It seems like yesterday that I stood before you at Convocation welcoming you back to the new school year. Since that time we have had an incredible first half of the year. I'm grateful for the work you are doing on a daily basis to help students be successful. Thank you for everything you do! Team Fort Osage met for the second time this year on December 5. It was a productive meeting with exceptional feedback provided by the committee. There was discussion about health insurance, the CSD Trust, school calendar and the budget (information provided below on each). The next Team Fort Osage meeting is scheduled for February 6. Health Insurance Cigna will be our provider beginning January 1. If you currently have an HSA, it will be unavailable to employees from January 5 until approximately January 16 while funds are being transferred into your new account. CBIZ recently hired a wellness coordinator that will be at Fort Osage on Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning January 7 to engage our staff in wellness activities. There will be more information in the future regarding the health screenings which will be scheduled for March. A reminder that if you have not yet cashed in your Go365 bucks balance, you will only have until December 31 to do so. After that any points, bucks and rewards will no longer be available to any members. If you have additional questions please refer to the November 25 blog posting below or contact Laura Ford at [email protected]. Cooperating School Districts Trust Over the past few years I have met with representatives from the Cooperating School Districts Retirement Trust (CSD-RT) to learn more about the 403(b) and 457(b) Deferred Compensation plan sanctioned by the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City (CSDGKC). This program has been adopted by many other school districts in the State of Missouri and offers low-cost mutual fund investment options and personalized retirement planning, which meets all compliance standards and provides a streamlined administrative solution. Fort currently has four preferred retirement plan vendors from which staff can choose to have payroll deducted pre-tax. Currently 26% of staff participate in the voluntary program. In order to seek more engagement I have been considering joining the CSD-RT. Below are some advantages and things to consider regarding the CSD-RT. Advantages of CSD-RT
Potential Challenges
After receiving feedback from Team Fort Osage the District is moving forward with exploring the utilization of the CSD-RT as early as July 1, 2020. Additional communication will occur with staff in the coming months. Those who are using one of the preferred vendors will be given specific information regarding their options with their existing accounts. If you have questions please contact Laura Ford at [email protected]. School Calendar Team Fort reviewed several options for the 2021-22 school calendar and provided feedback to create a hybrid option that will be recommended to the Board at their February meeting. Per state statute, the first day of school will be August 23, and this year there will be five preservice days for certificated staff, compared to the usual four. The remainder of the calendar is fairly consistent with prior years, with first semester ending with an early release day on December 22, and staff returning from winter break with a PD day on January 4. Spring break is planned for the week of March 14, and the last scheduled day of school (prior to snow days) is May 25. There are a total of five full PD days and no early release PD days. Once the Board adopts the calendar in February, we will make it available for all staff to view. Budget Update We have already begun the budgeting process for the 2020-2021 school year and will be working on it until its approval in June. A big factor in determining our budget is state funding, which will largely be determined by the legislators who will be in session from January 8 through May 15. Local revenues based on property taxes are gaining much media attention because of increased assessed valuations, but the District expects to see only a modest increase in operating revenues because the Hancock Amendment limits the increase the District can capture. My goal is to provide appropriate staffing, resources and money toward benefits and salaries while maintaining a balanced budget. We are excited to announce that we will have continued use of the Consiglio Wellness Center through December 31, 2020. All Fort Osage School District regularly employed staff, their spouses and dependents, and Fort Osage retirees, their spouses and dependents will have access to the Wellness Center for a fee of $40.00 per person per visit. The Consiglio Wellness Center is a “convenient care” facility located at 1501 NW Jefferson Street in Blue Springs. Medical staff includes physicians and family and pediatric nurse practitioners as well as various wellness providers focused on prevention and urgent care needs. While this is not a substitute for a primary care physician, it will provide a convenient and affordable option for our staff to receive basic and immediate health care. The $40.00 is a fee for service and does not go toward your insurance deductible. A health savings account (HSA) can be utilized to pay the fee for service. Appointments will be taken by phone. Walk-ins are also welcome. Due to federal guidelines, employees and retirees who receive Medicare or Medicaid are not eligible to utilize the Wellness Center. Hours of operation are subject to change but are currently as follows: Monday 7:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00 pm -6:00 pm Tuesday 7:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00 pm -6:00 pm Wednesday 7:00 am -12:00 pm (closed afternoon) Thursday 7:00 am -12:00 pm and 1:00 pm -6:00 pm Friday 7:00 am-12:00 pm (closed afternoon) Saturday 8:00 am -12:00 p Since October Navitas has been working on energy saving measures (converting lights to LED, water and HVAC efficiency measures). The lighting will continue to be changed after school hours and should be completed throughout the District by February. The Elm Grove roof project has begun and Fire Prairie and the high school roof projects will be completed by the end of the year. The roof projects are being paid by the energy savings. What a better time to enjoy a movie than winter time. A $20.00 gift card to AMC will be given away to one lucky winner utilizing the RNG. For those of you interested, please send an email to [email protected] with ‘Movie' in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 am on Monday, January 6. Give Away prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing |
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