Benefits

PEEHIP offers insurance administered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Board employees. The family coverage cost (no spouse added) is $1007 per month, of which the state pays $800 per month, which leaves a cost of $207 per month for the employee. The family coverage cost (spouse added) is $1107 per month, of which the state pays $800 per month, which leaves a cost of $307 per month for the employee. The single coverage cost is $830 per month, of which the state pays $800, which leaves a cost of $30 per month for the employee.PEEHIP provides major medical coverage, inpatient and outpatient hospital coverage, prepaid prescription drug coverage, and supplemental accidental coverage. Visit the website for more details. Costs subject to change.

Click this link to register for your member login: https://www.rsa-al.gov/peehip/

All who are permanently employed with Alabama School Systems will be enrolled into the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA); more specifically the Teacher Retirement System (TRS). This means certified and classified employees (e.g. bus drivers, instructional aids, custodians support staff, teachers, principals, etc.). View the RSA's website to learn about your options: https://www.rsa-al.gov/trs/

Eligible employees are automatically enrolled in term life insurance through the Alabama Retirement System. A $15,000.00 term life benefit is available to the beneficiary of a deceased member in active status. Costs subject to change.

What is an EAP: An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and
confidential counseling behavioral health services to employees. The Pastoral Institute provides 3 CONFIDENTIAL
in-person therapy sessions for employees/dependents. Please bring your staff badge to your appointment for
verification purposes.
Types of issues are normally addressed through the pastoral institute: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Grief
& Loss, Family issues, Trauma, Children, Testing, and more.
What are the costs: EAP visits are at no cost to the employee.
Are in-person meetings the only option for
counseling: No. We provide in-person visits as well as telehealth (telephone or video).
Are my meetings confidential? Yes. Your employer will never know that you have utilized your visits as we create
a client number for you that will not reveal your identity.
How can I contact EAP if I need services after hours and/or on weekends and holidays? Our on-call answering service is available 24 hours. Phone 706-649-6500 or call toll free at 800-649-6446. If it is an emergency, please call 911.

1. Persons Eligible for Paid Sick Leave – All regular full-time employees are eligible for paid sick leave.
2. Earning and Accumulation of Paid Sick Leave – All eligible employees earn sick leave days at the rate provided for in state law.  Eligible employees may accumulate sick leave as provided by state law.
3. Use of Sick Leave – Eligible employees may only use paid sick leave for absences caused by the following:
    
   1. Personal illness;
   2. Incapacitating personal injury;
   3. Attendance upon an ill member of the employee’s immediate family, defined as a spouse, parent, child, sibling or any person with a close personal tie;
   4. Death of a family member, including a spouse, parent, child, sibling, mother or father-in-law, son or daughter-in-law, brother or sister-in-law, nephew or niece, grandparent, grandchild, aunt or uncle;
   5. Death or care of an individual with whom unusually strong personal ties exist because of a relationship other than those listed above.​​​​​​

Accumulated sick leave may not be used by an employee to stop regularly reporting to work prior to the employee’s official retirement date unless the absence in question is caused by one of the reasons listed above.

d. Certification – Employees must certify that sick leave was used for one of the reasons provided in state law and specify the reason.  If the employee’s principal or department head has probable cause to believe that an employee has abused or misused sick leave, a physician’s statement verifying the existence and nature of the illness or medical condition may be required by the school system.  Abuse of sick leave may subject the employee to disciplinary action.

​​​​[Reference:  ALA. CODE §16-1-18.1 (1975); Ala. Atty. Gen. Opin. 2014-020]

5.10.5 Personal Leave 

Each full-time employee shall be entitled to five (5) days of non-cumulative personal leave annually. The first two (2) days used are state-funded and may be taken at no cost to the employee.  The last three days are considered local days and the employee shall have the daily cost of a substitute withheld from his/her next monthly payroll check for each day taken. The total number of personal leave days is earned over the terms of the full contract period.  Therefore, certified employees who use all five (5) personal leave days and fail to complete their full contract period may be required to reimburse the school system for such days on a daily rate of pay basis prior to leaving the school system.

Employees are encouraged to notify their principal and/or supervisor as far in advance as possible prior to taking personal leave.  Personal leave must be requested in accordance with such procedures as may be established by the Superintendent or the Board. Employees may not use personal leave days in increments of less than one-half (1/2) days.

Personal leave may not be taken during the first or last two weeks of school, or immediately before or after a holiday, or other times deemed critical by the Superintendent, unless approved by the employee’s immediate supervisor.

Personal leave days are non-cumulative and may not be carried forward to the next school year.  Upon written request, teachers may be compensated for unused personal leave at the end of the scholastic year at the same daily rate of pay used for substitute teachers.  All other unused personal leave converts to sick leave days at the end of the scholastic year.

[Reference:  ALA. CODE §16-8-26 (1975)]

5.10.6 Vacation 

1. Vacation Benefits – Twelve-month full-time employees are eligible for paid vacation as follows:
   1. Beginning the first (1) year of employment, an employee earns ten (10) days of vacation leave per year.  This leave is earned at the rate of .833 days per month.
   2. After the completion of the tenth (10) year of employment, an employee earns fifteen (15) days of vacation leave per year.  This leave is earned at the rate of 1.249 days per month.
   3. After the completion of the fifteenth (15) year of employment, an employee earns twenty (20) days of vacation leave per year.  This leave is earned at the rate of 1.665 per month.
   4. Only consecutive service with the Board will be considered in establishing length of service for purposes of determining vacation benefits.
       
2. Accrual and Accumulation of Vacation Time – Vacation leave will be earned starting July 1st through June 30th each year. Vacation leave can be accrued up to twenty-five (25) days, but no employee may accrue more than twenty-five (25) days of vacation.  After twenty-five (25) days of vacation is accrued, any additional earned vacation leave will be forfeited without compensation. Vacation days may not be bought, sold, or donated. Accumulated vacation time will be forfeited if not used prior to the effective date of resignation or retirement.  No payment will be made for any vacation leave that is unused as of the employee’s resignation, termination or death.
    
3. Scheduling – Vacations must be scheduled with the knowledge and approval of the employee’s department head and Superintendent.