PowerSchool ERP Payroll and Human Resources

Key Concepts and Terminology

Positions, job classes, and position codes

A position represents an authorized role within the district. Each position belongs to a job class (for example, Teacher, Custodian, Administrative Assistant). The job class defines the general category, while the position represents a specific instance within that category.

A unique position code identifies each position within a job class. Position codes can be up to 12 characters long.

Effective dating and the as-of-date concept

Position Control uses effective dating to maintain a history of changes to each position. When a position's information changes (for example, a title change or FTE adjustment), a new record with an effective date is created for the date the change takes effect. The original record is preserved.

The as-of-date determines which version of each position is displayed. When you search for positions, the system retrieves the most recent effective-dated record with an effective date on or before the as-of-date. By default, the as-of-date is set to today's date.

FTE fields

Position records use full-time equivalents (FTEs) to control positions. An FTE value represents the percentage of time an employee works relative to a full-time schedule. A single FTE unit, then, is 100 percent, which is entered as 1.0. With this as the standard, the FTE value for a part-time position where an employee works 20 hours of a 40-hour week would be 0.5.

Position Control tracks multiple FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) values for each position:

FTE field

Description

Authorized FTE

The total FTE authorized for the position.

This is the maximum FTE that can be filled.

Default FTE

The standard FTE assigned to new occupants of the position.

Filled FTE

The FTE currently occupied by active employees assigned to the position.

Available FTE

The remaining FTE available to be filled.

Calculated as:

Authorized FTE + Pending Adjustment FTE − Filled FTE + Pending Vacancy FTE − Pending Filled FTE > 0

Pending Adjustment FTE

FTE from pending adjustment change requests that have not yet been approved.

It also includes the Adjust FTE and Transfer FTE change requests that have not yet taken effect.

Pending Vacancy FTE

FTE that will become vacant due to pending terminations or transfers out.

It also includes the Employee Position Transfer requests that have not yet taken effect.

Pending Filled FTE

FTE that will be filled due to pending hires or transfers.

Posted FTE

The FTE from approved Position Requisitions that have been posted to the associated position. Posted FTE is incremented when a requisition is approved and posted, and decremented when a posted requisition is canceled. This value is visible on the Position Control page and is used in FTE tracking alongside Authorized, Filled, and Available FTE. If an Applicant Tracking System is integrated, the posted requisition is also sent to that system after approval.

Position statuses

Position Control uses the following position statuses.

Code

Status

Description

A

Active

The position is authorized and available for use.

I

Inactive

The position is not currently in use but is preserved for historical reference.

N

In Progress

The position has been saved but is not yet finalized. Used for incomplete or draft positions.

C

Closed

The position is permanently closed and cannot be used.

Approval statuses

Position Control uses the following approval statuses when Advanced Workflow is enabled. If it is not enabled, all requests are automatically set to Approved status.

Code

Status

Description

A

Approved

The request has been approved.

O

Open

The request is pending approval.

C

Needs Correction

The request has been returned to the requester for correction.

D

Denied

An approver has denied the request.

N

Canceled

The requester has canceled the request.

X

Posted

Depends on the type of request.

For example, funding change requests are posted when the position's funding is updated. For an employee position transfer, the Posted status indicates that a future pay rate has been created or updated as a result of the transfer.

Requests are for new positions, change requests, employee transfers, and position requisitions.

Expenditure distributions

Each position can have two types of expenditure distributions:

  • Organization distribution:
    Allocates position costs across organization chart accounts. Each line specifies a ledger, an organization code, an account, and a percentage. The percentages must equal exactly 100%. Full Account Structure (FAS) is supported.

  • Project distribution:
    Allocates position costs across project accounts. Each line specifies a project, account, and percentage. The percentages must be no greater than 100%. Full Account Structure (FAS) is supported.

Occupants, vacancies, and FTE calculations

An occupant is an employee assigned to a position through their pay rate record. A position can have multiple occupants if its authorized FTE allows. A vacancy exists when a position's available FTE is greater than zero.

The system identifies a position as vacant when:

Authorized FTE + Pending Adjustment FTE - Filled FTE + Pending Vacancy FTE - Pending Filled FTE > 0