Brevard Public Schools

Source: AARP.org | August 30, 2006

Winning years:  2007, 2006, 2005
Industry:  Education - Pre Secondary
Location:  Viera, FL
URL:  www.brevard.k12.fl.us

Highlights of 2007 Winning Strategies

Brevard has implemented special accommodations for employees needing assistance, including telephones with amplified audio equipment, facilities modified for improved handicapped access, custom-ordered furniture for handicapped employees, and large screen/print computer monitors to assist sight-impaired employees. An annual Wellness Conference features health screenings, biometric assessments, and presentations to increase health awareness and is held as an in-service day to encourage participation.

Additional Policies and Practices:

• Recruiting: Brevard Public Schools utilizes the Retirement Office's records on retired school principals to help recruit new teachers and alternative certification program candidates. The school also sends job advertisements to retired educator organizations.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: Brevard offers these learning and development programs to its full- and part-time employees (working 20+ hrs/wk): in-house classroom training, on-line training, and certification classes. Tuition reimbursement is offered exclusively to full-time employees. In the past 12 months, 100% of Brevard employees participated in at least one of the training opportunities offered with an average of 6.5 hours spent in training. The Brevard County School Board has implemented an employee orientation program, which offers a vital wellness program benefit to employees and extensive mentoring to minorities who want to move into leadership positions. The school system encourages cross-training, and employees work on cross-functional teams to solve problems.
• Benefits/Health: Full- and part-time employees (working 26+ hrs/week) receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, individual and family vision and dental insurance, individual and family long-term care insurance, and short- and long-term disability. Health benefits for retirees pre-65 and 65+ include individual and spouse medical and drug coverage, vision and dental insurance, long-term care insurance, EAP services, and life insurance or other death benefit coverage. New hires are eligible for all the above benefits upon retirement. Brevard offers an FSA to assist employees with their out-of-pocket health care costs.
• Benefits/Financial: Brevard Public Schools offers the following retirement plans to full- and part-time employees: a defined benefit plan, a 403(b) plan, and a money-purchased defined contribution plan. The school system also provides financial planning information from staff members administering the 403(b) plan and external experts not affiliated with the plan. Employees are allowed short-term time off without pay as well as long-term leave of absences without pay for caregiving. The following wellness programs are offered to full- and part-time employees: flu shots, health screenings, health risk appraisals, smoking cessation programs, health club discounts, physical activity/exercise programs, weight loss programs, and stress management training. Seventy percent of Brevard's employees have utilized at least one of the above wellness benefits in the past 12 months. Brevard offers full- and part-time employees referral services to assist with childcare and eldercare. They also offer an annual district-wide symposium to employees to help the "Sandwich Generation." Representatives from all agencies within the county are on-site to distribute information, identify resources, and meet with those seeking help.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: The school system offers these alternative work arrangements to full- and part-time employees: flex-time, job sharing, telecommuting, and a formal phased retirement program. Eligible employees may also participate in the Florida Retirement DROP program, which allows their normal retirement distribution to be deposited in an interest-bearing savings account. When they retire, the funds are then paid in a lump sum. Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis.
• Opportunities for Retirees: Brevard currently has 3,869 retirees and has an individual with direct responsibility for retiree relations. Brevard stays connected with its retirees by inviting them to organization events/celebrations, providing them with ongoing access to retirement planning workshops/information, and formally acknowledging them when they retire. Retirees are offered temporary work assignments, consulting/contract work, and full- and part-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Forty-one percent of Brevard employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 13 years.

Winning Strategies 2006

Brevard Public Schools ‘Life-Hub’ program offers a confidential, no cost service to employees and their families to address child care, grandchild care and elder care concerns via the internet.  The school system holds an annual Wellness Conference featuring health screenings, biometric assessments, and presentations to increase awareness about good health and disease prevention.  Forty percent of the school system’s employees are age 50+.
 
Other Benefits:

• Recruiting: Brevard Public Schools uses retired school principals as recruiters to help hire new teachers at school fairs.   The school system also uses retired educator organizations in its recruitment efforts.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: The school system offers the following learning and development programs to its employees: tuition reimbursement (1% used in past 12 months), in-house classroom training (100% used in past 12 months), on-line training (10% used in past 12 months), and certification classes (10% used in past 12 months).   Full-time employees are eligible for the tuition reimbursement program while part-time employees must work 20 hrs/week to be eligible for the on-line training program and certification classes.   Long-service anniversaries are celebrated with announcements, parties, and awards.   Cross training is encouraged throughout the district.
• Benefits/Health: Employees working at least 26 hours per week receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, individual and family vision and dental insurance, individual and family long-term care insurance, as well as short and long term disability.   49% of employees are enrolled in the individual medical and individual drug coverage plan as well as the employee and family prescription drug plan.   30% of employees are enrolled in the employee and family medical plan.   100% of employees are enrolled in the individual vision insurance plan, 28% in the employee and family vision insurance plan, 34% in the individual dental plan, 31% in the employee and family dental plan, 66% in the short-term disability plan and 65% in the long-term disability plan.   Health benefits for retirees pre-65 and 65+ include individual as well as spouse medical and drug coverage, vision, dental and long-term care insurance, as well as individual and spouse life insurance or other death benefit coverage. New hires are eligible for all of the above retiree benefits upon retirement.   The school system offers a health flexible spending account.
• Benefits/Financial: The school system offers a defined benefit, 403(b), and money-purchase defined contribution retirement savings plan to its full and part-time employees.  The school system offers referral services to assist with child care and elder care.  3% of employees have used the child care referral services in the while 5% of employees have used the elder care referral services in the past 12 months.  The following wellness programs are offered to full and part-time employees: flu shots, health screenings, health risk appraisals, smoking cessation programs, health club discounts, exercise programs, weight loss programs, and stress management training programs.  In the past 12 months, 64% of the school system’s employees have used at least one of the above wellness benefits.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: The school system offers the following alternative work arrangements to its full and part-time employees: flex time, job sharing, and telecommuting. Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis.   Although the school system does not have a formal phased retirement program, employees are able to work flexible schedules.   The school system offers paid time off that is specifically designated for care giving.
• Opportunities for Retirees: The school system currently has 2000 retirees. There is an individual who has a direct responsibility for retiree relations.   The school system stays connected with its retirees by inviting retirees to organization events/celebrations, providing retirees with ongoing access to retirement planning workshops, and formally acknowledging retirees on the occasion of their retirement.   Retirees are offered the following work arrangements:   temporary work assignments (266 retirees used in past 12 months), and consulting/contract work (37 retirees used in past 12 months).
• Age of Workforce: Forty percent of the school system ’ s employees are 50+.   Twenty-three percent of the school system ’ s past twelve month new hires are 50+.   The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 23 years.