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 November 20, 2023
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Paid Leave premium rates are changing starting Jan 1, 2024. Premiums, collected from employees and employers through quarterly reporting, fund the Paid Leave program.
By law, we recalculate the Paid Leave premium rate annually in early October. We adjust the premium rate based on premiums contributed and benefits paid during the previous year.
Starting Jan. 1, 2024, the total premium rate will decrease to 0.74%. Employers will pay 28.57% of the total premium and employees will pay 71.43%.
While they are often overlooked during day-to-day use, intercoms within elevators provide a way for riders to communicate externally upon power outages, sudden stops, or other events that are emergency in nature. To further improve the safety of our building, the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) is working to install intercoms in our elevators. Thank you to OSPI's Facilities and the DES teams for their continued work supporting our team members!
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The Legislature provided their authority for a one-time bonus for employees who have a current COVID-19 booster. Employees who provide verification of receiving the current booster before December 31, 2023 will receive a one-time, non-permanent bonus of $1,000. Please note that this is a one-time incentive – employees who receive this incentive under one WA State employer will not receive another incentive if they switch employers.
Current Up-to-Date Boosters
Booster Verification Office Hours
Virtual Office Hours
- Thursday's 8-9am
- There will be at least two HR consultants in each session. They will verify boosters for any employee that joins the session using breakout rooms to maintain privacy.
In-Person Office Hours
- In-person drop-in verification will take place in the HR office (room 242) any day of the week.
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Grazing Day is Wednesday, December 13! Grazing Day is an annual event hosted by the 4th floor staff. Visit the 4th floor and enjoy food, desserts, and drinks and graze throughout the day! |
If you receive an email from ospiwa@govqa.us, please do not reply to that email. The email is auto-generated and is sent from an unmonitored email account. When responding to a subrequest, please send an email to ospiprr@k12.wa.us or create a note in your subrequest in GovQA.
If you have any questions about how to access GovQA, please reach out to Roslyn Covais or Scott Conger.
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Upcoming
OSPI Professional Learning Day
November 28
Morning Session: 8:30am-12pm
Afternoon Session:
1-4:30pm
Registration required to attend
ESD 113 | 6005 Tyee Dr. SW, Tumwater, WA 98512 | Pacific/Grays-Harbor/Thurston Rooms
OSPI Travel Policy Training Opportunities
November 30, 2-3 pm
December 5, 11 am-noon
December 7, 2:15-3:15 pm
All three trainings will provide the same information.
Email Carrie Hert to receive the calendar invite.
Legislative Report Training
December 4, 3–4:40 pm, online (Zoom link here)
December 11, 3:30–5 pm, online (Zoom link here)
Other Training Resources
Did you know? The HR team keeps a running list on the intranet of upcoming training opportunities in areas including communication, customer service, facilitation, leadership, and more! Be sure to bookmark the Upcoming Training Opportunities page.
Have a shout out to share? Email it to the Comm Team!
Nov. 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance,
United States and Canada
Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Day, United States
American Indian Heritage Month
Do you feel any observance was missed? Email Human Resources and let us know.
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Congratulations to Melinda Dyer, OSPI Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistant Director, for receiving the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth’s (NAEHCY) McKinney-Vento State Coordinator of the Year award.
Melinda built the Washington state program from the ground up, helping our state’s 295 school districts establish and operate programs that support our students and their families experiencing homelessness. Due to her leadership, Washington has one of the most student-focused McKinney-Vento programs in the nation with an emphasis on achieving educational stability.
Whether setting statewide policy, administering funding, engaging in dispute resolution, or training local practitioners, she always keeps the rights and needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness at the center of her planning, decision-making, and practice. Everyone who encounters Melinda can count on her unwavering commitment to the best interests of the student.
Melinda’s commitment to the community goes far beyond her work hours. For many years, she served on NAEHCY’s board, coordinating awards as an At-Large Member for over a decade and later serving as Board Secretary.
Melinda serves as an inspiration to her colleagues and community!
View the video the OSPI Communications team created to highlight Melinda's amazing efforts.
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The Toys for Tots drive has begun!
If you would like to donate to the drive, you can drop off unopened and unwrapped gifts to the collection bins by the front desk. The drive will end on December 15.
Toys for Tots is a national mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to collect gifts prior to the holidays and distribute those items as holiday gifts to less fortunate children in the community.
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Purchasing: Joel will be out of office the week of November 20. Marion will be in office and will back up purchasing as needed. Please continue to email/submit Purchase Requests to purchasing@k12.wa.us. The entire Procurement Team (Kyla, Joel, and Marion) has access to this inbox, so this will ensure you get a response even if a member of the team is out.
