2023-2024 FASPS Fringe Benefits Handbook

2023-2024 FASPS EMPLOYEE FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

This handbook is for information only.

It is not an employment contract. It is a statement of current FASPS policies, practices, and procedures.

2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

GENERAL PROVISIONS The French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS) reserves the right to change any or all such policies, practices, or procedures in whole or in part at any time, with or without notice to personnel. Eligibility requirements for benefits are explained elsewhere in this handout. Fringe benefits are not applicable unless specifically stated. The information contained in this handbook supersedes any other information that may be contained in other FASPS handouts.

The following delineates the school’s Fringe Benefits Policy for all employees:

• Faculty refers to those individuals employed by FASPS who work as teachers, teacher assistants, educational assistants, class assistants, and specialists.

•Employees are considered full-time if they work a minimum of 30 hours per week.

• Time spent fulfilling duties as a coach, sponsor, etc. will not count toward the 30 hours.

• Daily classroom hours that are part of your salaried teaching assignment will be used to determine full-time status.

To determine which benefits apply to you, consider qualifying identifiers such as 10-month, 12-month, part-time, full-time, salaried, hourly, etc.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

Table Of Contents 01

HEALTH, DENTAL and VISION INSURANCE

PAGE 04

02 03

SHORT-TERM & LONG TERM DISABILITY & LIFE INSURANCE

PAGE 05

TUITION REMISSION/TUITION ASSISTANCE/ BOURSES

PAGE 05

04

EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS

PAGE 08

05

RETIREMENT BENEFIT

PAGE 10

06 07

RELOCATION BENEFITS

PAGE 12

PERSONAL LEAVE

PAGE 13

08

VACATION LEAVE (VACATION APPLIES TO 12-MONTH, SALARIED EMPLOYEES)

PAGE 13

09

PAID WELLNESS LEAVE (SICK LEAVE)

PAGE 14

10 11

WASHINGTON STATE PAID FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

PAGE 15

FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE (FEDERAL PROGRAM)

PAGE 15

12

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

PAGE 16

13

JURY DUTY

PAGE 16

14 15

MILITARY DUTY

PAGE 16

UNPAID LEAVE OF ABSENCE

PAGE 17

16 17 18

SALARY REDUCTION CALCULATION

PAGE 17

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

PAGE 18

DISCOUNTS FROM 3RD PARTIES

PAGE 19

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

HEALTH, VISION & DENTAL INSURANCE Employees who work a minimum of 20 hours per week at FASPS qualify to sign up for health, dental, and vision insurance coverage. For employees working 20 hours or more per week:

The school pays 100% for employee dental insurance The school pays for all or a majority of the employee’s medical insurance, depending on the medical plan chosen (vision insurance is included in the medical plan).

Employees who wish to add family members or partners (as defined by the health care provider) to their medical or dental plan may do so at their own cost. This dependent premium would be a payroll deduction withheld on a pretax basis.

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) allow employees to pay with pre-tax dollars for out-of-pocket medical expenses and dependent care expenses. Employees who would like to have their deductibles and copays for health, dental, chiropractic, vision, and other listed items be paid for with pretax dollars rather than after-tax dollars can realize a saving by using the FSAs.

OPEN ENROLLMENT Open enrollment occurs annually during the month of August.

• • • •

Health and Dental Insurance Flex Plan / Flexible Spending Account Dependent Care Account Optional Life Insurance

Enrollment is either during Open Enrollment, at date of hire, or at the time of a qualifying event (a qualifying event is determined by the Insurance Carrier). Coverage for new enrollees starts the first day of the month following the month of employment.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM DISABILITY AND LIFE INSURANCE Employees who work a minimum of 20 hours per week qualify for short-term and longterm disability (STD/LTD) and $100,000 of life insurance paid for by FASPS.

TUITION REMISSION, TUITION ASSISTANCE & BOURSES TUITION REMISSION Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, FASPS will offer to full-time salaried employees a Tuition Remission benefit covering 50% of tuition.

