HEALTH INSURANCE

Generally, employees working a regular schedule of 20 or more hours per week are eligible for health insurance coverage. Temporary employees and those employed under service agreements are not eligible for benefits. Substitute teachers are eligible for medical insurance after completing proscribed periods of employment as described in the union contract for those positions. 

The City of Cambridge School Department offers the following plans to its eligible employees:

1. Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Choice
2. Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO Blue      
   
3. Blue Cross Blue Shield Basic Major Medical      
   
4. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
5. Tufts Health Plan

You may view a plan comparison along with monthly rates by clicking here.

For additional information, you may access the websites for the individual plans by clicking on the above links.

If an employee is eligible for health insurance coverage through the City of Cambridge, but has alternative medical coverage (through a spouse’s coverage or other plan) which is not paid or sponsored by the City, he/she may be eligible to sign a waiver of participation in a City plan and be eligible to receive a stipend in lieu of health insurance coverage.

DENTAL AND VISION INSURANCE

Employees may be eligible for participation in The Cambridge Public Employees Dental – through Delta Dental of Massachusetts - and Vision Fund.

In addition, most health plans provide some vision benefits to their members.

LIFE INSURANCE

A basic $5,000.00 term insurance policy is available to all eligible employees at a cost of $2.38 per month. Additional term insurance (up to your annual salary minus $1,000.00) is available at a cost of $.99 per thousand dollars of coverage per month. A chart indicating the monthly costs for additional term insurance can be accessed by clicking here.

RETIREMENT PLANS

Massachusetts licensed teachers working .67 FTE or more must join the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement Board. Other permanent employees working more than twenty (20) hours per week must join the Cambridge Retirement Plan. These are comprehensive systems which offer defined benefit pensions to workers who have retired after a fixed number of years of creditable service, having attained a certain age or who have become disabled.

VOLUNTARY DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN (DCP)

The City’s Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP) allows certain employees to invest a portion of their wages on a tax-deferred basis to a supplemental retirement savings account through payroll deduction. Contributions to the DCP are invested in a variety of investment vehicles such as stock and bond funds, guaranteed accumulation accounts and money market funds. Employees may generally enroll or change their level of contribution at any time, by sending written notice to the Payroll Department.

PAID TIME OFF

1. Vacations/Holidays
2. Sick/Personal Days

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Regular In-house Seminars
2. Tuition Reimbursement