***IF YOU ARE A FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE, YOU MUST GO THROUGH THE ENROLLMENT EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT TAKING INSURANCE THROUGH WISD***

To enroll or to see all Whitehouse ISD benefits information, visit the link below:

MyBenefitsHub

For additional information regarding any of the insurance products offered through Whitehouse ISD,
please contact Tilly McLeod, McLeodT@whitehouseisd.org, 903-839-5500, x-6170.

WISD Medical Monthly Premiums

Plan Tiers

Full-time employees are granted four days of local leave and five days of state personal leave per school year. For those hired after the school year begins, the number of days will be adjusted based on their hire date and the remaining contract days. Both local and state personal leave can be used for any reason, provided you receive approval from your principal or supervisor.

For information on requesting Maternity Leave, Extended Sick Leave, Temporary Disability, or days from a Sick Leave Pool, please refer to the information provided below. If you anticipate being absent for more than five consecutive days due to illness, surgery, or temporary disability, please contact the HR Department directly.

Family Medical Leave Information

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides eligible employees with job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons. It allows employees to take unpaid leave without fear of losing their job or health benefits. The FMLA aims to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by allowing them to take reasonable unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons. It also seeks to accommodate legitimate interests of employers and promote equal employment opportunity.

For FMLA purposes, the 12-month period runs from July 1 through June 30. If both spouses work for the District, their combined FMLA leave for the birth, adoption, or placement of a child, or to care for a parent with a serious health condition, is limited to a total of 12 weeks. For military caregiver leave, the combined total is 26 weeks. The District does not permit intermittent or reduced-schedule FMLA leave for the care of a newborn, adopted, or foster child. When requesting FMLA leave, employees must provide certification as required by FMLA regulations. If an employee takes FMLA leave for their own serious health condition, they must provide a fitness-for-duty certification before returning to work, as required by administrative regulations. Finally, if a teacher takes leave near the end of a semester, the District may require them to continue leave until the semester concludes.

• Rights and Responsibilities- English Version (Spanish Version)
• Please contact Tilly McLeod to request the required paperwork

Extended Leave

Once an employee has used all their available paid leave days and any applicable compensatory time, they may be granted a maximum of ten leave days of extended leave within a school year. This leave can be utilized for the employee's personal illness or injury, including pregnancy-related conditions, or for absences related to the illness or injury of a member of the employee's immediate family. Additionally, extended leave is available for absences connected to the birth or placement of a child, provided it is taken within the first year after the child's birth, adoption, or foster placement.

To request extended leave due to an illness or injury, an employee must submit a written request to the HR Department for approval. This request must include a medical certification that specifies the illness or injury for which the leave will be covered. These leave days will only be available for the illness or injury stated in the medical certification. For extended leave due to the birth or placement of a child, a written request must be submitted to the HR Department for approval, including documentation that specifies the date of the child's birth, adoption, or foster placement. It's important to note that an employee will only be granted ten days of extended leave once for absences related to the foster placement or adoption of the same child.

If extended leave is needed on an intermittent basis, the rules for family and medical leave must be followed. For each day of extended leave taken, the daily rate of pay of a long-term substitute will be deducted from the employee's salary, regardless of whether a substitute is actually employed.

Temporary Disability Leave

Any full-time employee whose position requires educator certification by the State Board for Educator Certification or by the District is eligible for Temporary Disability Leave (TDL). TDL offers job protection to full-time educators who are unable to work for an extended period due to a personal mental or physical disability of a temporary nature. It is important to note that TDL does not cover the mental or physical disability of a family member.

TDL must be approved and taken as a continuous block of time; it cannot be taken intermittently or on a reduced schedule. The maximum duration for temporary disability leave is 180 calendar days. Employees are required to use TDL concurrently with all available paid leave, including any compensatory time, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave.

