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Salaries, Wages, and Stipends
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Paychecks
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Payroll Deductions
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Overtime Compensation
Travel Expense Reimbursement
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Health, Dental, and
Life Insurance
Supplemental Insurance Benefits
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Cafeteria Plan Benefits
(Section 125)
Workers’ Compensation Insurance
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Unemployment
Compensation Insurance
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Teacher Retirement
Educational Aide Tuition
Exemption Program
Employees are paid in accordance with administrative guidelines and a pay
structure established for each position. The district’s pay plans are reviewed
by the administration each year and adjusted as needed. All district positions
are classified as exempt or nonexempt according to federal law. Professional
and administrative employees are generally classified as exempt and are paid
monthly salaries. They are not entitled to overtime compensation. Other
employees are generally classified as nonexempt and are paid based on hourly
wages or provided compensatory time for each overtime hour worked. (See
Overtime)
Salaries and wages are reviewed on an annual basis and adjusted according to
the budgeted amounts approved by the board. All employees will receive written
notice of their pay and work schedules before the start of each school year.
Classroom teachers and librarians will be paid no less than the minimum state
salary schedule. Contract employees who perform extracurricular or
supplemental duties may be paid a stipend in addition to their salary
according to the district’s extra‑duty pay schedule.
Employees should contact the Office of Human Resources for more information
about the district’s pay schedules or their own pay.
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All employees are paid semi-monthly. During the school year, paychecks are
delivered to each campus. Paychecks will not be released to any person other
than the district employee named on the check without the employee’s written
authorization. During summer breaks, paychecks will be mailed.
An employee’s payroll statement contains detailed information including
deductions, withholding information, and the amount of leave accumulated.
Regular pay days are scheduled for the 15th and 30th of
each month.
Automatic payroll deposit
Employees can have their paychecks electronically deposited into an account at
any bank. A notification period of one month is necessary to activate this
service. With automatic deposit, an employee’s pay is immediately available on
the pay date. Contact Payroll Department for more information about the
automatic payroll deposit service.
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Automatic payroll deductions for the Texas Teacher Retirement System (TRS) and
federal income tax are required also for all full‑time employees. Medicare tax
deductions are required for all employees hired after March 31, 1986.
Other payroll deductions employees may elect include deductions for the
employee’s share of premiums for health, dental, life, and vision insurance;
annuities; the Texas Tomorrow Fund; higher education savings plans and savings
deposits and loan payments through Coastal Community and Teachers Credit
Union. Employees also may request payroll deduction for payment of membership
dues to professional organizations and annuities. Salary deductions are
automatically made for unauthorized or unpaid leave.
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The district compensates overtime for nonexempt employees in accordance with
federal wage and hour laws. All employees are classified as exempt or
nonexempt for purposes of overtime compensation. Professional and
administrative employees are ineligible for overtime compensation. Only
nonexempt employees (hourly employees and paraprofessional employees) are
entitled to overtime compensation. Nonexempt employees are not authorized to
work beyond their normal work schedule without advance approval from the
superintendent.
Overtime is legally defined as all hours worked in excess of 40 hours weekly
and is not measured by the day or by the employee’s regular work schedule.
Employees who must work beyond their normal schedule but less than 40 hours
per week will be compensated in straight‑time pay or compensatory time off.
Employees must work more than 40 total hours in a week to earn overtime
compensation.
For the purpose of calculating overtime, a work week begins at 12:01 a.m.
Sunday and ends at midnight Saturday.
Employees may be compensated for overtime with compensatory time off or direct
pay at time‑and‑a‑half rates. The following applies to all nonexempt
employees:
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Employees can accumulate up to 60
hours of compensatory time.
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Comp time must be used in the duty
year that it is earned.
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Use of comp time may be at the
employee’s request with supervisor approval as workload permits.
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An employee may be required to use
comp time before using any other available paid leave (e.g., sick, personal,
vacation).
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Weekly time records will be
maintained on all nonexempt employees for the purpose of wage and salary
administration.
