4J Educator
December 2022
Final Decision on High School Schedules Coming Soon
The high school scheduling team has completed its work and has forwarded four recommendations to district leaders for review. High school staff will have a chance to provide insights on how the options align with our values, before a final decision is made before the start of winter break.
The process began with staff feedback and a robust discussion and decision around setting the values and priorities for evaluating schedules. In addition, families and students have had the opportunity to share input for the scheduling team. The new schedule would be implemented at the start of the 2023–24 school year.
Paid Family Leave Payroll Deductions Begin in January
Starting January 1, 2023, Eugene School District 4J and its employees will begin paying into Oregon’s new paid leave program, Paid Leave Oregon.
Under the program, the wages of employees on approved leave for a qualifying event will be paid out of a state-managed trust fund rather than by 4J for up to 12 weeks each year (up to 14 weeks for pregnancy-related medical leave). As under the current federal law, it will be illegal for employers to treat any employee badly or to fire them for taking time off through Paid Leave Oregon.
Both 4J and its employees are required to pay into the system, with the district contributing 0.4% of an employee’s gross wages and employees contributing 0.6% of their earnings. As examples, an employee earning $18 an hour would have $18.72 a month deducted from their paycheck, while an employee making $60,000 annually would contribute $30 a month.
Employees can start applying for benefits under the state paid leave program on September 3, 2023. The amount the program pays employees depends on how much they’ve earned the prior year, but some workers may receive their full weekly earnings.
4J’s Financial Services and Human Resources departments will provide updates to staff and will send out emails when the new deductions begin.
A Note About November's Paycheck
Was your November paycheck larger or smaller than usual?
Some 4J employees may have noticed a change in their net pay as a result of the district’s ongoing transition to a new financial and payroll system.
Financial Services moved to processing payroll in BusinessPlus from Lawson in July. But it only recently uploaded into the new system the totals taken out of employees’ paychecks year-to-date for Social Security, Medicare and other withholdings. If employees saw a change in their withholdings for November, it’s because year-to-date information is now included in those system calculations.
Financial Services staff will be reviewing and reconciling the year-to-date information transferred over into BusinessPlus to ensure accuracy from the previous system. Any corrections to their year-to-date withholding amounts will included in your final 2022 paycheck. Staff also will ensure that information is accurately reflected on W-2 forms that employees will file during the coming tax season.
Employees are encouraged to take a few moments to review their paystub online to ensure everything appears correct. Financial Services staff can’t provide tax advice and encourages employees with questions or concerns about their tax withholdings to consult a professional. If employees need to update any withholdings, please request those changes by December 15 to ensure they’re included in employees’ final paycheck of 2022.
Questions? Email payroll@4j.lane.edu
In addition, the district is working to increase the number of available interpreters and will be working with existing staff who are interested in taking on the additional duty. Bilingual staff members approved as in-house interpreters will be paid $31 for each hour of interpretation they provide. Students can not be used as interpreters. Bilingual staff interested in learning more about becoming an in-house interpreter should use this form to express their interest.
If an in-house interpreter is unavailable in-person or by phone and the need is urgent, the district encourages staff to use the Language Link phone interpreting service. The service works during face-to-face meetings as well as for phone calls home.
Request Translation (Written) Services:
• For a written translation of school signs, forms and letters: Request Translation
Request Interpretation (In-Person) Services:
• For an in-person interpreter, read the considerations, then submit: Request Interpreter
• For American Sign Language: Request ASL Interpreter
• For World Languages Interpreter (by phone) use: Language Link
To learn more, including what bilingual staff members should consider when applying to become an in-house interpreter, please visit Translation & Interpreter Services for Staff
