Employee Attendance Program Frequently Asked Questions

    1. Who can participate in this program?
      All full-time campus-based classroom teachers who are teaching from the first instructional day of each semester to the last duty day of each semester.
    2. Who is considered a campus-based classroom teacher?
      All teachers who have students assigned to them and who work with students for more than 50% of the day providing classroom instruction and support.
    3. What types of leave do not count as an absence under this program?
      The following types of leave do not count as an absence under this program:
      • Emergency school closure;
      • Jury duty;
      • Bereavement leave;
      • Staff development approved by the principal;
      • School UIL activity;
      • Military leave (15 days or less); and
      • Religious holy day
    4. If an employee started the semester as part-time but changed to full-time during the same semester, is that employee eligible to be in the attendance incentive drawing?
      No, employees must be full-time employees with the district on the first instructional day of the semester.
    5. An employee began the semester as a long term substitute and then was moved into a full-time teaching position during the same semester. Does that employee qualify for the program?
      No, the employee must be a full-time employee for the entire semester.
    6. How will the winners be determined?
      Drawings for the fall semester will be done in Januaryor February  and for the spring semester in August or September. The district’s Finance department will manage the process – generating the list of qualifying employees per campus using the district’s leave tracking system. That list will be provided to campus administration for review and sign off prior to the actual drawing. At a publicized date and time, the Finance team will run the final lists through a random selection software system, which will choose the winners per campus. The drawing process will be streamed live on the district website and/or social media channels. Winners will also immediately be publicized on the district website.

      The full-year incentive drawing will be conducted in August or September of the next school year with only returning teachers – who had no absences the prior school year – eligible to participate in the drawing for five $3,000 awards. In years when a district employee convocation is held, the drawing will be conducted live at convocation. In years when convocation is not held, the drawing will be streamed to campuses and/or professional development events on a day when teachers have returned to work.
    7. Can an employee who splits their time between two campuses participate in the program?
      Yes, employees who split their time between two campuses will participate in the drawing of their “home campus” as identified by the school leadership department.
    8. What happens if an employee begins the year at one campus and then transfers to another campus during the semester?
      The current campus would need to contact the Payroll department to verify the number of days the employee was absent. If the employee was absent two or fewer days total for both campuses, then the employee qualifies for the drawing and the employee would be in the drawing at the current campus. If the employee had more than two absences between the two campuses, the employee would not be eligible for the drawing.
    9. If I use a personal day to attend a conference or convention, will it count as an absence?
      Yes, if the employee chooses to use a personal day in order to attend staff development, it would count as an absence for the attendance incentive. If the principal requests the employee attend or approves the day as staff development, then the absence would be turned in as staff development and exempt from the attendance incentive calculation.
    10. If I am absent four half days, does it count as 2 or 4 absences?
      Four half days would count as two absences (.5 + .5 + .5 + .5 = 2).
    11. If I’m chosen for an award, when will the incentive be paid and will taxes be taken out of the awarded amount?
      Awards will be paid out within one week of the award announcement. The net check will be the full awarded amount after all applicable taxes have been withheld.