Hempstead UFSD

2024-2025

Office of Human Resources

Spring Edition - March 2025

Greetings

All Staff,

As we welcome the arrival of spring, we embrace the season of renewal, growth, and fresh opportunities. The longer days and warmer weather bring a sense of energy and optimism as we continue working together to support you through the Office of Human Resources.

In this spring edition, we want to highlight an important reminder for all professional employees: the deadline to complete the New York State required Mandated Reporter Training is April 1, 2025. This training is essential to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, and we urge all staff to fulfill this requirement before the deadline.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our school community. If you need any assistance or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Office of Human Resources at 516-434-4021.

Wishing you a wonderful start to the spring season.

Sincerely,

Rodney Gilmore, Ed. D.

Associate Superintendent for Human Resources

In This Issue:

Mandated Reporter Training
Online Masters Certification Program
New York State Increases Minimum Wage
The Hard Truths What You Should Know as a Retiring Teacher
New York State Legal Updates
Health Insurance Rates
Talkspace Go
District Mandatory Trainings
Calling All Former Hempstead Graduates
Frontline: Absence Management (AESOP)
Re-Registration and Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) Requirements
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
HPS Employment Opportunities
HR Contact Information

Hempstead Public Schools: New Hires Profiles 2024-2025

Mandated Reporter Training

The NYS Department of Education (per NYS Social Services Law 413) now requires updated training to assist in recognizing signs of child abuse or maltreatment. Accordingly, all mandated reporters, including those who have previously undergone training, must complete updated training by April 1, 2025.

Updated training related to child abuse and maltreatment is required for the following certificate areas regardless of the certificate or license type (e.g., Initial/Professional, Reissuance/Renewal, Permanent/Professional, Transitional):

Classroom Teachers
CTE Teachers
School Building Leaders
School District Leaders
School Counselors
School Social Workers
School District Business Leaders
School Psychologists
School Nurses
School Administration and Supervision
Coaches
Adult Education Instructors

Training is free, online, self-directed and can be completed through the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. They are offering the 9-module (2 hour) training through the Human Services Learning Center (HSLC) website at (https://www.hslcnys.org/hslc/). It is not required that the entire training is completed at the same time. Therefore, you can pace yourself and resume as you see fit prior to the April 1, 2025, deadline.

Documentation in the form of an authorized Certificate of Completion will be emailed to you by the training provider and must be submitted to the Office of Teaching Initiatives. When the training is completed, an -email will be sent to the e-mail address used to register for the training. That email includes instructions for sending your certificate of completion to the New York State Education Department. Make sure to click the link for NYSED submission and enter the information requested. This information must be exactly as it appears in your TEACH account.

Please call the Office of Human Resources at 516-434-4021 with any questions.

Online Master's Certification Program

Molloy College is offering several online master’s and certification programs. Those who are interested are invited to attend an upcoming information session to learn more about the programs. Please visit their information meeting page for additional meetings.

Upcoming Online Information Sessions

March 18th at 12pm EST
March 20th at 5pm EST

Online Programs Offered for Summer and Fall 2025:

MS Students with Disabilities All Grades (initial/professional certification) for certified teachers
MS Teacher of Educational Technology PK-12 with professional certification
MS TESOL PK-12 (initial or professional certification)
School Building Leader (SBL)
Post master’s certification School District Leader (SDL)
Post master’s certification SWD All Grades
Post master’s certification Computer Science Education Certification T
ESOL PK-12 Post master’s certification

Cohorts are limited to 20 students, and seats are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call (516) 687-8900 or email jconiglio@graduateprogram.org.

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New York State Increases Minimum Wage

Each year, from 2024 through 2026, the minimum hourly wage rate in New York State increased as follows for New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties:

January 1, 2025 - $16.50/hr.
January 1, 2026 - $17.00/hr.

The remainder of New York State:

January 1, 2025 - $15.50/hr.
January 1, 2026 - $16.00/hr.

