Important Payroll Updates

FOR ALL STAFF

New tax withholding information for 2020…

The IRS has revised the W4 Federal Withholding Tax Exemption form. This is the form that designates how much tax is withheld on your paychecks.

Even if you do not make any updates to your W4 form, the changes the IRS is instituting as part of this new form's release may result in changes to how much is withheld for taxes in your paycheck beginning in January of 2020. The payroll department is required to follow these IRS rules for calculating withholding amounts.

Please note that no action is required of any employee because of this change. Changes to the W4 form can be made at any time during the year if the employee chooses.

If you are considering changes on your W4 for 2020, please visit the IRS website and/or talk with a tax expert. The WBSD payroll department is not able to advise you on how you want to claim your federal withholding.

Below is the link to the new W4 Form with Instructions and the IRS website to look at more information.
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

Direct Deposit Changes
Any requests to change your desired direct deposit bank account before the end of the year must be received in the payroll office by Friday, December 13. Change requests received after that will not take effect until after January 1, 2020.

Switch to Optum Rx Pharmacy Carrier on January 1st

FOR EMPLOYEES ON THE DISTRICT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN
The district will be switching pharmacy providers from Express Scripts to OptumRx effective January 1, 2020.

Please note: Members will not be able to fill prescriptions with OptumRx until the provider is active on January 1, 2020. If members are able, please fill any current prescriptions for you/your dependents prior to the end of the year to ensure you/your dependents have the medication needed at the beginning of 2020.  For prescriptions filled after January 1, please ensure that you are providing your updated insurance information to avoid delays in processing your prescriptions.

New insurance cards have been ordered and you should receive it within the next couple weeks. If you do not receive your new ID card by the new year, please contact Nicole Gruenewald at ngruenewald@wbsd-schools.org. ID cards can also be accessed and printed by signing into UMR.com and selecting ID Card from the menu on the left. You can see what this process looks like at this flyer. 

Summer School for All students, Staff Ideas and Principal Leadership Wanted!

FOR ALL STAFF
All Students
The 2020 Summer School courses for reading and math will be open to ALL students in kindergarten through seventh grade. This is a great opportunity to invite all learners to continue their academic growth in literacy and mathematics during the summer. Check out our Q&A document!

If you have questions contact Jenn Gennerman, director of continuous improvement and assessment.

Staff Ideas Wanted
Summer school is an opportunity to engage our students in continued learning and thinking. Like in years past, we are hopeful to have a variety of courses to offer our students. We are looking for additional courses to peak the interest of our students. Every course proposal will be considered. If you have ideas about co-teaching a social skills class or providing an enrichment course, please complete the course proposal form!

Click HERE to complete the course proposal. Summer School Course proposals will be accepted until January 17.

Principal Leadership Wanted
Are you an aspiring principal? Have you completed your license or are you in a program to complete your license? Are you looking for an opportunity to gain leadership experience?  If you are interested in being considered for a summer school principal role, please submit your application no later than Wednesday, January 15 using the form linked below.

2020 Summer School Site Administrator Application

Important Policy Update to Review

For ALL TEACHERS
On December 9, 2019, the West Bend School Board approved revisions to seven policies. While three of the policies were in the administration series (200), four of the revised policies are in the area of instruction. Specifically, Policy 381 Controversial Issues was discussed at the start of the school year. Staff should review the revised policy.

Conditions of all Facilities Rated

FOR…ALL STAFF

In the last two West Bend School Board Committee of the Whole meetings, we have presented a variety of facts and figures on all the facilities in the school district. Included in this information was a Facility Condition Index (FCI) for each building. These ratings will give you a good idea of how we determine the condition of each building. (The formula for FCI is included in the slides.) Review the November 18 and December 2 presentations for this information.

Monthly Pupil Services & Special Ed News

FOR ALL SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PUPIL SERVICES STAFF
Review the latest information from the department for all its staff.

Wellness Center Holiday Hours

FOR STAFF WHO WORK 20+ HOURS PER WEEK
The Wellness Center will be closed December 24, 25, 31, and January 1 in observance of the holidays.

The clinic will have reduced hours on December 26, but will be operating as normal for the rest of Christmas Break.

Virtual Clinic Provider Option Available

FOR STAFF WHO WORK 20+ HOURS PER WEEK
The Wellness Center is now piloting virtual medicine with a virtual provider system now up and running in the clinic. Check out this flyer to learn more about our virtual provider.

Use of the virtual provider is optional and will only be used if the clinic is understaffed on a particular day. If you are offered the opportunity to receive care from the virtual provider, you will have the option of declining and scheduling an appointment with a traditional in-person provider.

YMCA Weight Loss & Diabetes Prevention Opportunity

FOR ALL STAFF
The Kettle Moraine YMCA offers a year-long program called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). It is a fantastic program for those who have goals of improved lifestyle changes, weight management, and preventing adult onset diabetes. This program is highly recommended by our providers at the Wellness Center and WBSD staff members who have participated in the past.

Because of grant funding, the class (which normally costs $125 per session) is now going to be offered for FREE through the Kettle Moraine YMCA (West Bend and Saukville locations). Sessions begin shortly after the New Year and the time to sign up for this is now. Not only is the class offered for FREE but it also comes with a FREE six-month family YMCA membership!  You can learn more about this program at this link.

SAVE THE DATE: Staff Recognition Dinner

FOR ALL STAFF
Mark your calendars! The 2020 WBSD Recognition Dinner will be Thursday, May 21 at its usual location, The Columbian in West Bend. Social hour begins at 4:30 p.m. and the program begins at 5:30 p.m. We hope you can join us to celebrate your colleagues!  Invites will go out electronically in the spring.

End-of-Year Flexible Spending Updates

FOR EMPLOYEES WITH A FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT
Under the West Bend School District's Medical Flexible Spending Plan (FSA) participants have the ability to "roll over" up to $500 into the next plan year's account to prevent a large portion of funds from being forfeited. The $500 rollover does not count toward the following year's maximum election amount ($2,750 for 2020).

The FSA plan year for 2019 ends on December 31, 2019.  Participants must submit claims for FSA reimbursement (for dates of service in calendar year 2019) no later than 90 days after the end of the plan year (March 31).

To view your current medical and dependent care FSA balance please visit the DBS website.

For claim forms and instructions please visit the Flexible Spending page on the HR Intranet.

Also, Diversified Benefits Services, the company that manages HRA and FSA reimbursements, has some deadlines for submitting claims that you should be aware of.  See this flyer for details.

Family Newsletters Are Archived on the District Website

FOR ALL STAFF
TO SEE THE LATEST FAMILY NEWSLETTER, visit our website. The district family newsletter can be found on the district website under News and Events.

Items below this post are from previous issues of the Highlighter