Benefits

Full-time employees will become eligible the first of the month after completing 30 days of employment. Full-time employees receive the following health benefits: life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), long-term disability, a health savings account, medical, dental, and vision. More information about each of these benefits can be found in the Human Resources Office.

The Seattle School seeks to provide comprehensive benefit coverage to its employees at an equitable contribution level. The insurance rates and premium contributions are subject to change at open enrollment.

Healthcare Benefit Summary
Medical Enrollment & Change Form
Dental Enrollment Form
Vision Enrollment Form
HSA Benefits Guide
HSA Enrollment Form
HSA Qualified Medical Expenses 
Life Insurance Enrollment Form

Current federal law gives employees, their spouses, and dependents, under certain circumstances, the right to continue health benefit coverage (called “continuation coverage”) at group rates for a limited period after they would otherwise lose their eligibility.

An employee who has a qualifying event that causes them and/or covered dependents to lose their insurance coverage (e.g. termination for any reason other than gross misconduct, reduction in hours causing the loss of insurance coverage, leave to serve in the United States Military, legal separation or divorce, dependents turning 26 years old or becoming eligible for Medicare) is eligible for COBRA benefits.

The employee must notify the Human Resources Office within 30 days of a qualifying event. The Human Resources representative then has 14 days to notify the beneficiaries of their rights under COBRA. These beneficiaries have 60 days following the notice to let The Seattle School know if they want to continue coverage. If so, the employee or eligible family member must send the full premium plus a 2% administrative fee to The Seattle School Business Office each month. The Seattle School then makes the payment to the insurance company. If the beneficiaries do not send the payment when due, insurance coverage may be lost.

Detailed benefit summaries from the vendor are available in the Human Resources Office.

The EAP is designed to help you and your family members attain a healthy and productive life through a variety of personalized services. Our EAP provides confidential assessment, counseling, and referral assistance to all employees and family members in areas such as stress, marital and other family conflicts, alcohol and drug abuse, and financial/legal difficulties.

The Seattle School wants to assist employees to resolve personal difficulties at early stages before they become costly in terms of either personal distress or work productivity. For more information about the program, contact the Human Resources Office.

Bereavement Leave

All continuing employees who suffer a death in their immediate family are entitled to up to five days of bereavement leave to be compensated at their normal rate of pay. Criteria for the amount of time off allowed include a variety of factors, such as, but not limited to, the need for out-of-town travel and responsibility for handling funeral arrangements. The term “immediate family” includes the following: spouse, parents, parents-in-law, siblings, children, grandparents, and grandchildren. Up to two days bereavement leave may be granted for extended family members such as aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.

Domestic Violence Leave

If you or your family member (child, spouse, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, or person with whom you have a dating relationship) are a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, The Seattle School may offer a reasonable period of leave (as determined by the employer), intermittent leave or a reduced schedule to seek legal or law enforcement assistance, counseling or medical treatment.

Leave is without pay unless you choose to use accrued sick or vacation time. You will be asked for written verification of the need for leave. We may also request documentation to determine family relationship. To the extent allowed by law, your health insurance benefits continue at the level and conditions that would have been provided had you remained continuously employed. Upon completion of your leave, you may be restored to the same job or an equivalent position with equivalent pay, benefits, and conditions of employment.

Information you provide to determine eligibility or continuation for this leave may only be disclosed by The Seattle School if you request or consent to its disclosure, is responsive to a court or administrative order or as otherwise required by federal or state law.

Family Medical Leave (FMLA)

All employees who have worked for The Seattle School for at least twelve months and have been employed at least 1,250 hours during the preceding twelve-month period are eligible for this benefit. This leave provides a maximum of twelve workweeks of leave during a twelve-month period. The twelve month period for determining leave entitlement is calculated from the date leave is used, rolling backward twelve months.

Eligible employees are allowed to request FMLA under this policy for one or more of the following:

• To care for a child following birth or placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care.
• Any money left in your account[s] after all reimbursements (for expenses incurred during that plan year) have been processed cannot be carried forward or returned so be sure to estimate your expenses carefully.
• Care of a family member who has a serious health condition or because of the employee’s own serious health condition.
• In situations of a “qualifying exigency” as covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), because your spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on active duty or in a reserve unit of the uniformed services, National Guard or coming from retirement, and on active duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty) in support of a contingency operation in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• Further, under the FMLA, if an illness or injury results from active duty service in the military, a “spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin” is entitled to up to 26-weeks of leave if the service member is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list. This form of leave also applies to eligible family members of veterans for up to five years after the veteran leaves service for a serious illness or injury incurred during active duty. This 26- week maximum is only available during a single 12-month period and is to be combined with, rather than be in addition to, other FMLA leave taken during the same period.