Any employee qualifying for tuition remission may choose to apply for Tuition Assistance through FACTS GRANT & AID to determine if they would qualify for additional tuition assistance.

If eligible, Full-time salaried employees receiving either Tuition Remission or Tuition Assistance must also apply to the French Bourses program. See BOURSES section.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

TUITION ASSISTANCE Employees who wish to apply for Tuition Assistance submit an annual application through FACTS Grant and Aid program, under the following guidelines:

Up to one employee’s salary (up to the highest possible salary on the faculty salary scale) will not be included in stated revenue for the family’s FACTS Grant and Aid calculation.

For FACTS Grant and Aid calculations, the income of any biological, non-employee parent will be included in determining aid for the student.

In cases of divorce and remarriage, any new spouse’s income will be included for FACTS Grant and Aid calculations unless it is agreed in writing that the biological, non-employee parent shares financial responsibility for paying tuition.

The minimum tuition for an employee will be set to a minimum of 15% of tuition per child, even if the employee’s FACTS Grant and Aid application indicates that they qualify for more tuition assistance: The school Administration and the Board understand that an employee’s finances change as life changes. It is with that understanding in mind that the Administration/Board will exercise its prerogative to evaluate additional tuition assistance needs on a case-by-case basis with our focus being on the wellbeing of our employees and their children as well as FASPS’ financial sustainability/ capacity.

Please contact the Director of Admissions and Tuition Assistance (deborahw@fasps.org ) with any questions about tuition assistance and the corresponding applications.

BOURSES Additionally, for those employees who are eligible to apply for the French Bourses program, we require that a family application be made to the Bourses in addition to the FACTS Grant and Aid application. Bourses applications are the family's responsibility as the school is unable to apply on behalf of an employee.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS • • • •

Athletics: 50% Discount Bus: 50% Discount (provided there are vacant seats) Class Trips: No Discount Field Trips: No Discount

AUXILIARY PROGRAMS Utilization of Extended Day Fringe Benefits requires pre-registration within the pre-registration deadlines and the use of a Discount Code provided by the Extended Day Department.

• Daily Garderie: 100% discount while on campus; 50% discount when on campus. Late fees will apply for pickup after 6pm, and no discounts are offered on late fees.

• Enrichment Classes: Offered to employees at cost of the class (varies per class). When class is instructed by FASPS employee, a discount will be offered.

• During Break Weeks: o Garderie Camp (TYPK – Grade 5): Free of charge if employee is on campus working at school; 50% discount if employee is not working on campus. o Mini Camp (MS when offered): If taught by a non-employee vendor, workshop will be offered at cost. If taught by employee, workshop will be offered at 75% discount if employee is working on campus and offered at 50% discount if employee is not working on campus.

• Summer Programs: During the time when an employee is working any Summer Program, and for all 12-month employees while working: • Preschool Camp des Lucioles is free of charge.

• Lower School Camp d’été is free of charge • Middle School Classe Aventure is offered at a 65% discount.

• Vendor-led camps are offered at cost.

If Employee is not working any Summer Program: • Camp des Lucioles, Camp d’été, Garderie care, and Classe Adventure programming will be offered at a 35% discount.

• Vendor-led camps are offered at cost.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

• Summer Programs: (continued) o All before- and after-camp care is offered free of charge while an employee is working during Summer Programs and for all 12-month employees while working. Late fees may apply for pickup after 6pm, and no discounts are offered on late fees..

• Other Auxiliary Programs: o Saturday French classes are offered at a 35% discount to children of employees. o Adult French classes (through L’Alliance Française) are offered to employees at cost

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

RETIREMENT BENEFIT FASPS offers two retirement plan options to eligible employees:

ERISA-qualified 403B Plan

French Government Plan

The school offers an ERISA-qualified 403b retirement plan through TIAA-CREF. This is a traditional US-based plan, and eligible employees who do not qualify for the French Government retirement plan will default to this plan.

