HR Frequently Asked Questions

Employment

How do I know about open positions at KCKPS?

All employment opportunities are posted here.

Other listings:

KCKPS Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
Educational Institutions: Colleges and Universities
Government and Regulatory Agencies
Private and Public Organization Websites or Newsletters
Equal Opportunity Media Websites and/or advertisements

How do I know if I am qualified to teach in the KCKPS District?

The Recruiting team evaluates each teacher candidate’s application, resume and experience to determine the type of license an individual has or may be eligible for in accordance with the job posting requirements. The Professional Workforce team provides additional review and assistance, as needed, for all traditional and alternative licenses pathways such as: Restricted Licenses, Expired License, STEM, Out-of-State, CTE, Visiting Scholars, and International teacher programs.

How can I become a Special Education Teacher in the District if I have a general education degree?

We have provided opportunities for general education teachers to become Special Education teachers by paying for their Special Education waiver courses. KSDE allows general education teachers to immediately teach in the Special Education area while obtaining 10 courses that would provide them with a provisional license. This was a result of going back and reviewing applications out of our applicant tracking systems.

Do you review applicants from previous times for current job postings or do I have to apply each time?

It’s always best to reapply for positions that you are interested in pursuing. We do try to scan old applications but most of the time applicants have already taken other positions especially if the application is more than 30 days old. Additionally, the Recruiting team constantly scans resumes from multi-licensed teachers, to encourage them to review additional job openings. Invitations are sent to all candidates for our local District Career Fairs. This may include, but is not limited to: to applicants, previous employees who may have left our district and wish to return, and referrals. If a previous employee is able to be rehired, invitations are provided to them as well.

Do you have opportunities for “special assignments” or volunteer opportunities for those who like to work with kids but don’t have teaching degrees?

Teachers are required by state law to be “licensed in order to be in the classroom with students.” We do not hire teachers for “special assignment”.Individuals who come into our schools have to be hired as an employee with our onboarding process (background check, TB test, references) If someone wants to work within our schools and are not hired as an employee, s/he could apply to be a volunteer within a school. To be a volunteer, a person is required to complete an application and background check through the Student Services office. To reach Student Services please call 913-279-2248.

Who makes the decisions about hiring classroom aides?

The budgets are set annually which affects the amount of classroom aides we have within each building. It is our hope that as the school district budget allows, we can continue to offer these positions to some of our KCKPS alumni while they are attending community colleges or universities locally once they obtain either 48 or 60 credit hours which many of our classroom aide jobs require.

Paychecks

Is there a calendar for paycheck schedules?

The Transportation Pay Calendar is linked here. The Pay Calendar for everybody except Transportation is linked here.

How to read the color coded pay schedule: The highlighted weeks are included in each pay period, and you can see the pay period at the bottom of each calendar. For example, if you work from August 29th thru September 11th this time period will be paid on your 9/30/21 pay check.

How do I identify the extra duty pay on my paycheck?

In the earnings section of your check stub, which you can find in Employee Online, you will see a line under CNT PAY called CNT E/P. This is where your extra duty and/or stipend pay will be listed.

How do I change my payroll tax hold outs?

Go into Employee Online, click Tax Info and then select your preferred tax exemption. This action must be completed prior to 10 days before the date of pay.

How do I know if my stipend has been paid or when it will be paid out?

The stipend will show on the CNT E/P line of your check stub. There is no other system for alerting you to when your stipend will be paid.

When are extra duty items/ stipends getting paid?

Stipend pay varies throughout the year. Extra duty is paid according to the regular payroll salary schedule.

If I get a lump sum, how does that affect my tax rate?

Stipends or extra duty pay is taxed at the same rate as other pay, which sometimes results in significant amounts being withheld on lump sum payments. If you’d like to change your tax withholding information you can do that in the Tax Info section of your Employee Online account.

What do the acronyms mean on my paycheck stub?

Below are the most common acronyms that will appear on your paycheck.

RETPMNT - Retention Bonus

CNT Pay – Base contract pay

CNT E/P – Supplemental pay l(for example stipends or coaching)

Regular – Pay from Extra Duty Timesheets. There are many more codes that can appear instead of “Regular” depending on the type of duty worked.

Retro – Retroactive pay due to a salary increase. Could be negative in the case of changing positions for 24 pay employees.

TC Retro – Retroactive pay for overtime or regular pay from CIS due to a salary increase.

FICA – Social Security tax

MEDI – Medicare tax

FIT – Federal income tax

SIT – State income tax

KPERS – KS Public Employees Retirement System Deduction

Medical – Insurance Premiums

DENTPT – Dental

VISNPT – Vision

LWOPTKN – Docked pay for leave without pay

What do the different sections of my paycheck mean?