Family members include parent, child (including biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild, legal ward or a child for whom the employee stands in lieu of parents (e.g. grandparents)) or spouse.

Medical leave or leave taken for a qualifying service member may be used on an intermittent basis. Leave taken for the birth, adoption, care of a newborn child, or placement of a foster child with the staff member cannot be taken intermittently. Generally, each employee is eligible for up to 12 weeks leave in any 12-month period. However, if both the employee and their spouse work for The Seattle School, together they will have twelve weeks total leave for the birth of their child or placement for adoption or foster care. The full twelve weeks of leave is available to each employee for their own, their parent’s, their child’s or their spouse’s serious health condition.

In compliance with Washington State laws, available leave under this policy may be taken in addition to the actual time period a woman may need for time off due to her temporary disability related to pregnancy or childbirth. This form of leave relates only to coverage under the Washington State Family Leave Act.

Notice

Requests for FMLA should be made through the Human Resources Office. If the reason for requesting a family or medical leave is foreseeable, the employee needs to provide not less than 30 calendar days’ notice of intent to take the leave. If the need for the leave is unforeseeable, notice should be given as soon as possible.

The employee must submit to the Human Resources Office:

• Medical certification within 15 business days of having been preliminarily placed on leave prior to approval of medical leave, or
• Verification of circumstances prior to approval of a family leave

If you fail to submit a medical certification in a timely manner, you may not have approved leave, thereby jeopardizing your employment status. The Seattle School reserves the right to obtain additional medical opinions.

Use of Sick and Vacation Days while on FMLA

You must use all accrued sick and vacation days prior to taking time off without pay, for all or part of the 12-week period. Accrued vacation or sick days cannot be used to extend the leave. While on unpaid leave, you do not accrue vacation or sick time.

Continuation of Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance Benefits

During the family or medical leave, The Seattle School will continue to pay its share of medical/dental/vision insurance premiums. If the employee does not return to The Seattle School at the end of the 12-week leave, the employee must repay to the school premiums paid on behalf of the employee. This is consistent with the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Life and Disability Insurance Benefits

During the family or medical leave, The Seattle School will continue to pay life and disability insurance premiums. If you do not return to The Seattle School at the end of the 12-week leave, you must repay to the school premiums paid on your behalf.

Return to Work

Upon return from the family or medical leave of up to 12 weeks, employees will be restored to their previously-held position or another position with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment.

Jury Duty & Subpoenaed Leave

The Seattle School recognizes the civic obligation of our employees to serve on juries or as a witness when subpoenaed. We will continue to pay the wages of continuing employees in either scenario.

If any employee is called to serve on jury duty, she/he should notify her/his supervisor immediately. A copy of the jury summons must be submitted to the Business Office in order for continuing employees to receive pay.

If an employee is served with a subpoena requiring her/him to serve as a witness, that employee will be permitted time off to attend the hearing/trial. Documentation of witness times and fees must be submitted to the Business Office in order for continuing employees to receive pay.

You are expected to return to call-in/report to work if excused early from jury service as soon as possible, unless a full day’s absence is pre-arranged and/or required.

Maternity Leave

A pregnant employee must provide reasonable notification to her supervisor upon confirmation of her pregnancy to allow the school to prepare for her leave of absence. She may continue to work until she is either 1) required to stop working by her physician, or 2) is unable to perform the essential functions of her job, with or without accommodation from the institution. While on maternity leave, the employee must first exhaust her sick accrual and then any unused vacation accrual.

An employee on maternity leave is entitled to her same job or one of like status and pay upon return to work. Prior to returning to work, the employee must present a signed statement from her attending physician releasing her to work and setting forth any applicable work limitations.

The Seattle School will accommodate nursing mothers with sufficient work shift modifications and private space to express milk.

An eligible pregnant worker is also entitled to use her 12-week FMLA entitlement for prenatal care and for time off from work due to a “serious medical condition or to care for a newborn”. This 12-week leave is in addition to the employee’s maternity leave, which covers the employee’s actual period of disability during pregnancy and after childbirth. Once the employee is released to return to work, she may use all or part of her remaining FMLA leave to care for her newborn child. This leave must be taken within 12 months of the birth of her child.

