MHFT Newsletter -- August 28, 2015

August Payroll for Non-Direct Deposit Employees & New Teachers

If you are a teacher new to Morgan Hill or you do not use the direct deposit option for your paycheck, the August checks will be delivered to the sites the morning of 8/31/15.  Any check not picked up from the secretaries by 3:30 will be returned to the DO for mailing by 4:00 pm.  September through July the checks are available for pick up at the DO on the date of issue from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Any checks not picked up by 4:00 pm will be taken directly to the post office for mailing.

Check Your Payroll Online

It is important that you check your payroll statement online at ess.sccoe.org. If you need help logging in the help desk number is (408) 453-4357. You will need your District ID to use the help desk.

Please check your payroll using the new salary schedule and also make sure that your benefits and deductions are correct.  

Health Care & Benefits Open Enrollment

Although the District will now be signing our members up directly for their Health Care benefits, the process for signing up during the Open Enrollment period (for changes effective January 1, 2016) will be very similar to past years.

You will receive a Summary of Benefits Work Sheet in your mailbox at the beginning of the school year. Liz Burgon (Human Resources Specialist/Employee Benefits) will visit all sites between September 14 - 30 to speak individually with members. She will be available at the District Office on October 1 and 2 by appointment if you cannot meet during your site’s scheduled time.

Liz will also set up a schedule for vendors who provide fringe benefits to our employees (life insurance, disability insurance, etc ...) the week of October 5.  

CalSTRS Deductions Increasing

In June of 2014, the California legislature passed AB 1469, to try to close the $73.7 billion funding gap for the CalSTRS retirement plan. This bill increases member, employer and state contributions over the next several years and sets the program on a sustainable course.

Member Contribution Increases

* Rate imposed on 2% at 62 members is based on the normal cost of benefits for the Defined Benefit Program. The contribution rate in future years assumes no change in normal cost. CalSTRS members who performed creditable service on or after January 1, 2014, will have their existing 2% Annual Benefit Adjustment, also referred to as the improvement factor, guaranteed in exchange for their contribution increases.

Employer Contribution Increases

School employer contributions will also be increasing, from 8.25% to a total of 19.1% of payroll, phased in over the next seven years.

State Contribution Increases

AB 1469 increases the state’s contribution attributable to the benefits in effect in 1990, but does not change the base rate of 2.017%. Thus, the state contribution rates, which in Fiscal Year 2013-14 were 3.041%, will increase over the next three years to a total of 6.328%. When contributions for purchasing power protection are included, the state’s total contribution rate in 2016-17 will be 8.828%.

Additional Information

All employees are encouraged to become familiar with the CalSTRS website to project their retirement income:  http://www.calstrs.com/

If you are within 5 years of retirement, it is highly recommended that you contact either the Santa Clara or Santa Cruz STRS office to sign up for a workshop or schedule a personal benefit counseling session.

Changes in Timesheet Processing for Extra Hours/Extra Days

The District is in the process of streamlining the payroll process for 2015-2016.  All extra hours and extra days will be turned in on the last day of each month, to be paid on the 10th of the next month.  By having these done on a separate and defined monthly payroll, the District will have a better ability to track, report, and correctly pay employees. This is better for STRS reporting and the employee gets a little extra mid-month pay. These checks are subject to direct deposit just like the end of month ones.

MHFT Office Translator Position

The Federation is seeking to hire someone to facilitate our communication with Spanish-speaking parents and community members. The position will entail translating MHFT communications from English to Spanish, and attending approximately 4-6 evening meetings throughout the year to help translate to parent groups. Payment is one annual stipend of $995.00 If you are interested in applying, please email Lori Shoemaker at mhft@garlic.com.

Taste of Morgan Hill

The Taste of Morgan Hill will be held on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27. We will again be sponsoring a booth. Each site is adopting a block of time; please sign up for one or two hours with your Building Rep. It is important for us to be visible in the community, to put a friendly face on our schools.

Class Sizes

The district has 20 school days to move students and teachers with the following class size goals:

1. TK-2 soft cap of 24, hard cap of 29, however they should be making all attempts to get to a max of 24 per our LCAP
2. grades 3-6  soft cap 29, max of 32
3. 7-12 staffed to ratio of 29-to-1, with class max of 36; 48 goal for PE with hard cap of 50

Teachers will be compensated for any class sizes over the hard cap/maximum after day 20. If you have concerns or questions, please feel free to contact our office.

Innovation Grant (iGrant) Deadline Reminder

First cycle of iGrant applications are due Friday Sept 18 by 5pm to Jazmine Contreras in Human Resources.
Applications have been emailed to employees, and principals will also have information available.

Teachers at the Mic

Several years ago, we started the tradition of giving 5- to 10-minute presentations to the Board at their regular meetings, showcasing the great things that are going on at our schools. It is important for the Board members to be aware of the work that we are doing, and this is a way to make sure that they are at least exposed to the things we most want them to see.

Each school is assigned one meeting at which to present. This year’s theme is “BUILDING STRONG LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.”

The Federation urges all teachers to attend and show support for the colleagues who are presenting when it is their site’s turn. If you would like to participate in designing or delivering your site’s presentation, please talk to your Building Rep.

First up this year will be:

All meetings start at 6:00 pm. This is a positive way to engage with our community, and we look forward to your participation (even if only as a proud supporter).