Support Services Employees’ Advisory Council Representatives Needed, Petitions Due February 28

The next Support Services Employees’ Advisory Council (SSEAC) election will be held March 26 through 28 to fill the following two-year term representative vacancies:

• Group 2—central office clerical and technical.
  
  
• Group 5—trades, maintenance, and security.
  
  
• Group 6—finance support and supply operations.
  
  
• Group 7—management and administrative.
  
  
• Group 8—educational support.
  
  
• Group 9—school-based clerical.

An HR News petition, issue No. 93, to nominate candidates is available on the SSEAC’s advisory council web site at http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/supt/sseac/index.htm. Interested candidates must submit a petition signed by 20 employees who work in their specific community-of-interest group (e.g., educational support employees should sign for group 8 candidates), and must also submit a statement of no more than 50 words as to why he or she would best serve in their position. Petitions and statements must be returned to Gatehouse Administration Center I, Office of Employee Performance and Development (OEPD), suite 2512, by 4:30 p.m. on February 28.

If you have questions, contact the OEPD office at 571-423-3252.

Call for Entries: FCPS Best of the Web Awards

All schools are invited to enter the 2008 Best of the FCPS Web Awards program. The Best of the FCPS Web Awards program recognizes outstanding web-based communication efforts between schools and the communities they serve. Awards are given annually to the web sites for three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school that best demonstrate the following criteria:

·         Usefulness of content.

·         Clarity of design.

·         Frequency of updates.

·         Ease of navigation.

·         Adherence to FCPS web policies.

Deadline for entries is March 3. For more information, go to http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ocr/curator/contests.htm or contact Nancy Moy at 571-423-1221 or nancy.moy@fcps.edu.

Support Employee of the Year Nominations Due March 7

The deadline for nominating a support employee for the FCPS Support Employee of the Year Award is Friday, March 7. This award recognizes one school-based support employee and one nonschool-based support employee. 

Any FCPS employee, teacher, administrator, student or former student, or parent, or Fairfax County government employee, or citizen may nominate an FCPS support employee for this award. Nominees must be contracted and provide a unique and exceptional contribution to FCPS through their work, demonstrate commitment and leadership in their field, and foster cooperative relationships with colleagues and the community.  

Instructions and nomination forms are available online at www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/awards/index.htm. For more information, contact Shannon Watson at 571-423-3278.

Understanding Your 2007 W-2

2007 Wage and Tax Statements (form W-2) were mailed the week of January 23 to employees at the addresses that were on the payroll system as of December 27, 2007. The following information will help employees interpret the W-2.

The yearly gross earnings figure reported in each employee's last 2007 paycheck does not appear on the W-2. W-2s report taxable wages, not gross earnings. The federal taxable wages figure in box 1 on the W-2 represents annual gross earnings from your December 2007 pay stub or pay advice (pay period 14 for biweekly employees) minus and plus the following:

Minus:

• Retirement Fund Contributions.
  
• Tax-Deferred Account/403(b) Contributions (TDA contributions are also indicated in box 12, letter E).
  
• Section 457 Plan Contributions (Section 457 Plan contributions are also indicated in box 12 letter G).
  
• FlexFund Contributions (dependent and health care) ** (Dependent care contributions are also indicated in box 10).
  
• Health Insurance Premiums.**
  
• Dental Insurance Premiums.**

Plus:

• The taxable portion of employee-paid life insurance coverage in excess of $50,000. (This amount, if any, is included in taxable wages in boxes 1, 3, 5, and 16 and appears as item C in box 12.)

** These items are also excluded from the Social Security and Medicare wages reported in boxes 3 and 5.

Employees who have had taxes withheld for more than one jurisdiction (e.g., Virginia and Maryland) will receive multiple W-2s (one for each jurisdiction).

Reissues

If you have not yet received your 2007 W-2, you may obtain a W-2 Reissue Request form (FS73-66) from your work location or on the web at http://www.fcps.edu/fs/payroll/forms/index.htm. A reissue will be mailed or available for pickup approximately five working days after the request is received by the Office of Payroll Management (OPM). Requests may be faxed to OPM at 571-423-3527 or sent through the pony. Reissues will be processed beginning February 8 on a first-come, first-served basis.

Social Security Tax Rates and Wage Bases for 2008

2008 withholding for Social Security-OASDI (old age, survivors, and disability insurance) and Social Security-Medicare (hospital insurance) will continue at the current rates of 6.2 percent and 1.45 percent respectively. The OASDI wage base has been increased to $102,000. There is no wage base for Social Security-Medicare.

ACCESS Course Catalog for Support Employees Available Online, Registration Now Open

The spring ACCESS (Academy Course Catalog for Employees in Support Services) is available online by going to http://www.fcps.edu/plt/catalogs.htm. Course topics include ACIS, document management, EDSL, library media, SASI, technology, and time and attendance. Registration for classes remains open throughout the semester. All courses in the catalog are offered at no cost to all contracted employees. All employees must register through MyPLT.