Military Leave & Military Family Leave

In accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Act (USERRA), The Seattle School will grant unpaid leaves of absence to employees for time needed to serve in the uniformed services, provided the leave does not exceed a cumulative total of 5 years.

Military leave will be granted to all employees under orders which require them to serve in any of the U.S. Military branches.

Employees on military leave will be returned to the appropriate position and at the appropriate level of pay and benefits consistent with applicable law. Employees, who are currently participants in our healthcare benefit program and are called to active military duty, may purchase health coverage for up to 24 months under the COBRA program.

Military Family Leave

Employees who are spouses of armed service workers and who work an average of 20 hours or more per week may take up to 15 days of unpaid leave when their spouse is about to be called up to active duty, or are home from deployment during times of military conflict declared by the President or Congress. Any requests for military family leave must be made within 5 days following your family’s receipt of the official military notice.

Military Family Leave may run concurrently with federal FMLA leave when an eligible employee uses FMLA leave related to military deployment and the leave is taken before deployment or during any period when the military spouse is on leave from deployment.

You may choose to use any of your accrued leave benefits while taking military family leave. Your health insurance benefits will continue at the level and conditions that are provided with continuous employment.

Mission Leave

As a Christian organization, it is the intention of The Seattle School to embody its mission by supporting our employees’ efforts and passions in mission work and global engagement. We believe that our employees and students can make a difference in lives around the world and hopes that by providing some assistance we can make it possible for employees to more easily take mission opportunities and serve their fellow human beings. Specifics regarding this employee benefit can be found in the Mission Leave Policy.

Other Leaves

Leaves of absence other than those described herein will be granted only if in the opinion of the President they are determined to be in the best interest of The Seattle School. Requests for such leave must be submitted to the employee’s immediate supervisor for consideration and approved by the President.

The Seattle School recognizes that it is important for employees to save money during their work years to spend in their retirement. In order to assist the employee with this, The Seattle School has provided a retirement plan, where up to five percent of the employee’s gross salary is contributed by The Seattle School. In addition, eligible employees may supplement their retirement benefits by designating a paycheck deduction for additional pre-tax contributions. If there is any inconsistency between this brief summary and the plan document, the plan document will govern. For more information regarding this plan, please contact the Human Resources Office.

Retirement Planning Guide
Retirement Plan Highlights
403(b) Enrollment & Contribution Change Form
403(b) Retirement Asset Rollover Form
Retirement Plan Account Access Instructions

The Seattle School subsidizes up to 75% of the cost (depending upon the number of hours worked) of an Orca Pass that will provide you with unlimited bus travel on King County Metro Transit, Community Transit, Sound Transit, unlimited travel on the Sound Transit Sounder commuter rail service, and a home free guarantee. For more information regarding this plan, please contact the Human Resources Office.

ORCA User Card Agreement
Full Time ORCA Payroll Deduction Authorization Form
Part Time ORCA Payroll Deduction Authorization Form

Holidays

The Seattle School strives to be a family friendly workplace and believes that families should have time together to relax and celebrate. The Seattle School provides fifteen paid holidays for continuing employees working 20 or more hours per week. The amount paid for a holiday will be dependent on the normal hours worked during a normal workday (e.g. If you are normally scheduled to work 6 hours per day, holiday pay will be for 6 hours). The recognized holidays each year are:

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day (5-day weekend TBD annually)
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving (Wednesday- Friday)
• Christmas (Dec. 24th & 25th plus discretionary days as assigned from Dec 26-31)

In addition to the paid holidays, The Seattle School will be closed for a Common Vacation Week during the summer, specific dates for which will be announced at the beginning of the calendar year. Employees may choose to use their accrued vacation or take the time without pay.

Vacation Pay

The Seattle School provides paid time off for rest and relaxation for the physical and mental health for its continuing employees who work 20 or more hours a week. Employees earn vacation time from their hire date. The amount of paid vacation that employees are entitled to receive depends on length of continuous service and job classification level. Vacation accrual rate is prorated for those working less than 40 hours per week.

Employees hired under a contract may have terms that differ with the following policy. The provisions contained in their contracts shall supersede the Employee Handbook provisions.

