Division of Human Resources

New Teacher Orientation Presentation

August 2009

Joe BlundoDHR

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Today’s Presentation:

• Welcome

• HR Connect

• Salary

• File Number

• Fingerprinting

• Health Benefits

• Retirement

• Certification and Licensing

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HR Connect

> HR Connect is a one-stop service and solution call center, providing DOE employees a single point of contact for all HR related questions, staffed by knowledgeable customer-service representatives.

> Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

> Call (718) 935-4000

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Salary Payment

> Salary is paid out semi-monthly over a twelve month period (24 payments per year).

> Your first paycheck will be at your school on September 15 (assuming you have completed all requirements and have been school processed by August 28).

> You will be able to sign up for Electronic Fund Transfer (Direct Deposit) at your school.

> Salary is based on a schedule which takes into account steps, differentials, and longevities.

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Salary Steps

> A salary step is an incremental increase in salary based on previous qualifying experience.

For every half year of satisfactory teaching service within the NYC DOE, an appointed teacher will move up one step.

Newly appointed teachers are eligible to receive credit for up to 7.5 years of prior teaching experience outside the NYC DOE and, in some limited situations, for related non-teaching experience.

> Newly hired teachers will be asked to validate the experience they have listed on their TSN application through the Payroll Portal.  If they do not validate the application, the Office of Salary Services will validate on their behalf .  The information they have indicated on the TSN application will pre-populate the on-line salary step application.

> You will be placed on the correct salary step within one to two payroll periods, and will be retroactively paid to your first day of employment.

> You will receive a certificate of salary status, including your salary step placement, by email after your application has been processed.

> You can also find out your salary step by speaking with your payroll secretary or by calling HR Connect.

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Salary Differentials

> A salary differential is an incremental increase in salary based on academic credit, coursework (including P-credits), or degrees earned beyond your bachelor’s degree.

> Differentials include:

30 Credits above and beyond the Bachelor’s degree requirements

Master’s Degree

60 Credits above and beyond the Bachelor’s (can include the Master’s credits)

Master’s Degree plus 30 credits

Salary Differentials (cont’d)

> Salary differential applications are completed and submitted online. You can access our online application https://payrollportal.nycboe.net/payrollportalweb/main.aspx.

Once you electronically submit your application, you will receive an email confirming its receipt. This email must be printed as it will act as a cover sheet for the supporting documents (e.g., school transcripts, CLEP test results) required as part of your application. The email should be placed on top of your supporting documentation and mailed to the Office of Salary Services. Materials can be submitted in one of two ways:

By certified mail (this is the preferred method):The Division of Human ResourcesOffice of Salary Services65 Court Street – Room 815Brooklyn, New York 11201

In person:HR Connect Walk-in Center65 Court Street – Room 102Brooklyn, New York 11201

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Salary Differentials (cont’d)

> You must apply for salary differential within six months of the date you started teaching full-time in order to be granted retroactive payments to the date you started teaching.

> You must provide supporting documentation with your application, including a set of original undergraduate and additional/graduate transcripts. Transcripts must completely list all courses taken. If credits taken at a different institution are not listed on the transcript, you will also need original transcripts from that institution.

> You are strongly encouraged to file the required documentation as soon as possible, to ensure you are successfully able to submit a completed application within the 6-month time frame.

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Salary Longevities

> There are seven salary increments based on longevity (years of service) of working as a teacher in the NYC DOE. These increments are currently at the following years of service: 5,10,13,15,18, 20, and 22.

> A longevity payment is not a one-time payment. It is added to an employee’s annual salary once he or she completes the requisite number of years in the city school system and it continues each year until the teacher reaches the next longevity level.

> Eligible years is different for longevities than for salary steps as experience outside the NYC DOE is not applicable.

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Additional Salary Information

> Your salary step placement will be based upon verification of the experience information you included in your online application.

> Student teaching and assistant teaching/teacher aide experience does not count towards salary step.

> All full-time teaching experience must be at least one semester or 6 months in duration and all full-time, related, non-teaching experience must be at least one year in duration for salary step.

> Salary differentials require an online application (available on the DOE website) after you begin teaching.  As long as you apply within six months of your start date, any creditable differentials will be retroactive to your start date.  You can find more information on applying for salary differential, including teacher salary schedules and the differential application form, on the DOE website at schools.nyc.gov/teachersalary.

*see the Office of Salary Services website at schools.nyc.gov/teachersalary for detailed salary information, including a complete list of licenses that are eligible for related non-teaching credit and the Areas of Specialization list.

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File Number

> You do not need your file number to get payrolled, it is processed through your social security number.

> You will be assigned a file number automatically as part of the payrolling process.

> You can get your file number from your payroll secretary when you start the school year.

> Your file number will be important in the future to apply for per session (after school and summer school work) and other personnel changes.

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Have you been Fingerprinted?

If not, please do so ASAP!