Contracts: Kyla will be out November 21-24.
Open enrollment is November 1 through 30, 2023.
- Enrollments, changes, and premiums are effective January 1, 2024.
- Forms to make changes to PEBB My Account and will be available November 1.
Visit the Health Care Authority PEBB website for more information.
During open enrollment, you can learn more about your health plan and other insurance options by attending a benefits fair.
Visit the list of benefit fairs available on the Health Care Authority website.
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Celebrate our staff and share a meal!
Join us for Winter Recognition event on Tuesday, December 12 from 10 am–1 pm in the Second Floor Hallway. The lunch buffet will be located in the First Floor Hallway after the meeting.
RSVP required by Thursday, November 30.
RSVP here and complete the survey.
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Check out what our Comms team has been working on this week!
OSPI's Student Stories Program - Blog Post
Student Stories: The College Application Chronicles
The latest piece from OSPI’s Student Stories Program comes from Megan Jewell, who writes about her experience applying to college. The Student Stories Program, newly launched this year, invites high school students from across Washington to write four stories for publication by OSPI. Jewell is a high school senior in the Burlington-Edison School District.
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OSPI Listens
On November 9, OSPI hosted a panel discussion titled OSPI Listens, which presented an opportunity for OSPI staff to hear directly from employers from various industries about the various skills they are seeking from Washington's graduates.
As our Learning Standards Review Project team dives into their work clarifying, narrowing, and modernizing the learning standards as needed, the valuable insight gained in these discussions will help align the abilities of graduating students with the needs of their future employers.
View panel 1 here, featuring Melissa Ambrose, Talent Acquisition Leader from McKinstry, Essentia Rivera, Senior Manager from Boeing Commercial Aircraft Workforce Development, Greg Bianchi, Director of Digital Inclusion for Microsoft Philanthropies, Alison Fitch, Director of Strategy & Operations for Bristol Myers Squibb, and Jacqueline Olliges, Head of Education Partnerships from Amazon in the Community.
View panel 2 here, featuring Lisa Perry, Community Relations Manager at Sierra Pacific Industries, Jeff Tobin, Director of Operations at Precision Electric Group, Brier Dudley, Editor of The Seattle Times Save the Free Press Initiative, Kimberly Maki, Recruitment and Retention Officer with the Washington State Patrol, Edna Zeller, Manager of Clinical Education at Providence St. Peter Hospital, and Michael Maverick, Procurement and Capital Projects Manager for Intercity Transit.
Special thanks to Becky Wallace and Susie Anderson, who spearheaded the event, Jon Mishra, Deb Came, and Debbie Guthier, who provided support throughout the event, and Zac Murphy and Stephanie Rexus, who worked behind the scenes to record the event.
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November is National Family Caregivers Month: it may surprise many to know that 73% of the workforce have some caregiving responsibility, with 23% of caregivers reporting that caregiving has made their own health worse. This month we offer the following resources to support caregivers at home and at work:
In November, the EAP Work/Life site is also offering tools and resources in recognition of National Family Caregivers Month, to support caregivers to take better care of themselves. This month’s on-demand seminar, “Caring for the Caregiver”, explores the challenges of coping with caregiver stress while supporting loved ones and is available beginning Tuesday, November 21st through the Work/Life site: just login with your Organization Code, OSPI.
And if you’re struggling, or looking for some support or useful resources, our EAP is here for you: don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 1-877-313-4455 or online.
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Recent events across the globe and in the U.S. have weighed heavily on many of us, and you may be looking for support. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, confidential program available to you as a state employee that intends to support your wellness and well-being. Please reach out to the EAP if you would like assistance in getting connected to support. The EAP has also compiled a list of resources and suggestions to consider to support your well-being over the coming days and weeks.
As a reminder, employees may also use sick leave if they need to step away in order to care for their well-being, including spending time with their support community, faith community, and/or loved ones.
There will be no contracts approval meetings the week of November 20 and December 27. Please plan accordingly!
Newsletter Submissions
Do you have any news, events, announcements, or facts to share in the employee newsletter? Email the Comm Team!
Pet of the Week
Do you have a pet who deserves the spotlight on the internal TVs? Contact the Comm Team with a picture of your animal, along with fun facts, good stories, or other details!
Agency Intranet Calendar
Share what's happening in your department, division, or office! Everyone is able to add items to the agency calendar. See here for more information.
SEL Smartsheet
Please share your SEL-related work with us! SEL-related Initiative Submission Form. Request access to see what your colleagues are working on: SEL WORK-OSPI WIDE - Smartsheet.com. If you have questions, reach out to Debra Parker.
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ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
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