WCBOE offers its eligible employees a wide array of benefits.

Credit Union This is a voluntary savings and loan organization made up of employees of the Board of Education and their families. Savings deposits are made through payroll deduction. Up to 10% of ones annual salary can be borrowed using ones signature as collateral at an interest rate lower than charged elsewhere. Both the savings and loan programs carry a life insurance benefit at no extra cost. 

Direct Deposit All employees may elect to have their paychecks deposited directly into their checking or savings account at any participating bank.

Extra Duty Pay The Board provides compensation for certificated personnel who are assigned to designated extra-duty assignments such as athletics, band, band front, cheerleading, chorus, class advisors, dramatics, newspaper, and yearbook.

Flexible Spending Accounts Flexible Spending Accounts allow employees to pay for dependent care (day care) and most non-covered medical expenses (doctors office co-pays, prescription co-pays and over-the-counter drugs, etc.) with pre-tax income. Because this benefit uses pre-tax dollars, you can potentially save up to thirty dollars for every $100 you elect to defer. 

Insurance Benefits 

Accident - Accident Insurance offered through Prudential is designed to help you meet your out-of-pocket expenses and extra bills that can follow an accidental injury. This coverage also includes a $100 Wellness Benefit reimbursement. Lump sum benefits are paid directly to you. You can also cover your spouse and children. Benefits are paid regardless of any other coverage you have in place, including health coverage.

Critical Illness  -  Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance offered through Prudential Life Insurance Company can help relieve the financial impact of a sudden, life threatening event by helping pay the direct and indirect costs of the illness. The policy provides a lump sum cash benefit upon the first diagnosis of a covered critical illness such as a stroke, cancer, burn, coronary bypass surgery, etc. You can purchase coverage for you, your spouse and your children.

Dependent Life -  Employees have the option of purchasing life insurance for their spouse and/or dependent children. This covers your spouse and all your eligible children. The benefit amounts are: Spouse benefit amount: $25.000 Dependent benefit amount of  $10,000 for your child from live birth to age 25 or your disabled child.

Health - Health insurance coverage is offered in the form of a Preferred Provider Option (PPO) or Exclusive Provider Option(EPO) including prescription plan, vision and dental. Coverage is available to classified employees working more than 25 hours per week and all certificated personnel working 17.5 hours or more per week.Coverage is also available for those who desire to insure their eligible dependents. The Board pays 90% of the premium for an individual. The Board provides a 73% contribution for dependent costs, exclusive of the cost of individual coverage. Coverage options include: individual,employee & spouse, employee & 1 child, and family. Enrollment must be completed within 30 days of employment.

Identity Theft Protection - LifeLock with Norton Benefit Plans helps provide employees with comprehensive all-in-one protection for your identity, personal information and connected devices.  LifeLock helps monitor your personal accounts and sends you alerts if they detect potential threats to your identity.  If you should become a victim of identity theft, they will work to resolve it.

Liability  - The Board carries liability insurance on all employees for suits involving discrimination, libel, slander, and defamation of character.

Life - The Board pays the premium cost of term life insurance coverage with a maximum face value equal to 1 1/2 times the employees' annual salary up to a limit of $150,000. Such coverage also includes double indemnity for accidental death or dismemberment and a living benefit for persons diagnosed with a terminal illness and less than 12 months to live.

Long Term Disability - We offer our employees the opportunity to apply for Voluntary Long Term Disability insurance from the Standard Insurance Company. Long Term Disability (LTD) pays a benefit in the event that you cannot work because of illness or injury. Cost is based on employee's age, income level and choice of elimination period. The LTD benefit replaces a portion of your monthly income, providing funds directly to you. The insurance is offered at a 60% income replacement level of the insureds pre-disability earnings reduced by deductible income from other sources. The elimination or waiting period before the benefit begins is either 90 or 180 days.

Life Insurance with Accelerated Death Benefits for Chronic Conditions This life insurance policy builds cash value at a guaranteed 3% interest rate. Your premiums will never increase due to your age. Coverage is available for you, your spouse, your eligible dependent children and your dependent grandchildren. 
 
Short Term Disability (STD) - STD insurance is offered through The Standard Life Insurance Company and is designed to help protect your income if you ever get sick or hurt and can't work. STD insurance replaces 60% of your salary if you get sick or hurt and cannot work.

Voluntary Supplemental Term Life Insurance - Employees may elect to purchase supplemental term life insurance in increments of $10,000 up to a maximum amount of $200,000.