Top Section, First Box: Reference information only

It will include your name and your employee ID.
EFT date is the payday date.
Period beginning and period ending reflect the date of leaves recorded and timesheet payments (assuming the timesheets were received in Payroll within two days after period end date).

Top Section, Second Box: Withholding status for both federal income tax and state income tax. The notation will always be S (single) or M (married) followed by the number of exemptions you are claiming. In this example, the employee is using Single with 1 exception for federal and Single with 0 exemptions for state. If you have elected an additional amount to be withheld, it will display under the status. If you wish to change your withholdings, you may enter that information on the employee online portal by clicking Tax Info on the left side of the portal header.

Earnings: Gross pay in the top box. Underneath that there is a box that lists taxable wages, which are noted for each of the taxes required to be withheld. Note that taxable wages do not equal gross wages due to certain taxable benefits and pretax deductions.

Employer Paid Benefits: Benefits paid by the district on your behalf. Examples of these may be employee health insurance, employer’s share of Social Security (FICA) and Medicare. Also listed in this section will be KPERS life and laptop taxable benefit required by the IRS.

Taxes: Taxes deducted from your paycheck by law, based on the taxable amounts and the withholding status.

Pre-Tax Deducations: Pre-tax deductions from your check. Pretax deductions are those items that reduce taxable income when deducted from your check. They may include sheltered insurance premiums, 403(b) or 457 deductions, FSA deductions, etc. KPERS is pretax for federal income tax only.

After-Tax Deductions: After-tax deductions which do not reduce taxable income. These may include non-sheltered insurance premiums, union dues, garnishments, United Way, etc. Please contact the Payroll department (279-2291, 279-2275 or 279-2245) if you have questions regarding this section.

Banking Information: Direct deposit information. If you have several banks receiving direct deposits, each will be listed with the dollar amount deposited. Should you have a need to change your direct deposit information, you may do so in the employee online portal. On the left side of the screen, click Direct Deposit to initiate the change.

Leave Record: Leave balances as of the period end date are reported in HOURS, rather than days. If you are an 8-hour-per-day employee who earns benefit time, your time earned will be reported as 8 hours per day, and if you are a 6.5-hour employee, your time earned will be reported as 6.5 hours per day.

What is the extra pay that is on my 12/15 paycheck?

Classified full-time employees will receive 2 days Thanksgiving pay on their 12/15/21 paycheck.
Classified full-time employees will receive 5 days Christmas pay on their 1/15/21 paycheck.
Classified full-time employees will receive $500 retention pay on their 12/15/21 paycheck.
Classified part-time employees will receive $250 retention pay on their 12/15/21 paycheck.
Sub employees will receive a prorated amount of their hours worked of retention pay on their 12/15/21 paycheck.
Certified employees will receive retro pay on the 12/15/21 paycheck for their contract pay since the contract ratified.
Fall Supplemental payment and retro payment will be received on the 12/15/21 paycheck.

When will certified contracts be available?
Certified contracts will be available by 12/31/21.

Benefits

How can I check on my benefit elections?

To view your benefit elections, visit amerilife.benselect.com/kckps

Where can I find group number for benefit plans?

All carrier and group numbers are listed in the Benefits Acronyms Sheet, which is here.

How do I submit a qualifying life event to make changes to my coverage?

Click here www.benefits-direct/kckps and click the Benefit Elections tab.

How do I terminate my voluntary plans?

Send an email to benefits@kckps.org and include the plan (s) you want to terminate. Coverage will terminate at the end of the month the request was made.

I need to contact an insurance carrier about my coverage?

Click here to access the provider contact sheet.

What do the acronyms mean on my pay check stub?

Please see the Benefits Acronyms Sheet.

How do I file a claim with a voluntary carrier?

Click here www.benefits-direct.com/kckps, click the Voluntary Carrier tab, then the plan you need to file a claim for. Plan group numbers are listed on the carrier contact sheet.

Who do I contact when I am ready to retire?

Email crystal.primers@kckps.org to receive a Ready to Retire Checklist

How do I find out how much money is in my KPERS account?

How do I withdraw funds from my KPERS account?

Employee can only with funds from their KPERS account when they separate service from their KPERS employer.

How do I check or update my KPERS beneficiaries?

Who do I contact about setting up and additional retirement account (403b and/or 457?