Sick Leave Pool

An employee who has used all their paid leave and any applicable compensatory time, and who is suffering from a catastrophic illness or injury (either personal or affecting an immediate family member), can request the establishment of a sick leave pool. District employees may then donate their local leave to this pool for the eligible employee's use. To be eligible, an employee must be scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week, or be a bus driver who drives both morning and afternoon routes. The sick leave pool will cease to exist when the employee no longer requires leave for the requested purpose, has used the maximum number of days allowed under the pool, or has exhausted all leave days donated to the sick leave pool.

For any inquiries regarding leave and absences, please contact:

Tilly McLeod
Benefits and Leave Specialist
mcleodt@whitehouseisd.org

• The above salary rates are based on 187 work days.
• Advanced Degrees: To receive the pay increase for advanced degrees as specified, the degree must be conferred, and the official transcript received by September 1 of the current school year. Employees whose degrees are conferred during a school year will not be eligible for the pay increase until the next school year.
  • Master’s Degree +$1,000
  • Doctorate Degree +$2,000
• New Employees: New Employees with 20 or more years of experience will enter the district on step 20.
• State Base: Employees will not receive less than the State Base for their years of experience. 

WHITEHOUSE ISD
2024-25 PAYROLL DATES
Cutoff: Last Saturday of Preceding Month

WHITEHOUSE ISD
2025-26 PAYROLL DATES
Cutoff: Last Saturday of Preceding Month

Certification

Become an Educator in Texas 
TEA Education Certification Website or Phone: 512.936.8400

Alternative Certification Program (ACP)- Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher and wish to become an educator in Texas? 
ACPs offer a nontraditional certification route that may allow you to serve as a teacher while completing the requirements. Visit the TEA Alternative Certification page to learn more.

Paraprofessionals in the Classroom

1. Must obtain an educational aide certification (applied for upon employment)
2. Must meet one of the following requirements to be considered Highly Qualified:
   1. Two years of study at an institution of higher education [48 semester hours (or equivalent trimester hours)]; or
   2. Associate’s (or higher) degree; or
   3. Met a rigorous standard of quality through a formal state/local assessment

Certification Links

• Additional Certification by Exam
• Certificate Lookup
• Certification Renewal
• Certified in Another State
• Obtain a Copy of Your Certification

Texas Education Agency (TEA) Educator Certification

Need help fast, enter a TEA Help Desk Ticket
Phone hours: 8:00 am-4:30 pm (CST)
Phone: (512) 936-8400 (Option #2)
Testing questions: (512) 463-9039

2024-25 Employee Handbook

PERSONNEL RECORDS

Please complete the Request for Personnel Records Form to request your records from the Human Resources Department.

Please take note of the following:

• Original records cannot be released until employment has ended.
• Only the employee can pick up their records.
• Records will not be released to friends or family members, even with permission from the employee.
• By state rule, the Human Resources Department must comply with your request 30 days after your request date or 30 days after your last day of employment, whichever is later.

VERIFICATION OF EMPLOYMENT

Email all forms or requests to Pam Cross.

With Skyward Employee Access, which includes True Time, district employees can access their own payroll information online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Employees already have access to True Time, where they can view and submit their weekly timesheets.  Now, employees can also access their check history, check estimator, W-2 information, W-4 information, and their current leave balance.  To log in to Skyward Employee Access, click on the button below.

Log in with your True Time username and password,
and choose Employee Access in the Login Area.

Getting Started with Skyward Employee Access

Skyward Employee Access User’s Guide

How to Virtually Sign Your Employment Contract / Letter of Reasonable Assurance

Skyward Work Calendars (Position Start & End Dates)

The Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program is one of three loan forgiveness programs available to Texas teachers. If you are not eligible for the federal program, please review the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. 

You can also contact your loan servicer for additional information. A loan servicer is a company that handles the billing and other services on your federal student loan.

Your school must be found on the Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory to be eligible for the Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

Click here for loan forgiveness information from the Texas Education Agency (TEA)