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Before any travel expenses are incurred by an employee, the employee’s
supervisor and the Assistant Superintendent for Educational Operations must
give approval. For approved travel, employees will be reimbursed for mileage
and other travel expenditures according to the current rate schedule
authorized by the board of trustees and the Internal Revenue Service.
Employees must submit receipts to be reimbursed for expenses other than
mileage.
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Group health insurance coverage is
provided through TRS-ActiveCare, the statewide public school health insurance
program. The district’s contribution to employee insurance premiums is
determined annually by the board of trustees. Employees eligible for health
insurance coverage include the following:
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Employees who are active,
contributing TRS members
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Employees who are not contributing
TRS members and who are regularly scheduled to work at least 10 hours per
week
TRS retirees and employees who are not
contributing TRS members that are regularly scheduled to work less than 10 hours
per week are not eligible to participate in TRS-ActiveCare.
The insurance plan year is from
September 1 through August 31. Current employees can make changes in their
insurance coverage during open enrollment each spring. Detailed descriptions of
insurance coverage, employee cost, and eligibility requirements are provided to
all employees in a separate booklet. Employees should contact the payroll
department for more information.
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At their own expense, employees may enroll in supplemental
insurance programs for life, cancer, disability and dental. Premiums for these
programs can be paid by payroll deduction. Employees should contact the
Payroll Department for more information.
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Employees may be eligible to participate in the Cafeteria Plan (Section 125)
and, under IRS regulations, must either accept or reject this benefit. This
plan enables eligible employees to pay certain insurance premiums on a pretax
basis (i.e., accidental death and dismemberment, cancer and dread disease,
dental and additional term life insurance). A third‑party administrator
handles employee claims made on these accounts. Contact the business office
for further information.
New employees must accept or reject this benefit during their first month of
employment. All employees must accept or reject this benefit on an annual
basis and during the specified time period.
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The district, in accordance with state law, provides workers’ compensation
benefits to employees who suffer a work‑related illness or are injured on the
job. The district has workers’ compensation coverage from Safety National
Casualty, effective September 1, 2004. Benefits help pay for medical
treatment and make up for part of the income lost while recovering. Specific
benefits are prescribed by law depending on the circumstances of each case.
All work‑related accidents or injuries should be reported immediately to the
immediate supervisor. Employees who are unable to work due to a work‑related
injury will be notified of their rights and responsibilities under the Texas
Labor Code.
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Employees who have been laid off or terminated through no fault of their own
may be eligible for unemployment compensation benefits under the Texas
Unemployment Compensation Act. Employees are not eligible to collect
unemployment benefits during regularly scheduled breaks in the school year or
the summer months if they have employment contracts or reasonable assurance of
returning to service. Employees with questions about unemployment benefits
should contact the Office of Human Resources.
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All personnel employed on a regular basis for at least one‑half of the normal
work schedule are members of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). For
new employees there is a 91-day waiting period before membership in TRS
begins. Substitutes not receiving TRS service retirement benefits who work at
least 90 days a year are also eligible for TRS membership and to purchase a
year of creditable service. TRS provides members with an annual statement of
their account showing all deposits and the total account balance for the year
ending August 31, as well as an estimate of their retirement benefits.
Employees who plan to retire under TRS should notify the Payroll Department as
soon as possible. Information on the application procedures for TRS benefits
are also available from the Payroll Department. Additional inquiries should be
addressed to: Teacher Retirement System of Texas, 1000 Red River Street,
Austin, TX 78701‑2698, or call 800‑223‑8778 or 512‑397‑6400. TRS information
is also available on the web (www.trs.state.tx.us)
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Any school employee who has worked as an educational aide for at least one
year out of the past five and meets the financial criteria may apply for
tuition exemption. The tuition exemption program is administered by the
Division of Student Services at the Texas Higher Coordinating Board and has
been in effect since 1997. Applications are available in the Robstown ISD
Human Resources Department.
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