begins October 1st and premiums are withheld from your September 28th paycheck. As an employee of the Sunnyside School District you will be offered medical, dental and vision insurance. Dental and vision insurance is mandatory. Our current available medical insurance includes several Premera Blue Cross Health plans and one Kaiser Permanente managed care plan. We offer Assurant Dental as our traditional dental plan and Willamette dental is available as a managed care dental plan. Our vision plan is through VSP (Plan C). Click on the link below to view medical prices and plan summaries in order to make your choice. You will have another opportunity from September 1st-September 28th to make insurance changes during our annual open enrollment for 2018-2019plans effective November 1st.
Health Insurance Link
4.What are my options for retirement? Your position is an eligible position for membership in the Washington State Department of Retirement System. If you have existing membership in TRS 2 or TRS 3 you will continue to be on that plan. Existing TRS 2 members are only required to fill out an updated beneficiary form. Existing TRS 3 members need to fill out the beneficiary form and a new MemberInformation Form. All employees new to the Teachers Retirement System will be given the choice between TRS 2 and TRS 3. You will receive a plan choice booklet that goes over the differences of the two plans. There are more plan choice resources on the Department of Retirement Systems website. Plan Choice employees will have 90 days from their first workday to decide between TRS 2 and TRS 3. If a decision is not made within that 90 days, employees will be defaulted into TRS 3 with a 5% contribution rate. This choice is a one-time option and will follow you throughout your certified state employment.
Department of Retirement Systems Link
5.How much leave do I receive? Each full time certified employee will receive 12 front loaded sick days and 3 front loaded personal days. Sick leave can be accumulated from year to year, up to 180 days. This is part of a statewide attendance incentive program that allows you to cash this leave out at retirement on a 1-to-4 ratio. Sick leave can also be transferred to other districts in Washington State if you were to change employers. You are able to carry forward 3 personal leave days into next school year.
6.What is Employee Access? We encourage you to use Employee Access to view your paystubs, leave balances and W-2. The link to Employee Access is on the district website. When you login the first time you will have to change your password to one of your own choosing. You can also use Employee Access to update your address and to estimate changes to your W-4.
Skyward Employee Access Link
7.How do I check my email? You can check your email at anytime from anywhere by visiting the District website and clicking on Staff, the link to login will be listed “Employee Webmail Login” in the middle of the screen.
Staff Email Login Link
8.What can I use the Employee Help Desk for? The Employee help desk is an excellent way for you to request help with technology issues, facility issues, transportation requestsand payroll questions. When you create a ticket to ask for assistance, your request is prioritized and traceable so it does not get lost in the shuffle. If you are unable to create a ticket, you can call 836-8411.
Employee Help Desk
9.What is PowerSchool? PowerSchool is student information system. There is a link on the District website that allows you to login. Throughout the powerschool system there are instructional how to’s to assist you with using the software.
PowerSchool Teacher Portal Link
10.What does the District use Google for? Our district uses Google for many things. The most common uses are email, document filing/sharing for teacher collaboration, a calendar and to backup your documents. You will be receiving further training with Google Docs.
11.How do I schedule an absence in AESOP? If you are unable to come to work due to illness or you want to request a personal leave day you will use our substitute calling system, AESOP. AESOP allows us to track your absences and arrange for a substitute to cover your classroom if needed. If you click on the link below you will find an instruction sheet to assist you with using AESOP under the “help” option at the top, after log in.
AESOP Login Link
12.What is Safe Schools? Safe Schools is the District’s safety training program. There are required online trainings that each employee is required to take. You will receive reminder emails once those trainings have been selected.
13.Can I pre-tax my insurance premiums? Sunnyside uses American Fidelity to allow you to pre-tax your insurance premiums, pre-tax daycare deductions, and pre-tax out of pocket medical expenses, purchase cancer insurance, accident insurance. Our annual enrollment period is from September 1st-October 31st. A representative will be in your building this fall if you are interested.
14.Can I send money to more than one bank via direct deposit? Yes, we allow multiple direct deposits from your paycheck. Click on the link below to fill out the form and submit it to payroll. All direct deposit changes must be submitted to payroll by the 10th of each month. Remember to keep us updated if you close your account.
Additional Direct Deposit Form
Change of Net Direct Deposit
15.Do I have additional investing options for retirement? Our employees have additional optional retirement options with Deferred Compensation with DRS, an Annuity through an approved provider, or a 403B Roth with an approved provider. Click on one of the links below if you are interested in more information. Vendors for these options will be at the benefit fair to assist you.
Deferred Compensation
Approved 403B Annuity and 403B Roth Vendors.
16.What life events are important to share with my Payroll/Benefits office? Please remember that events in your life also impact your benefits. Please remember to update our office if you change your address, phone number, bank account, get married, get divorced or have a baby. It is also very important to work with our office if you are planning on taking any kind of leave for more than 3 days.
17.How do I turn in clock hours/credits? Please remember to turn in credits and clock hours for movement on the salary schedule each year by September 10th. You can continue to turn these in throughout the year for the future movement. All credits and clock hours require a credit approval form. We also offer tuition reimbursement for approved classes. Up to $750.00 of tuition reimbursement per person is available each year until the funds are gone. See the link below to see what you need to turn in and what qualifies.
Link for Credit Approval
Link for tuition reimbursement
18.Does Sunnyside offer any reimbursements for classroom supplies? Currently, our district provides each secondary employee $75 and each elementary employee $175 per year for the purchase of supplies or instructional materials. New employees are offered an additional $100 their first year in the district. They can request a purchase order from their building secretary to a particular vendor (i.e. Walmart, Office Depot) or they can turn in receipts for items they have purchased and be reimbursed. We do not reimburse for food products, just supplies or materials to be used in their classroom. Purchases made by an employee during July & August will be reimbursed in September. Funds will be available until March 1. After March 1, unused funds will be made available for all employees to make additional requests. Additional requests will be limited to $150. Funds will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis until all funds are used. Receipts must be dated for the current school year. Unused funds will be made available until June 30.
19.How do I apply for extra assignments such as after school or coaching positions now that I am an employee? You will still use our application system, Talent Ed. You will now apply as an internal applicant.
Link to Talent Ed