Jay Simpson @ 913-225-6479 or jay.simpson@aig.com Renea Simpson @ 913-402-5000 or renea.simpson@aig.com Carolina Dunn @ 913-490-2794 or Carolina.dunn@aig.com

Who do I contact if I don’t see my premiums deducted from my pay check?

Email crystal.primers@kckps.org for assistance. Any missed deduction is an owed deduction and must be collected.

I did not elect to enroll in benefits with the district but there is a medical deduction on my check stub?

If the medical deduction appears in the Employer Paid Benefits box, it’s being paid by the district. Employees are only responsible for deductions listed in the after-tax and pre-tax deduction boxes.

What is a KPERS R1 on my check stub?

If a KPERS R1 appears on your check stub, that means a KPERS deduction was missed.

How do I change my address with a carrier?

Log into Employee Online to change your address. It will take 5 to 7 business days for the carrier to receive your address change and make changes.

Leave

Who do I contact if I have to call in sick?

Employees are responsible for entering their own absences on Frontline and notifying their supervisor with as much notice as possible.

Employees are eligible to enter their leave 30 minutes prior to their start time. For example, if the employee starts at 8:00AM, they are eligible to enter their absence up until 7:30AM that same day.

If the employee is unable to enter it in that timeframe, they need to contact their supervisor for assistance.

What happens if I end up taking more PTO than I have accumulated?

PTO leave taken beyond the accumulated amount shall result in deduction of pay equal to the employee’s daily rate of pay.

What are my responsibilities if I miss more than 4 consecutive days of work?

Any employee absent more than five consecutive days due to the employee’s illness or disability shall present a statement from their healthcare provider indicating the illness or disability and verifying the readiness of the employee to resume his/her duties. This can be submitted to HRLeave@kckps.org

What is an ineligible day?

An ineligible day is any day that precedes or follows a district holiday, non-duty day, or in-service day. For example: Monday, January 17, 2022 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Therefore, Friday, January 13, 2022 and Tuesday January 18, 2022 are ineligible days for the use of a personal day and require a doctor’s note for all sick/disability absences.

What happens if an employee needs to take a personal day or a disability/sick day on an ineligible day?

Requests for personal leave will be denied.

Documentation for sick/disability absences will need to be uploaded via TalentEd Records or submitted to the employee’s supervisor.

What will happen if an employee does not bring in a doctor’s note?

Deductions in pay will occur based on the absence(s) entered and are based on the employee’s hourly rate.

Why does the district have ineligible days?

Absences, regardless of position directly affects the instructions of our students. There is a significant increase in absences around non-duty and in-service days, the District has made these days ineligible unless documentation can be provided.

What is FMLA?

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) is a federal law that provides unpaid, job protected leave to eligible employees, both male and female, in order to care for their families or themselves for specified family and medical conditions.FMLA leave will be granted for any of the following reasons:

To care for the employee’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care; or
To care for the employee’s spouse, son or daughter, or parent who has a serious health condition; or
For a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee’s job; or
For qualifying exigencies arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on covered active duty or call to covered active duty status as a member of the National Guard, Reserves, or Regular Armed Forces.

Who is eligible to take FMLA?

To be eligible, an employee must:

have worked for Kansas City, KS Schools at least 12 months; and
have worked at least 1,250 hours within a 12-month period prior to the start of leave.

What is a serious health condition?

The most common serious health conditions that qualify for FMLA leave are:

Conditions requiring an overnight stay in a hospital or other medical care facility;
Conditions that incapacitate you or your family member (for example, unable to work or attend school) for more than three consecutive days and have ongoing medical treatment (either multiple appointments with a health care provider, or a single appointment and follow-up care);
chronic conditions that cause occasional periods when you or your family member are incapacitated and require treatment by a health care provider at least twice a year; and
pregnancy

How do I take FMLA?

First, complete the FMLA Request - Required Form on TalentEd Records

Log onto TalentEd Records
Select “Available Forms” on the left-hand side
Select FMLA Request - Required Form
Fill out the form as thoroughly and specific as possible
Once the form is complete, select “Save Final” at the bottom of the form to submit

Once complete, Human Resources will provide the FMLA Medical Certification that is required for the leave to be approved. (The link to the blank forms are also listed below.) Once complete, HR will review the Certification and provide the employee an update regarding next steps.

For the employee’s serious health condition:

Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition

For the employee’s spouse, child, or parent’s serious health condition:

Certification of Health Care Provider for U.S. Department of Labor Family Member’s Serious Health Condition

Where do I submit the completed FMLA Medical Certification?

The healthcare provider should fax it to Human Resources at 913-551-3219 or email it to HRLeave@kckps.org. Please ensure all requested information is provided with as much detail as possible.

