SUMMER BRIDGE FUND
SUMMER BRIDGE FUND
for
Classified School Employees
State Budget Update: Good news on Summer Bridge, Layoff Protections – but there’s still work to do
This week, Governor Newsom and the state legislators reached an agreement on California’s 2020-21 budget. It rolls-back cuts that were initially proposed for K-12 schools and community colleges, but we still have a lot to do to ensure an equitable budget. Read more for the highlights.
Summer Bridge Fund: Applications Now Being Accepted for 2020-21 Benefits. Apply by March 1. We fought for it and won! Eligible classified school employees can receive matching funds from the state during summer break.
SEIU Local 99 members fought hard to win the Summer Bridge Fund (also called the Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program). This program gives eligible classified school workers the opportunity to save money from their paychecks during the school year and receive up to a dollar-for-dollar match from the state during the summer break when work is not available. Applications to participate in the program in the 2020-21 school year are now being accepted and must be returned to your employer by March 1, 2020 (March 2 for Santa Monica Malibu Unified)
Big Wins in 2019 Set the Stage for 2020
As we come to the end of 2019, we're celebrating some pretty amazing accomplishments Local 99 members won this year! From joining the strike lines in L.A. and Chicago to Child Care Providers winning the right to collectively bargain to making Summer Bridge a reality and addressing candidates for U.S. President about their positions on education - SEIU Local 99 members were on the front lines in 2019, making a difference for ourselves, our students, and our communities.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Program
Updated 6/1/20
No, the Summer Bridge Program is unaffected because funding for the program was already set aside in the 2019 state budget. If you applied by the March 1, 2020 deadline, you’ll still be able to start contributing in the 2020/2021 school year, and withdraw funds next summer. If you contributed for the 2019/2020 school year, you’ll be able to begin withdrawing this summer. The state is scheduled to send the first round of payments on or about July 15th, 2020. If you elected to receive your payment in one lump sum, you will receive the entire payout then. If you elected for two payments, the second payment is expected on or about August 15th.
For members contributing in the 2020-21 school year, the latest state budget fully funds the Summer Bridge Fund. This means the state will match contributions $1 for $1. Those of you who received letters from school districts saying that the state would not be doing the full $1 match next summer can rest assured that there is funding for the full amount.
For members who participated in the Summer Bridge program in the 2019-20 school year, the state is scheduled to send the first round of payments on or about July 15th, 2020. If you elected to receive your payment in one lump sum, you will receive the entire payout then. If you elected for two payments, the second payment is expected on or about August 15th.
Yes. The latest state budget signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 29, 2020 includes full funding for the Summer Bridge program. This means the state will match worker contributions $1 for $1. Those of you who received letters from school districts saying that the state would not be doing the full $1 match next summer can rest assured that there is funding for the full amount. Districts should be notifying you of the change soon.
Classified employees who are employed with the school district for 11 months or less, who earn less than $62,400 per your in their school district job, and who do not work the summer session are eligible to participate. You must also have been working with your district for at least one year to participate in the program. Please note charter schools and community colleges cannot participate in the program.
Classified school employees should expect to receive enrollment information and an application form from their employer by January 1 of each year. The completed form is due back to the employer by March 1. A copy of the form is available here. Information on how to return your application is available here.
You can have up to 10% of your monthly paycheck withheld during the school year.
Employees can opt to receive money in one lump sum at the beginning of summer recess or have it distributed in two payments over the recess
No, the enactment of the program will not lead to a mandatory withholding on your paycheck in the same way that taxes, like social security and medicare, are currently withheld. You will elect, on the California Department of Education form, the percentage of funds you’d like withheld. You can contribute up to 10% of your monthly paycheck to the Summer Fund.
Think of the Summer Fund as an employer-matched 401k retirement account where you voluntarily contribute to.
The Summer Bridge Fund was created to address the problem of unemployment that many classified school workers face during the summer recess. It is a safety net to help classified employees make it through the summer months when there is no work available. It is not meant to replace summer session work. While the decision to work during the summer session is up to each member, keep in mind that if you accept a summer assignment with the school district, you will earn more than if you contribute to the Summer Bridge Fund.
It is also important to note that if you have a job outside of the school district during the summer, this does not affect your eligibility for the program. Additionally, if you work for a limited time for the school district during the months of June, July, and August as part of your regular school-year assignment (not summer session) you are still eligible to participate in the program.