The second plan is offered to those employees who are classified as French civil servants. The school will pay the cost of the employee’s French Government retirement plan up to the earned percentage as determined each year.

An employee must choose one of the two plans. However, employees who have opted for the French Government retirement plan may also enroll in the TIAA-CREF plan for employee-paid (pretax) supplemental contributions, or for matching contributions once the necessary tenure requirements for the matching plan are reached.

The amount of the employer contribution that FASPS will make to eligible employees, either to the TIAA-CREF plan (called a “non-elective contribution”) or the French Government retirement plan, is discretionary and will be determined each year. For the current school year, the contribution amount will be 5% of an individual’s contracted earnings as stated in their employment contract. This percentage may be revisited and revised during the school year based on the financial position of the school.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

TIAA-CREF 403B PLAN Employees who work a minimum of 1,000 hours in a plan year, a consecutive 12-month period starting January 1 and ending December 31, qualify for FASPS non-elective employer contribution to their retirement plan. The amount contributed by FASPS will be at the annually specified percentage rate of the employee’s regular, contracted earnings. Additional earnings beyond contracted salary are excluded from this employer contribution.

Eligible employees will be enrolled in the TIAA-CREF plans by the Business Office. Once enrolled, employees will receive information from TIAA-CREF about their accounts and can choose among the plan’s investment options.

Employees will be 50% vested in the non-elective employer contributions at the end of one (1) year of employment, and 100% vested in the non-elective employer contributions at the end of 2 (two) years of employment. If the employee leaves prior to completing one full year of employment, all non-elective contributions made by FASPS on behalf of the employee will be forfeited.

Matching Contributions (Effective July 1, 2013): FASPS recognizes the contributions that long-term employees make to the school and offers a matching contribution program to eligible employees who make supplemental contributions to their retirement plan as follows: • After 5 years of employment at FASPS, FASPS will match employee supplemental contributions up to 2% of the employee’s regular contracted earnings (as stated on their contract) for eligible full-time employees.

• After 10 years of employment at FASPS, FASPS will match employee supplemental contributions up to 4% of the employee’s regular contracted earnings (as stated on their contract) for eligible full-time employees.

All employees may opt to contribute pretax earnings to a TIAA-CREF account to supplement their retirement savings. To contribute a supplemental amount, the employee must complete a TIAA Salary Reduction Form and return it to the Business Office.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

FRENCH GOVERNMENT RETIREMENT PLAN To participate in the French Government retirement plan, an employee must consult with the Head of School to determine their eligibility as this plan is restricted to French civil servants.

Enrollment in this plan is required no later than August 31st each calendar year, even if that date precedes the beginning of the school year. Under this plan, the school will contribute up to the specified percentage (5% for the current school year) of the employee’s contracted salary to contribute towards the cost of the employee’s individual plan as invoiced by the French Government. The employee is required to send to the Business Office their invoice upon receipt. The school will pay each employee’s individual invoice, and the employee will reimburse the school for any amount paid over the specified percentage of their contracted salary.

RETIREMENT ADVISORS FASPS contracts with Trutina Financial as a retirement planning advisor to all FASPS employees.

Trutina offers individual assessments and planning sessions which can be scheduled through the link on the MyFASPS website. Please contact the Business Office with any questions.

RELOCATION BENEFITS Full-time, salaried employees who need to relocate to Seattle for their position, from out of state or beyond may be eligible for relocation benefits. Those employees who relocate from outside North America may be eligible for up to $2500 reimbursement for eligible moving expenses, and those who relocate from within North America may be eligible for up to $1500 reimbursement for eligible moving expenses. In all cases, this benefit will be taxed at the employee’s tax rate as required by law.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

PERSONAL LEAVE All full-time, salaried employees are eligible for two (2) personal days per school year.