> All DOE employees must be fingerprinted. Fingerprinting services are available from the HR Connect Walk-In Center at 65 Court Street, Room 102, in Brooklyn between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

> Detailed information about requirements for fingerprinting can be found online from the DOE’s website or by calling HR Connect at (718) 935-4000.

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Health Benefits

> All regular teachers who work at least 20 hours/week are eligible for the New York City Health Benefits Program, including coverage for their legally eligible dependents.

> There is a choice of over 10 different health plans; costs, providers, coverage, and benefits vary.

> The Summary Program Description Booklet provides a summary of benefit selections. To download the booklet and view comparison charts, visit www.nyc.gov/olr.

> There is an annual open enrollment period in the fall when employees can change providers.

> Buy-Out Waiver Program: If you are covered under your spouse’s or domestic partner’s non-City health insurance plan, or through Medicare Part A and Part B, then you may be eligible for a buy-out waiver (currently $1,000 for a family coverage waiver and $500 for an individual coverage waiver). Application required.

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Health Benefits: How to Enroll

> Submit a signed (Section H) Employee and Retiree Health Benefits Application (ERB) to the HR Connect Benefits Administration office. Applications can be obtained at www.nyc.gov/olr or from your payroll secretary.

> New employees or employees enrolling for the first time are required to provide acceptable documentation to support the eligibility status of all persons to be covered.

Acceptable documents include: Marriage certificate, birth certificate, domestic partnership certificate, legal guardianship papers, student certification each semester (if over 19 years of age).

> All Health Benefits related information should be sent to:

New York City Department of Education / HR Connect

65 Court Street, Room 101

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Attention: Health Benefits Administration Office

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Health Benefits: Enrollment Details and Dependent Coverage

> Your coverage starts on your first day of employment, but you must apply for health benefits within 31 days of hire to be eligible retroactive to your first day of hire. The earlier you apply, the better.

> You will receive your insurance card within 4-6 weeks after your form has been processed.

> Employees who are eligible for health benefits, but whose enrollment is still being processed, are covered for medical care. In the event that an eligible employee requires medical care before their enrollment is finalized and before they have received their health benefits card, the employee has two options:

HR Connect Health Benefits will work directly with the employee's chosen health benefits provider to ensure that the employee is issued a temporary member ID.

Employee may pay for services out-of-pocket and be reimbursed for the charges. 

> Dependants are eligible if their relationship to the eligible participant is one of the following:

Legally married husband or wife A Domestic Partner Unmarried children under age 19 Unmarried dependant children between 19-23 who are full-time students at an

accredited, degree-granting educational institution Unmarried children who cannot support themselves because of a disability (medical

verification is required)

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Health Benefits: UFT Welfare Fund

Dental, Vision, and Prescription Drugs

> All teachers are covered for dental, vision, and prescription drugs by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Welfare Fund.

> All new members must:

Complete a UFT Welfare Fund Enrollment Form. (This enrollment is separate from any UFT Membership and Department of Education Health Plan applications.) This enrollment form is available from the Fund office or can been done on-line at www.uftwf.org.

Attach applicable documentation (e.g. birth certificate, marriage certificate or domestic partnership registration) to the enrollment form. UFT Welfare Fund related information should be sent to:

UFT Welfare Fund

52 Broadway

New York, NY 10004

> Coverage for eligible members begins on their first day of employment.

> Visit http://www.uft.org/member/benefits/redappleinserv/ for more information or call the UFT at (212) 539-0500.

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Retirement

> Qualified Pension Plan: Teachers Retirement System (TRS)*

This pension plan provides a monthly allowance in retirement based on your years of service and participation.

Membership is mandatory for all teachers and contributions of 4.85% of your gross salary begin automatically with your first paycheck, continuing for the first ten years of service.

Generally, members attain vested status (become eligible to receive a retirement allowance at age 55) after completion of five years of active service.

You will receive a TRS Welcome Kit with Enrollment Application this fall within 30 days of your appointment.

Voluntary tax-deferred savings plan: As a TRS member you are also eligible to enroll in a Tax Deferred Annuity (TDA) program where a payroll deduction is taken in pre-tax dollars and placed in an annuity or mutual fund investment which is available at retirement.

*Full time substitutes and non-appointed teachers are covered by the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS)

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Certification and Licensing Requirements> New York State requires all teachers to be certified.

Once your NY State certificate has been issued, you will also receive a New York City license, automatically generated by New York City when you are hired. Your NYC license identifies the area in which you will accrue seniority and complete probation. Please note: Your State certificate and New York City license are two different things.

> It is your responsibility to obtain and maintain your certificate.

Know when your certificate expires.

Apply for your next level certificate at least 6 months before your current certificate expires.

You must maintain a state certificate in the subject and grade level of your NYC license. If you earn a certificate in a different subject or grade level than the certificate under which you were hired and your current certificate expires, be sure your current certificate is compatible with your NYC license.

> Contact information:

NYC certification hotline: (718) 935-2473 or (718) 935-4723

New York State website: www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert

Visit http://schools.nyc.gov

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Thank you for coming!

Questions?