Wynne Public Schools Frequently Asked Questions

When do we get paid?
Pay period schedules are given out at the beginning of each school year. There are different pay schedules for the different types of school employees. These schedules are available in each principal's office or the central office. The schedules are also located on the school website.

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What is the sick bank and how does it work?
The district has a sick bank for certified employees and a separate one or classified employees. Employees who are members of the sick bank gave one of their sick days to the bank when they chose to become a member. New employees and those current employees, who are not members, may choose to become a member at the beginning of each school year and give a sick day to the bank. Most of the time, employees will only have to give one sick day to the bank. The only reason an employee would have to give another day would be if the bank became depleted in a school year and needed additional days for the bank to be active for the next year. A member of the sick bank may apply for sick days from the bank if they feel they have a catastrophic reason. A "board" of employees meets and decides on all requests to the sick bank.

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Can I enroll in the school insurance at any time during the school year?
No. Annual enrollment is during August of each school year with an effective date of October 1 of each year. An employee may enroll at another time if there has been a family status change. This would be death, divorce, marriage, spouse job change, or spouse insurance change. Each situation is decided on by the State Insurance Board as to eligibility.

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When the insurance rates change in October, why doesn't the new deduction show up on my check until November?
The school pays the insurance bills each month, July through June, as if everyone was employed and working all twelve months. A couple of years ago, the Employee Benefit Division required us to collect all health insurance premiums a month in advance. If you received two sets of checks in May, the first set of checks is paying for June, the second set of checks is paying for July and your June checks are paying for August. Then your August checks are paying for September.

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What is the cafeteria plan?
The cafeteria plan is a benefit for school employees. An employee can shelter insurance premiums, medical expenses, child care expenses and third-party insurance premiums. Since most people don't have enough medical expenses to claim on their federal Schedule A, the cafeteria plan is a way to shelter medical insurance premiums and other medical expenses up front and not have to pay taxes (federal, state or FICA) on those amounts spent. An employee must be eligible for the school health insurance to be eligible to participate in the cafeteria plan. They don't have to have the school health insurance, just be eligible for it with the number of hours worked per school year. If an employee wants to participate, they must sign up in the spring for the next school year with the plan representatives. Anything that is sheltered will save an average tax-paying employee around 25 to 30% in taxes. If your salary is $20,000 for a calendar year and you sheltered $5,000 in premiums and medical expenses, your W-2 would only reflect $15,000 as taxable wages. Therefore, your taxable income is reduced by the $5,000 for your federal and state tax returns.

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