If unused, these days will be forfeited. All personal days should be requested at least a calendar week in advance, be used before May 15 each school year. In an attempt to reduce the strain on colleagues, staff, and students, FASPS encourages employees to use (at least) one personal day before the end of the calendar year.

Personal days will not be used just before or after a holiday, break, during accreditation or inspection visits, or on the day of special FASPS activities or events, and a limited number of employees may be granted personal leave on the same day except in cases of emergency. Requests for personal leave will be evaluated by the appropriate Lower School or Middle School Head/supervisor and granted on a first-come basis. When working less than a full contract year, personal days will be prorated. Personal days will also be prorated if working less than full-time week. Personal days must be taken in increments no shorter than a half-day (i.e., 4 hours is working a full day).

VACATION LEAVE

(VACATION APPLIES TO 12-MONTH, SALARIED EMPLOYEES) Please refer to your contract for vacation. Vacation should be scheduled with your appropriate supervisor as far in advance as possible. When working less than a full contract year, vacation days will be prorated. Vacation days will also be prorated if working less than a 40-hour week.

Unused vacation days will be carried forward as follows. Payment for accrued Vacation days will be reimbursed to the employee at their current rate of pay, only at the point in time when the employee is no longer employed by the school. The maximum number of accrued vacation days the school will reimburse the employee upon their departure from FASPS employment will not exceed the number of vacation days granted in their most recent contract. (It is understood that some employees employed at FASPS prior to 2014–2015 may have accumulated days in excess of the vacation stated in their contract due to an inability to use all of their allotted vacation days. In those few instances the school will reimburse those employees for all their accrued vacation days upon their departure – not to exceed the number of accrued vacation days as of September 1, 2014. However, it is the school’s preference that they use those accrued vacation days within a reasonable timeframe — prior to their departure from FASPS — to be determined between the employee and Head of School.) .

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

PAID WELLNESS LEAVE (SICK LEAVE)

• All employees accrue wellness, or sick leave.

• Salaried employees contracted for at least 37.5 hours per week will accrue paid wellness leave at the rate of 5.33 hours per month. This will be prorated if the employee’s work schedule is less than 37.5 hours per week.

• All hourly employees will accrue one (1) hour of paid wellness leave for every 40 hours worked.

• Up to 40 hours of unused wellness time will roll over to the following year.

• There is no payment for accrued unused wellness time when employee leaves.

• As of the 2023 – 2024 school year, all COVID absences will need to be taken with wellness leave, or unpaid leave if no wellness leave is available.

• Maternity Leave will be treated as paid wellness leave. Please refer to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML) for additional information.

• Employees who will miss work due to childbirth need to inform the Business Office and their Supervisor upon becoming aware of pregnancy to arrange for the manner in which payroll will be handled.

Refer to Employee Handbook for additional details and authorized uses of paid wellness leave.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

WASHINGTON STATE PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT Paid Family and Medical Leave is a program administered by the state of Washington. It provides WA state employees who have worked at least 820 hours within 4 of the most recent 5 quarters paid leave when time off to care for yourself or a family member due to medical issues is necessary.

The following link provides access to the most up-to-date information on the program. https://paidleave.wa.gov/ FASPS currently covers the full premium of the WA PFML program for all employees as a benefit for the current school year, but this is discretionary and may change in subsequent school years depending upon the financial health and outlook for the school.

Note that FMLA has a component that is regulated at the federal level within the U.S., and FASPS will follow either state or national guidelines as required by law. See Section 12 of this document.

FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE (FEDERAL PROGRAM)

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a program that is administered by the federal government. It provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. It also requires that their group health benefits be maintained during the leave.

The following link provides access to the most up-to-date information on the program. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla Note that this program is similar to the WA Paid Family and Medical Leave Program, and FASPS will follow either Washington state or federal guidelines as required by law. See Section 11 of this document.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

BEREAVEMENT Absence because of a death of an employee’s immediate family member will be excused and treated as paid leave of absence if accrued wellness leave is unavailable. The duration of such leave will depend on factors such as the required travel distance and the responsibility of the employee.