You may withdraw from the program due to economic or personal hardship. You will need to request that the school district stop withholding contributions from your check and pay you any funds that have been set aside for your summer fund. Keep in mind, however, that if you withdraw from the program, you will not receive any matching funds from the state.
Your contributions to the fund will be matched by the state. Participating employees will be notified by June 1 of each year as to how much they will receive from the state.
Governor Jerry Brown budgeted $50 million dollars for the 2019-20 summer break when he initially approved the program. Governor Gavin Newsom added $36 million to this amount. If and when the fund is exhausted, we can ask the legislature for additional funding.
The school district or county office of education must share with the CDE their intention to participate in the Summer Fund, the number of classified employees participating, and an estimation of the total amount of funds to be withheld from those employees paychecks.
No. Funds from the state match for classified employees will not be considered compensation for retirement benefits for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.
Over the past six years, we have introduced bills in Sacramento to change the current law so that school employees could be eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits during the summer break. Unfortunately, those bills have not become law. During the process, however, we educated legislators about the problem. Many of them agreed that dedicated school workers should not have to suffer during the summer. Their main concern has been that the state cannot afford the cost of paying benefits out of the current unemployment insurance fund. That is why we’ve come up with a different solution.
The Summer Bridge Fund creates a new fund that school workers and the state will pay into. If this bill becomes law, school workers will have the option to pay a certain amount each month into the fund. In return, the state will provide a matching contribution. Employees will be able to contribute up to the equivalent of 10 days of work. These funds can be used at the end of the school year.
A common misconception is that classified school workers are paying into the state’s unemployment insurance fund, but are denied access to unemployment benefits.
Actually, school workers do not pay into the state’s unemployment insurance fund. No money is deducted from their paychecks for this purpose. The reason they don’t pay into the fund is because—unlike other employees that do pay into the fund—school workers are currently excluded from accessing unemployment benefits. SEIU Local 99 members have fought to change that through legislation and influencing the state budget. The Summer Bridge Fund is part of the solution to addressing the summer unemployment issue.
Why are school workers excluded from access? School workers are not considered by the state and school district to be unemployed during the summer recess. This is the reason why school workers, under normal circumstances, are denied when they try to apply for unemployment benefits.
This does not mean school workers are completely ineligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits. There are some ways a school worker could be eligible:
- Permanent layoffs: School districts pay into the state’s School Employees Fund (SEF). This is a voluntary fund managed by the EDD that is used to cover unemployment insurance benefits to school workers in cases of permanent layoffs. Note that a school district’s participation in the SEF has no effect on the pay of school workers.
- Cancelled summer assignment: If a school worker was offered a summer school assignment and that assignment was subsequently cancelled.
- No reasonable assurance: If a school worker does not have reasonable assurance to return to the same or similar position at the end of the recess or did not receive proper notification of reasonable assurance. Learn more about EDD’s guidelines on Reasonable Assurance.
Timeline for Implementation
From when classified employees can begin enrolling to when they will receive the first disbursement of funds, the implementation of the Summer Fund program will occur in phases. Here is a handy timeline of key deadlines.
Why a Summer Fund?
For too long, classified school employees across California have endured a cruel cycle of financial hardship. When school is out for summer recess, many of us go without work and without income. How can we move forward when anything we save for our family’s future is lost over the summer?
We’ve argued that when there’s no work to be found, we need a safety net. Yet, we’re barred from accessing state unemployment benefits because we aren’t considered seasonal employees.
So we said “no more” to this cycle of poverty. Through years of putting forth legislative bills, telling our stories of struggle to state legislators, and raising public awareness of our plight, SEIU Local 99 members led the way to move legislators and Governor Brown to finally recognize the cruel summer for what it is—a crisis and an injustice that calls for a solution.
In June 2018, Governor Brown signed the 2018-2019 State Budget with $50 million in funding for a summer relief fund matched by the state. The following year, Governor Gavin Newsom included an additional $36 million for the program in the state budget. This state funding established the Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program, which allows eligible classified school employees to save money during the school year and receive up to a dollar-for-dollar matching contribution from the state during the summer when school work is not available.
We now have the safety net we need and deserve and we won it through union power.