The Hard Truths What You Should Know as a Retiring Teacher

Retiring as a teacher comes with several hard truths that educators should be prepared for. While pensions and savings may seem like enough, many teachers find themselves underprepared financially in retirement. Pension benefits can be lower than expected, especially if you didn't contribute to supplemental retirement plans. Some retired teachers may face high health care costs, especially if they retire before becoming eligible for Medicare or if their pension doesn’t cover healthcare fully. Please click and read the the article titled, “The Hard Truths What You Should Know as a Retiring Teacher”. This article offers valuable insight about planning ahead, managing expectations, and finding new ways to stay involved in the community to held navigate these challenges as you approach retirement.

New York State Legal Updates

Please click on the following attachment to learn more about the following NYS legal updates:

Advance Courses
Paid COVID Leave
Earning Cap Waiver for Retirees
Civil Service Law 72

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Health Insurance Rates

Effective January 1, 2025, our health insurance rates increased as follow:

Talkspace Go

We are pleased to announce that our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has introduced a new benefit called Talkspace Go. Talkspace Go is a mobile app that provides mental health support through weekly, self-guided interactive courses. These courses address a variety of issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout. This free EAP benefit is available not only to you, but also to your eligible family members. Please click on the following link for a calendar of Talkspace Go Classes being offered during the month of April 2025: Calendar of Talkspace Go Classes for April 2025.

Below, you will find direct links to download Talkspace Go from either the Apple App Store or Google Play. Once you have downloaded the app, please sign up, create an account, and be sure to enter the organization code: ESIEAP to access the service. We hope that you find Talkspace Go helpful in managing your well-being. Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Human Resources if you have any further questions.

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District Mandatory Trainings

We would like to remind all employees of their obligation to complete the New York State mandatory training modules for Sexual Harassment and Mental Illness. As of today, there are still some employees who have not fulfilled this requirement. In addition to this, we would like to emphasize that school nurses and employees in the Department of Facilities have been assigned additional training modules that must also be completed. Completing these training modules is crucial for maintaining a safe and inclusive work environment for all of our employees. We kindly request your prompt attention to this matter. If you encounter any technical difficulties or have questions related to the GCN training modules, please do not hesitate to reach out to either Mark Valerie at mvalerie@hempsteadschools.org or Jennifer Rodriguez at jrodriguez01@hempsteadschools.org for technical assistance. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. Let's work together to ensure that all employees are up to date with their mandatory training requirements.

Calling All Former Hempstead Graduates

The Hempstead UFSD began an initiative a couple of years ago to publish an annual brochure highlighting former Hempstead High School graduates that have returned to give back as an employee or volunteer for the District. Click here to see brochure.

If you are a graduate who are now employed or volunteering for the district, we would like to showcase your success in our exiting brochure. Please complete the survey by clicking here, so we can include your profile to the brochure.

Frontline: Absence Management (AESOP)

The Absence Management System called AESOP, is an automated system that will simplify and streamline the processes of recording and managing absences and attendance records for district personnel. You can report your absences either by telephone, online, or app. The service is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. For those who prefer access by telephone, the AESOP number to call to report an absence is 1-800-942-3736. All absences must be called in before 7:00 a.m. daily. The district strongly encourage all staff to download and use the app. Attached is a step by step guide for using the app to record your absences. If you have any questions and/or concerns, please contact Mr. Mark Valerie at mvalerie@hempsteadschools.org.

Frontline App Instructions

Employee Basic Training Video

This video will walk you through the basics of your absence management Employee website. Here's what you will learn: How to log into absence management The Home Page Creating an absence Viewin...

help.frontlineeducation.com

CTLE Requirements - from NYSED: Office of Teaching Initiatives

Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE):

Educators must maintain their own personal record of completed CTLE. (CTLE completion certificates)
Educators will not send documentation of their CTLE clock hours to the Department for the re-registration process. However, CTLE documentation must be available upon request by the Department for a period of three years past their registration period end date.
Summaries of activities listed in professional learning management systems will not be accepted as documentation of CTLE clock hours if the Department requests documentation.