• Vacation time ceases to accrue when it has reached its maximum accrual amount. Employees may not receive reimbursement for their forfeited time.
• The amount paid for a vacation day will be dependent on the normal hours worked during a normal workday (e.g. If you are normally scheduled to work 6 hours per day, vacation pay will be for only 6 hours).
• Requests for vacation time are subject to the approval of the supervisor.
• If an employee leaves the employment of The Seattle School, all accrued, unused vacation will be paid at the employee’s hourly rate upon the final paycheck.
• Vacation time should be taken only after it has been earned. However, this should not preclude a reasonable degree of flexibility if particular circumstances warrant it.
• Vacation will accumulate while employees are not actively at work as long as they are paid full salary. If on leave without pay, vacation will not accrue. For more information see the Leave Policies.
• Sickness during vacation is not grounds for cancellation of an employee’s vacation leave. If employees are scheduled for vacation when The Seattle School declares an unscheduled day off, e.g. for inclement weather, employees will continue to use vacation time for that day and will not be given an additional day off.

Sick / Personal Leave

The Seattle School provides paid sick/personal time for employees working 20 or more hours per week on a continuous basis. A 40-hour per week employee will accrue 8 hours of sick pay per month. Employees who work between 20 and 39 hours will accrue on a prorated basis. Employees working less than 20 hours per week qualify for limited sick/personal leave. See Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time under Benefits Available to All Employees.

• Any unused sick leave will accrue to a maximum of 520 hours (90 days).
• Sick pay will not be paid out in cash when an employee leaves the employment of The Seattle School.
• Sick pay provides time off with pay for periods of illness or injury, and may also be used by non-exempt employees for health-care appointments that cannot be scheduled at times other than during the workday.
• Sick pay will begin accruing as of an employee’s date of hire.
• Sick pay may be taken for any of the following reasons:
• Illness or an injury which incapacitates the employee to the extent that she/he is unable to perform her/his work.
• Care of a spouse, parent, parent-in-law, or grandparent who has a serious health or emergency condition.
• Care of a child with a health condition that requires treatment or supervision.
• It is expected that sick pay must be earned before it may be granted. In the event more sick days have been taken than earned, the employee will be asked to use the time taken as vacation time or leave without pay.

The Seattle School provides a tuition waiver for employees based upon scheduled work commitment. Tuition waiver is also provided for family members (spouse and children) of full- time employees. This waiver applies to courses for credit, community audit. The waiver does not apply to fees related to tuition costs.

To receive the tuition waiver, an application for tuition waiver must be completed 2 weeks prior to the start of the term in which the waiver will be used. Tuition waivers are allotted on a per family basis. Students must work out scheduling issues to the satisfaction of their supervisor. The amount of the tuition waiver will depend upon your length of service and full-time equivalent at The Seattle School as set below:

* Certificate Programs and Allender Center Workshops are not eligible for this benefit.

** The Seattle School reserves the right to refuse a waiver based on limited space available.

Employees will be responsible to pay tax on the value of the tuition waiver for any courses taken for credit and/or audit as though it were income during the trimester(s) it is being used if the amount exceed $5250 per calendar year. Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Code 127 allows for educational expenses paid by an employer for its employees to be excluded from the gross income and wages.

The following qualifications and limitations are:

• Employees must have successfully completed the 90-day introductory period.
• Each student must have completed the application process and be admitted to non-degree or degree status at The Seattle School. Students who choose to take classes for community audit are required only to complete the community audit application.
• Participants must be related (i.e. spouse and children) to eligible faculty or staff of The Seattle School.
• Students must comply with The Seattle School attendance policies.
• Each student will comply with all student conduct requirements as delineated in the Student Handbook.
• Tuition waiver amounts are given on an annual basis. In the situation an employee leaves The Seattle School during the annual period, the waiver credits will be awarded on a prorated basis. Employees who use more credits than they are eligible for may be required to pay back a portion or the entire waiver.
• The tuition waiver covers tuition only and student must cover any remaining student account balance such as fees. Any fees or charges not paid in full will be subject to the standard late fee schedule.
• Tuition waivers are not retroactive.
• Tuition waiver forms must be submitted to Student Financial Services at least two weeks prior to the start of each term.

The Seattle School Library serves our faculty and staff in addition to students. Services include on- campus and remote access to the library catalog and multiple electronic databases, circulation privileges, interlibrary loans privileges, and individual instruction on the use of library and information resources.

Effective September 1, 2012 employees working within the Seattle city limits and more than 240 hours per calendar year (excluding work-study employees) are eligible for paid sick time. Eligible employees will accrue 1 hour for every 40 hours worked, with a maximum carryover of 56 hours per calendar year.