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Personnel Office and Human Resources

Personnel/HR - Frequently Asked Questions


1. How can I apply for a job within the Sachem Central School District?

If you are interested in teacher, teacher assistant or administrative positions within the district you will need to apply on line through OLAS.  You can use the links on the Personnel Web Page to take you to the OLAS site to set up your account.  Please note that the Personnel Office will not accept resumes or cover letters via email, fax or hard copy due to the volume of interest in positions.  Please do not call the office with inquiries about positions; you will be referred to the website.

For all other positions of interest, you will need to download the application for Non-Instructional employees which provided on our “Employment Opportunities” page under Personnel/Human Resources. Please note that many positions within Sachem are competitive Civil Service positions that will require you to participate in testing with Suffolk County Civil Service.  There are very specific hiring requirements and laws established by Civil Service; we cannot hire someone who does not meet the minimum requirements established by Civil Service.  Please click on the link on the Non-Instructional webpage for more information about Civil Service.

We are often looking for substitute food service workers, aides, custodians, nurses and clerical employees.  This is a good way to get "a foot in the door."  Please fill out the application for Non-Instructional employees if you are interested in substitute work.
    
                  
2. I just got married and changed my name.  What do I need to do?
           
Congratulations!  There are several things you will need to do.  You need to contact the New York State Education Department (your TEACH account) to have your certification changed to your married name; this is VERY important because you will come back as "not highly qualified to teach" if you do not take care of this.  You need to contact Social Security and the Department of Motor Vehicles to change these documents.  It will be necessary for you to bring the original social security card, driver's license and certification to the Personnel Office so we can make copies to include in your file. 
    
                  
3. I just received my certification or an additional certification from NYSED.  Is there anything I need to do?
           
Yes!  You need to email Ms. Brett SBrett@sachem.edu in the Personnel Office to inform her of this.   We will then verify this certification in TEACH and update your certification information on file.

Most importantly - you need to check with NYSED to see the requirements to keep your certification valid.  If you do not have valid certification you cannot teach for Sachem; therefore, it is very important for you to keep on top of this.  Please note that it is the individual employee's responsibility to keep certification current and valid and not the responsibility of the district. Most certifications require additional education and professional development (CTLE) to maintain them.  It is the responsibility of the certificate holder to log and report CTLE hours to TEACH. The District utilizes MLP to assist you in logging your CTLE hours for your future reporting. It important that you stay on top of logging your hours and ensure that you submit all hours into MLP during the school year in which they occur. Keep in mind that it often takes NYSED up to 6 months to review certification applications.  There are helpful links on the Personnel Web pages to provide additional information on certification resources.
                  
4.  I received FMLA paperwork.  What do I do?
           
Fill it out and return it immediately.  If you do not fill out the paperwork in a timely fashion you may place your FMLA leave in jeopardy.  While the law currently only stipulates unpaid leave, an employee may be able to use personal, vacation or sick time (if it is their own personal illness during the time of a disability) during a FMLA leave; this decision is at the discretion of the district.  Please note that the district has the right to characterize a leave as FMLA and can require an employee to use this time as such.  Please see the Personnel Web Page on FMLA for more information.
    
                  
5.  How can I find out information about health or dental benefits?
           
Employee benefits are handled by the Payroll and Benefits Department.  Before you call their office, please look at the Personnel Employee Benefit web page; the answers to your questions might be there.  If you are unable to find the answer to your question, please call Payroll directly at (631) 471-1328.
    
                  
6.  I would like to change my current benefits.  How can I do that?
           
There are specific laws and procedures regarding the change of employee benefits.  If you have recently married or experienced the birth/adoption of a child, you will need to notify the Payroll Department immediately.  There is a specific window of time when the new family member can be added to your current plan.  If this occurs over the summer call and stop in; the Payroll Department is open during the summer, but call ahead- summer hours are slightly shorter than during the school year.

If you are an employee and wish to change your current benefits you will most likely have to wait until the "Open Enrollment" period; this usually occurs during the month of November each year.  Every employee will receive notification of the Open Enrollment dates; you must adhere to the dates of open enrollment or your benefits can not be changed.

Any other questions about benefits can be addressed directly to the Payroll Department at (631) 471-1328.
    
                  
7.  I moved or changed my phone number.  Do I need to do something?
           
Yes!  It is necessary for you to fill out a change of address/phone number form.  You can obtain this from the Personnel Office or you can print out the form by clicking on the link below.  Please fill out the form and bring it to the Personnel Office as soon as you move.  (Change of Address Form). It is also necessary for you to contact the Payroll Department to make the necessary changes in your benefits.
    
                 
8.  Currently I do not use direct deposit; how can I start?
           
The easiest way to start direct deposit is to call the Payroll Office and schedule a time for you to stop in to complete the paperwork.  It is best if you bring a blank check with the word "VOID" written on it; this will help with the routing of your money electronically to your account.  On each pay date, you will receive a statement of funds that have been electronically transferred into your account, but you will not receive a paycheck.  Please note that it usually takes about a month for direct deposit to start; be sure you check during the next two pay dates because you may still have been issued a "live" check.  If your direct deposit does not start after a month, please notify the Payroll Office.     

                
9. I am starting to think about retirement.  What should I do?
           
The District is not responsible for giving advice or guidance in this area; this is a personal decision.  If you are considering retirement, please contact TRS or ERS to see what the next steps are for you.  The links for these sites can be found on the Personnel Employee Benefit web page.  Please consider starting this process many months ahead of time to make sure that you receive as much information as possible from TRS or ERS in order to make a timely and informed decision.  In addition, there may be contractual obligations with respect to retirement notification; please check with your collective bargaining unit if you have any questions about contractual obligations.     
                  

10.  I would like to look at my personnel file.  How do I do that?

You would have to contact the Personnel Office and schedule an appointment and complete a form requesting to review your file.  An Appointment will subsequently be scheduled for this review. The files are not able to leave the office and must be viewed with an administrator present.  If you wish to make copies of your file there will be a cost of $0.25 per page; a check must be provided to the Sachem Central School District before the copies can be picked up by the employee.  Files will not be released to anyone other than the employee and the employee will need to have original and valid picture ID (such as a passport or driver's license) at the time the files are picked up.  The employee will be notified when the copies are available and the copying cost.
    
                  
11.  Are there email or internet access restrictions for employees?
           
Yes, please refer to the Board Policy on acceptable use. We have very high expectations and strict guidelines for computer use for all of our employees.    

12. I would like to complete a full time student teacher/internship with Sachem.  How do I do that?           

Student teaching is arranged through the colleges and universities as it attests to a candidate’s active status and collegial program requirements. The colleges and universities must contact the Office of Non- Instructional Personnel and submit their request within District deadlines with the following exceptions:

Requests for full time student teacher/internships for the following subject areas should be directed to:

 

All full time student teachers and interns are considered volunteers and must be fingerprinted and attend the mandatory student teacher orientation before they start their student teaching experience.  All student teachers must add and enhance to the classroom experience for our students or they will be asked to find another placement.
                  
13.  Are all employees fingerprinted and a background check performed?
           
Yes.  There are specific legal requirements for fingerprinting and background checks provided by New York State.  Potential employees are required to use the New York State TEACH fingerprint application and pay a fee to NYSED/to the live fingerprint scan vendor for this service. The fee is not collected or non-refundable even if the potential employee is not offered a position within the district.