What is the notification process for when an FMLA Request is approved?

Once HR receives the completed Medical Certification, HR Leave will email a designation notice approving the employee’s leave, enter their absences online, and notify their supervisor that the leave has been approved. *All confidential information will be kept between HR Leave and the employee.

Must FMLA leave be used all at once?

FMLA leave may be used continuously, intermittently (leave taken on an occasional basis for doctor’s appointments, or leave taken several days at a time spread over a certain period), or on a reduced work schedule basis

Is FMLA paid leave?

FMLA itself is unpaid leave, however, it is required for the employee to use all their available PTO first.

What happens if I don’t qualify for FMLA but I need to take a medical leave?

Complete the FMLA Request - Required Form on TalentEd Records. HR Leave will be in touch with you after review to discuss your leave options.

Bereavement Leave: How many days am I eligible for and what family members qualify?

The employee is eligible for 3 days per occurrence or 5 if the distance is more than 400 miles one way.

Immediate family includes the employee’s spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren, and spouse’s parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters by blood or marriage.

What do I do if I need bereavement leave?

The employee is required to enter their bereavement leave on Frontline and notify their supervisor.
Provide documentation by following the steps below:
1. Log onto TalentEd Records
2. Click on Available Forms
3. Upload documentation that verifies your bereavement leave (most often an obituary or funeral program)
HR Leave will do a monthly audit to verify the documentation uploaded to TalentEd matches the absence(s) entered in Frontline. Please note, if documentation is not provided, the absence will be changed to Disability > Disability/Sick or Unpaid Leave if Disability has been utilized.

What do I do if I need Jury Duty Leave?

The employee is required to enter their bereavement leave on Frontline and notify their supervisor.
Provide documentation by following the steps below:
1. Log onto TalentEd Records
2. Click on Available Forms
3. Upload documentation that verifies your jury duty leave (most often a court summons)
HR Leave will do a monthly audit to verify the documentation uploaded to TalentEd matches the absence(s) entered in Frontline. Please note, if documentation is not provided, the absence will be changed to Disability > Disability/Sick or Unpaid Leave if Disability has been utilized.

Where do I send my doctor’s notes?

Medical documentation can be uploaded to TalentEd Records by completing the Medical Documentation Form in TalentEd Records.

Please note, all documentation relating to an FMLA absence, must still be sent to HRLeave@kckps.org

How do I get personal days approved?

Personal days are approved in Frontline by the employee’s supervisor. Please contact them regarding approval questions or concerns.

Complaints

How do I make an employee complaint?

Go to the Human Resources Tab on this website, then click on Employee Complaints.

Call Anissa Jackson (HR Advisor Investigations)- 913-627-2557

OR email Hr.investigations@kckps.org

What information do I need to provide on my complaint?

Please provide as much detail as possible. This will include name (if comfortable), individual making the complaint, individual engaging in the alleged misconduct, date incident(s) occurred, time incident occurred, location where the alleged incident occurred, witness(es); individuals who witness the alleged incident occur.

What are the steps during the Investigation Process?

Please refer to the BOE Policy-KN

This policy will give you information regarding the investigation process, definitions to know, and related board of education policies to review.

Does my complaint warrant an investigation?

Per BOE policy- KN- Any complaint received should be reduced to writing and reported to administration for study, investigation and possible resolution. Whenever possible, complaints should be resolved at the lowest possible administrative level. Any employee who receives a complaint shall inform the individual making the complaint of the employee’s obligation to report the complaint to the administration.

Frontline/Professional Development/Payscale

Who do I contact if I can’t get into Frontline?

Please email jared.alexander@kckps.org and request access to Frontline.

How do I get my college hours added to my professional development transcript?

To get your college hours added to your transcript you must complete the College Hours Form in Frontline. Be sure to upload a copy of your transcript so the hours can be approved. Directions for how to attach files in Frontline can be found here.

What types of classes qualify for movement on the certified pay scale?

The classes must be related to your work and/or correlated to goals established within the Growth Plan in iObservation.

How can I get a list of pre-approved classes for salary movement?

There is no pre-approved list. It is up to the discretion of the Professional Workforce Development Team to approve college credits. If you have questions you can email Dr. Elizabeth Meitl.

Where do I send a college class to get approved for salary movement?

Submit your request for approval in Frontline.

How do I send in a completed class to get it logged on my professional development transcript?

After you complete your class submit it to Frontline. Evidence of attendance is required.

What is the approval process for professional development points?

In-service professional development, occurring during contract hours, facilitated by a KCKPS USD 500 employee, will have documentation in Frontline created by the IDP rep or the person facilitating the session.

