From the Negotiations screen, select the Maintenance menu and then Packages.
Click the New Record button.
Note: For any field equipped with the repeat function, click the Repeat button or press the Ctrl+R keys to repeat the previous entry for the specified field. The repeat function is only available after your initial entry.
Enter a unique ID for the package in the Package ID field. The ID can be alphanumeric and up to 10 characters long (no spaces).
Note: To have the system automatically assign the ID using the first 10 characters (letters and numbers only) of the description, leave the ID field blank; once the record is saved, the ID will be assigned.
Select the Active field to stipulate the package is currently active and used by the district. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. When adding a new package, the Active field is selected by default.
Enter a description for the package in the Package Description field. The description can be up to 40 characters long.
Enter the appropriate type for the package (Extracurricular, Regular Contracts, or Unit) in the Package Type field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. If the package is for employees paid with contract pay codes for extracurricular wages, enter Extracurricular. If the package is for employees paid with contract pay codes for regular wages, enter Regular Contracts. If the package is for employees paid with unit pay codes, enter Unit.
If Extracurricular is specified as the Package Type, the Main Package ID field will be enabled. If the package for the extracurricular wages uses the salary schedule from another package, enter the ID for the package it is tied to in the Main Package ID field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one; otherwise, leave this field blank.
Enter the 4-digit year of the ending fiscal year for which to negotiate the salaries for the package in the Negotiation Year End field. The year can range from 2000 to 2098. Leave this field blank to default to the year entered in the Negotiation Year End field in the Negotiations System File. Typically, the year entered in this field is the ending year of the next fiscal year; for example, if the current fiscal year is 2024-2025, the year entered in this field is 2026.
If an existing package had been updated, the date the Update Payroll with Packages option was completed appears in the Update Payroll Date field and cannot be changed.
The Nebraska Comparison Package field will only be enabled for Nebraska school districts. If applicable, select the Nebraska Comparison Package field if the package will be used to build the salary schedule for a neighboring district for comparison purposes. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
Note: If the Nebraska Comparison Package field is selected, when a change is made to the Step and/or Lane fields on the Negotiations tab of the Wages screen in the Employee File, the updated step and lane numbers will not be reflected in the Employee Negotiation Rates option for the package. Also, if the Nebraska Comparison Package field is selected, the package will not be able to be updated.
Enter the direction (Across or Down) of the steps on the salary schedules to be built for the package in the Step Orientation field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. To have the steps go across as the columns on the salary schedules for the package, enter Across. To have the steps go down as the rows on the salary schedules for the package, enter Down.
In the Starting Step field, enter either 0 or 1 to be used as the first step on the salary schedules for the package. The starting step is just the preference of the school district for whether the first step is Step 0 or Step 1.
Enter the maximum number of steps to be used on the salary schedules for the package in the Ending Step field. The number entered here will be the number of the last step on the salary schedules.
Enter the maximum number of lanes to be used on the salary schedules for the package in the Ending Lane field. The number entered here will be the number of the last lane on the salary schedules.
Note: The number entered in the Ending Step field multiplied by the number entered in the Ending Lane field cannot be greater than 6,500.
If the steps in each lane on the salary schedules for this package end diagonally to the last lane, select the Diagonal field. For example, if the maximum step on the salary schedule is 10, the last lane would have all 10 steps, but the second to the last lane would only have 9 steps, and the third to the last lane would have 8 steps, and so on. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
All the active pay codes matching the specified package type for the package (if applicable) appear in the Pay Codes List. Specify the pay codes that will be negotiated with the package by clicking the box under the Selected column to the left of each desired pay code. A checkmark will appear in the box if the pay code is selected. To select all the pay codes, click the Select All button located above the Pay Codes List. If desired, change the filters to modify the pay codes displayed here.
All the pay groups appear in the Pay Groups List. Specify the pay groups of employees that will be negotiated with the package by clicking the box under the Selected column to the left of each desired pay group. A checkmark will appear in the box if the pay group is selected. To select all the pay groups, click the Select All button located above the Pay Groups List.
Click the Save button.