Acceptable CTLE Clock Hours:

Educators may complete CTLE clock hours in the following categories:

pedagogy, and/or
the content area of the certificate title, and
language acquisition addressing the needs of English language learners (ELLs) (unless the school has a waiver).

Acceptable CTLE:

included activities designed to improve the teacher or leader's pedagogical and/or leadership skills,
promotes the professionalization of teaching and educational leadership, as applicable, and
are closely aligned to district goals for student performance.

Unacceptable CTLE Certificates:

CTLE certificates need to have all of the required elements listed on the NYSED CTLE form.

CTLE certificated are frequently unacceptable due to the lack of information on them, including:

no "category" listed (i.e., content, pedagogy, language acquisition),
no indication that an organization is an approved sponsor of CTLE and/or no approved sponsor number indicated,
lack of identifying information or identifying information is listed as N/A, then penciled in,
hours cited as "PD Hours" (rather than CTLE Hours - not indicating that an activity is CTLE; contradictory verbiage), and/or
missing an authorized signature.

Contact Ms. Jennifer Rodriguez at jrodriguez01@hempsteadschools.org if you have any questions about Re-Registration or CTLE Requirements.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

What is EAP?

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a workplace-sponsored program designed to assist in the identification and resolution of productivity problems associated with employees and/or family members impaired by personal concerns. These concerns may include, but are not limited to:

Marital and/or family issues
Financial or legal problems
Child or elder care concerns
Alcohol and/or drug abuse
Emotional well-being
Health issues
Work related concerns

These concerns may be adversely affecting an employee’s job performance, attendance and/or safety. The specific core activities of EAP services include assessment, brief-focused consultation or referral for appropriate diagnosis, treatment and assistance. Additionally, EAP may assist in linking employees, their families with available community resources that provide necessary services, follow-up and wide range of employee support services.

More about EAP:

When you call the EAP, you will speak with an experienced and specially trained counselor who will assist you in getting you the help you need.

Contacting an EAP Counselor:

Call EAP for confidential Counseling and Assistance at 1-800-435-1986

Resources:

EAP website

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) NEWSLETTERS

Hempstead Public Schools – Job Postings

Need a question answered? Send us an email

Rodney Gilmore, Ed. D

Associate Superintendent for Human Resources

rgilmore@hempsteadschools.org

Tel.: 516-434-4021

Jane Fisher

Employment Manager

jfisher@hempsteadschools.org

Tel.: 516-434-4034

Jennifer Rodriguez

Personnel Clerk

jrodriguez01@hempsteadschools.org

Tel.: 516-434-4022

Christina Brown

Senior Typist Clerk

cbrown@hempsteadschools.org

Tel.: 516-434-4025

Sylvia Hargrove

Personnel Clerk - Benefits

shargrove@hempsteadschools.org

Tel.: 516-434-4035

Mark Valerie

Account Clerk

mvalerie@hempsteadschools.org.

Tel.: 516-434-4064

Don’t know who to email? Send comment to the Human Resources email address and we’ll get it to the right person: humanresources@hempsteadschools.org

HUFSD OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

The Hempstead School District employs over 1,200 employees dedicated to supporting the educational goals of the community. The Office of Human Resources is committed to supporting all employees in this mission. The District does not discriminate in employment or in its educational programs and activities against qualified individuals on the basis of race, color, weight, ethnic group, national origin, religion, age, sex, gender indent, sexual orientation or disability.

Hempstead UFSD

2024-2025

Office of Human Resources Office of Human Resources

Spring Edition - March 2025 Spring Edition - March 2025

Greetings

In This Issue:

Mandated Reporter Training

Online Master's Certification Program

New York State Increases Minimum Wage

The Hard Truths What You Should Know as a Retiring Teacher

New York State Legal Updates

Health Insurance Rates

Talkspace Go

District Mandatory Trainings

Calling All Former Hempstead Graduates

Frontline: Absence Management (AESOP)

Employee Basic Training Video

CTLE Requirements - from NYSED: Office of Teaching Initiatives

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Need a question answered? Send us an email

HUFSD OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Office of Human Resources

Spring Edition - March 2025