The Head of School may grant an employee paid leave (up to one week) in cases of exceptional hardship, including illness, death of an immediate family member, or other special circumstances.

Return to a like position is guaranteed upon the employee’s return.

JURY DUTY Absences caused by jury duty will not result in loss of pay, nor will days missed be assessed toward accrued sick days, personal days, or vacation days.

MILITARY DUTY Accrued personal and/or vacation days may be used toward military leave to avoid a loss in pay.

(Professional days and accrued sick days may not be used toward military leave.) If workdays missed due to military duty exceed accrued personal/vacation days, time off will be unpaid. Sick leave, personal days and vacation days will not continue to accrue during absence. Retirement benefits will continue immediately upon returning to employment at FASPS provided employee was a ‘qualifying’ employee prior to taking the leave-of-absence. Military leave that is not due to a national crisis must have approval from the Head of School.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

UNPAID LEAVE OF ABSENCE Under extenuating circumstances employees may require time off that exceeds the number of days that have been accrued through wellness,

vacation, or personal days. When this happens, work missed will be unpaid.

To determine the daily rate of pay that will be unpaid, please check with the Business Office. (If an employee has accrued wellness leave, personal days, or vacation days, these days must be used prior to requesting days off without pay.)

Sick leave, personal days and vacation days will not continue to accrue during absence. Retirement benefits will continue immediately upon returning to employment at FASPS provided employee was a ‘qualifying’

employee prior to taking the leave-of-absence. Arrangements for monthly

payment of continued medical coverage must be made with the Business Office.

SALARY REDUCTION CALCULATION To determine the daily rate for Salary Reduction for salaried employees, the Base

Pay will be divided by the number of contract days. The number of contract days will be 240 for 12-month employees and the days stated on the contract for 10-month

employees (if not stated on the employee contract, contract days for 10-month employees will be 180).

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS The school recognizes the following holidays on the days that they are nationally observed within the U.S.:

• New Year’s Day

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• Presidents Day (as nationally observed) • Memorial Day

• Juneteenth (fcor 12-month employees) • July 4th (for 12-month employees) • Labor Day

• Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving • Christmas Day (for 12-month employees)

The above-listed school holidays are unpaid days for school employees paid on an hourly basis, unless the employees has a 12-month contract and the holiday falls on a scheduled day of work.

DISCOUNTS FROM 3RD PARTIES The school has relationships with some companies that as a result offer discounts to our employees:

MICROSOFT WORKPLACE DISCOUNT PROGRAM

Microsoft Workplace Discount Program (formerly Home Use Program) - Microsoft Store Discounts on Cell Phone Plans and Home Internet Service | Verizon (See section called Discounts for employees of other organizations and corporations) As a school employee, you get education discounts from hundreds of organizations and retailers including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft, not to mention cell phone providers, insurance companies, clothing stores, and more.

To get the discounts, simply sign up here to access the complete directory and to receive email notifications when new discounts and other benefits become available.

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2023-2024 FASPS FRINGE BENEFITS HANDBOOK

French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS) Employee Fringe Benefits Confirmation Sheet The purpose of this sheet is to indicate that you, the FASPS employee, have read and understood the material covered in the Employee Fringe Benefits Handout. This revision voids all previous Employee Fringe Benefits Handouts. (The Employee Fringe Benefits Handout can be viewed by accessing your FASPS account via the Intranet.)

Please sign below and return the signed copy to the Business Office.

Print Name

Employee Signature

Date

Revisions: • Revised October 10, 2023 • Revised: January 31, 2023 • Revised: August 3, 2020 • Revised: September 25, 2019 • Revised: August 15, 2017 • Revised: August 10, 2016

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