When seeking PD points for professional development occurring during non-contractual times, approval in Frontline is required. Unless the PD is facilitated by a KCKPS USD 500 employee and/or KCKPS Department.

Approval process: (ONLY needed for PD occurring outside contractual times; after school and/or in the summer.)

Step 1: Submit Professional Development Points/Hours form in Frontline.

Step 2: Approval will be granted by the PD Director if the PD correlates to goals established within the Growth Plan in iObservation.

Step 3: Submit all documentation; including evidence of attendance, certificate of completion, transcript, verification letter/email from the instructor/facilitator. (You must have proof of attendance and/or completion from a source other than yourself.)

Step 4: The PD Director will approve PD points in Frontline.

What do the purpose codes in Frontline mean?

Re-licensure – PD transcript hours

This box is checked in Frontline when a certified staff member is requesting PD points to be applied to their PD transcript for the purpose of their license/certification renewal.

In-service - PD during school hours

This box is checked in Frontline when PD points are requested for in-service professional development occurring during work hours. (i.e. Wednesday early release or District Content PD days)

Individual Professional Development for Salary Adjustment

This box is checked in Frontline when PD points are requested for the purpose of salary adjustment. All professional development for salary adjustment MUST be voluntary and occur during non-contractual times. Teachers may NOT receive a stipend or payment AND be awarded PD points for salary adjustment.

Compliance

This box is checked in Frontline when a mandatory training is viewed, whether it be district mandated or building mandated.

What’s the different between mandatory and professional development?

Per negotiated agreement, mandatory and voluntary professional development opportunities are provided for staff. If the training or committee is mandatory then KCKPS, “...shall meet within the teachers' 8-hour workday whenever possible.” If the training or committee must be scheduled after hours, immediately following the participation, teachers, “...shall be subject to compensation as provided in Article XII.” If the training or committee is voluntary, the negotiated agreement states, “non-participation on voluntary committees shall not be considered in teacher evaluations or disciplinary actions.”

In addition, voluntary participation may result in staff earning professional development (PD) points which potentially lead to monetary compensation because as they accrue, staff are able to advance on the salary schedule. For example, teachers in Class IV, holding a master’s degree, may move to Class V after they have completed 15 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree - OR - when they have completed at least eight graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree AND up to 140 hours of PD points. (20 Professional Development Points, for salary adjustment, are equivalent to one graduate hour; 140 PD points, for salary adjustment, are equivalent to seven graduate hours.) Please note, the negotiated agreement also states in-service occurring during the contractual day, or in-service in which staff are paid to attend, “cannot be used for movement on the salary schedule.” Also stating, staff may not be awarded PD points, “...where the individual is earning college credit or is receiving a stipend or payment.” Therefore, staff may qualify for movement on the salary scale when they receive college credit from a regionally accredited institution and/or when they participate in voluntary professional development opportunities.

How do I use my college credits and PD points to get a salary adjustment?

We created a presentation that explains what you need to know. Find it here.

Licensure

How do I check on my licensure status?

Go to KSDE’s License Lookup page and search for yourself using the First Name and Last Name fields. If you have questions that your building leaders can’t answer, please email the Licensure Team.

How do I renew or update my license?

The instructions for what you need to do to renew or update your license are printed on the side of your current license. To find your current license go to the KSDE License Lookup and find the “Print License” button. If your license is expired that will not be an option for you, so you will need to look up the requirements listed on this page.

When I renew or update my license, who do I send it to?

Please send all new or updated licenses to licensure@kckps.org

I am interested in becoming a teacher, but I currently don’t have a teaching license. What options do I have?

We have two alternative certification pathways in our district for people who already have an undergraduate degree, and there are other options in nearby universities. If you’re interested in learning more about the KCKPS Teaching Fellows Program, the Para-to-Teacher Program, or outside resources for becoming a teacher email Chalita Middleton.

Substitutes

New Employees/Transfers/Replacements

Where do I go to get my badge?

If you need a new or replacement badge please sign up for an appointment using this link. At your appointed time you will go to the Maintenance Shop, which is located on the east side of the internal courtyard in the lower part of the North Central Office Building (across the parking lot from Schlagle High School).

I’ve recently changed my name. How do I get it changed in the human resource systems?

If you’re a certified employee please email Shaunteh Jones and let her know about your name change, and if you’re a classified employee please email Otherine Bembry. They will need copies of your new social security card and driver’s license, and possible additional documentation. If your name change is the result of a marriage or divorce, you will also need to submit your marriage license or divorce decree.