Workers Compensation - All employees are covered by Workers Compensation for accidents which occur in the normal pursuit of their duties. 

Leave Benefits 

Annual Leave For all eligible 12-month employees, annual leave (vacation) is accrued on a monthly basis from July 1 through June 30 of each fiscal year. Annual leave is earned according to the table below. Additional provisions are listed in the employee handbooks.

Personal/Business Leave Classified employees working more than 25 hours per week and all certificated personnel are allotted four (4) personal days to be used to take care of matters which cannot be handled outside of regular duty hours. Unused personal days convert to sick leave at the beginning of the following fiscal year.

Sick Leave A sick leave allowance of one (1) day per month, equivalent to the number of months to be worked in that fiscal year, will be credited to all employees at the beginning of each fiscal year. Up to ten (10) days of said allowance may be used per year for illnesses of the employee's immediate family, or anyone who lives regularly in the employee's household.

Sick Leave Bank Classified employees working more than 25 hours per week and all certificated personnel are eligible to apply for membership in a sick bank. Contributors will be permitted to apply for leave from the bank to cover regularly scheduled duty days for periods of incapacitating personal illness, injury, or quarantine.

Other Specific allowances are also provided for bereavement, extended medical, educational, jury duty, parental, and military leave.

Marathon Health Center As part of our investment in the health and well-being of our employees and their families, we are excited to partner with Marathon Health, one of the industry’s leading providers of employer-sponsored healthcare, on a new Marathon Health Center that is now open for benefited employees of Wicomico County Public Schools and their dependents age 3 and up, as well as benefited retirees up to age 65.

*Mentoring Programs Wicomico County has two mentoring programs for teachers. In identified schools there are full-time mentors who work exclusively with new teachers in perfecting classroom management, instructional practices and differentiated instructional strategies. All other new teachers are provided with an individual peer mentor who assists with their needs and concerns throughout the school year. All new teachers participate in our new teacher induction program from August - April of each school year.

Payroll Deduction Deductions can be arranged for credit union, health insurance, etc.

Retirement As a condition of employment, any eligible employee must become a member of either the State of Maryland Pension System or the Aetna Pension Plan. Eligibility for the State systems will be governed by the rules and regulations established by the Board of Trustees of the Maryland State Retirement Systems. All newly employed certificated personnel must join the Maryland Pension System.  Benefits include a death benefit which provides payment of 100% of annual salary to one designated beneficiary, plus disability and service retirement. The death benefit and disability retirement is applicable to both the Aetna and the Maryland Pension System.

*Tenure Tenure is achieved after three years and satisfactory evaluations.

24-Pay Plan Ten-month employees may elect to have their salary paid during the school year (20 pays) or spread over the entire year (24 pays).

403(b)  The WCPS 403(b) is a voluntary retirement plan for WCPS employees offered through Lincoln Financial Group.  The 403(b) plan allows you to make payroll deducted pre-tax or Roth contributions to your plan retirement account. The plan offers 16 mutual funds and 1 stable value fund in addition to asset allocation models.  Personalized assistance and investment education is available through our designated Lincoln Retirement Consultants.    Schedule an appointment using the online scheduler at www.lfg.com/WICOMICOschedule.

457(b)  The WCPS 457(b) is a second voluntary retirement plan for WCPS employees offered through Lincoln Financial Group.  The 457(b) plan also allows you to make payroll deducted pre-tax contributions to your plan retirement account. The plan offers 16 mutual funds and 1 stable value fund in addition to asset allocation models.  Participants may contribute to either or both the WCPS 403(b) and 457(b) plans. Personalized assistance and investment education is available through our designated Lincoln Retirement Consultants.  Schedule an appointment using the online scheduler at www.lfg.com/WICOMICOschedule.

Tuition Reimbursement Job related course work may be reimbursed (or tuition waived for adult education courses/workshops) if approved in writing by the Director of Human Resources prior to registration for the course. The Board reimburses teachers for the costs of tuition, normal registration fees and laboratory fees for all courses required for certification and approved by the Board in advance, up to a maximum of $3,000 per fiscal year.

The Board reimburses all Classified employees two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per fiscal year for the costs of tests or tuition of courses or training required to maintain certification/licensure necessary for the position the employee holds. Reimbursement for courses related to another position in the system may be approved based upon the needs of the system. Human Resources must approve all course work and tests prior to registration.

*This benefit applies to certificated employees