Dear Colleagues,
It was great to see many of you yesterday at our FY19 Budget briefing after school. Let me provide a quick overview of what was shared in advance of our formal presentation to the School Committee on Tuesday (12/12) evening.
First, I was pleased to announce that the staffing reductions we feared might be necessary to balance the budget next year can be avoided. By making cuts in expenses and putting a hold on the creation of any new positions and investments in programs, we can meet the Town-approved 3.5 percent guideline. Unfortunately, this will impede our ability to make more progress on our District priorities.
The School Committee has also asked us to share a priority list above the 3.5 percent guideline, but no greater than a 4.0 increase. (This is approximately $350K.) That short list includes such items as expanding our Elementary World Language Program, providing time at the Middle School for interventions, and staffing a non-Special Education Learning Center at the High School.
Next Tuesday, we will formally present our proposals to the School Committee, at which point our budget review becomes an external process that will culminate with the Annual Town Meeting at the end of March. I encourage you to follow this process and I will continue to update you on our progress in the weeks ahead.
Thank you for all that you do for our students and have a great weekend!
Best regards,
David Lussier
Calendar
12/12/17 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm – Town Hall (FY19 Budget Presentation)
12/15/17 – FSA Enrollment Deadline (see below)
12/25/17 – 1/1/18 – Winter Break
1/2/18 – School Reopens
IMPORTANT FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT (FSA) INFORMATION
Open enrollment ends 12/15/2017 – no exceptions
The Town of Wellesley will be changing its plan year for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) to coincide with the plan year for the other Town benefits (July 1 – June 30). Below is some important information as to how this will impact FSA signup for calendar year 2018 and beyond.
In order to make the switch from a calendar year to a benefit/fiscal year on July 1, the regularly scheduled FSA period will be shortened and an additional open enrollment period with a new plan year will be added. Moving forward, the FSA open enrollment period will coincide with the open enrollment period for health insurance. The open enrollment is usually in the spring, with a July 1st effective date.
FIRST FSA PERIOD: 1/1/2018 – 6/30/2018*
The open enrollment for the first FSA period for calendar year 2018 ends at 4pm on December 15, 2017. The plan year for this FSA enrollment period is limited to 6 months and will only cover services incurred from 1/1/2018-6/30/2018. As a result, the maximum amount that employees will be allowed to sign up for will be $1,325 for medical expenses and $2,500 for dependent care expenses. The current FSA plan allows for a $500 rollover from one plan year to the next for the medical FSA option only. This option is still available for those who have money left in their medical spending accounts on December 31. In order to qualify for the rollover, employees will need to re-enroll in the medical FSA for calendar year 2018, even if it’s just for $.01.
*This is a one-time shortened period necessary to transition the FSA plan year to July 1st.
SECOND FSA PERIOD: 7/1/2018 – 6/30/2019
The next open enrollment for FSA will occur at the same time as the open enrollment for the other town insurance plans. FSA open enrollment at this time will allow for the full IRS amount of $2,650 for medical expenses and $5,000 for dependent care expenses and will cover services incurred from 7/1/2018 – 6/30/2019. This will be the regular open enrollment period.
ROLLOVERS:
The current FSA plan allows for a $500 rollover from one plan year to the next. This option is still available to those who have $500 or less in their medical spending accounts. In order to qualify for the rollover, employees will need to re-enroll in the medical FSA for calendar year 2018, even if it’s just for $.01.
DON’T FORGET!!
Those who sign up for or already have a medical spending account have access to a pre-loaded debit card (the Benny card) that can be used on the spot to pay for incurred medical expenses. As a reminder, expenses you are seeking reimbursement for from the HRA cannot be put on the Benny card. More information on this can be found in the attached documentation.
All enrollment forms are to be sent to Cafeteria Plan Advisors (CPA) directly. The contact information for CPA is as follows:
Cafeteria Plan Advisors, Inc.
420 Washington Street, Suite 100
Braintree, MA 02184
Phone: 781-848-9848
Fax: 781-848-8477
Questions can be answered by the Town Hall HR department by calling (781) 431 – 1019, ext. 2244 or email bsauer@wellesleyma.gov or jliburd@wellesleyma.gov.
DEADLINE FOR WEF GRANT APPLICATIONS IS January 5, 2018
APPLY ON-LINE: www.wellesleyeducationfoundation.org
Quick Tips:
- See info on our website – FOR EDUCATORS tab -> GRANT PROCESS OVERVIEW
- APPLY – FOR EDUCATORS -> APPLY FOR A GRANT and begin your application
- Complete ALL required fields on your application
- Upload any additional info relevant to your grant request
- Provide the name and email of administrators required to sign off on your application – please check for correct emails
- REMEMBER TO CLICK SUBMIT to complete your application
Email questions to: grants@wellesleyeducationfoundation.org
Note: Notifications of decisions will be sent mid-March
All applicants awarded funding are to complete a WEF Grant Evaluation form
Insurance Benefits Information
Health and Dental Insurance Benefits information is handled by the Town Hall Benefits Office. Inquiries should be directed to Joanne Liburd at JLiburd or by calling 781-431-1019 extension 2244.
WPS Internal Job Postings on District Website
Please be aware that we added a new feature called “Internal Job Postings” under the Faculty tab of the District’s website. We will post all of our internal jobs under this website tab. Therefore, you will no longer see internal job postings in the bulletin. This new way of posting will allow us to post internal positions any day of the week.