JANESVILLE 鈥 With insurance costs rising, the 糖心Vlog传媒 School Board on Tuesday voted to renew a health plan for school district staff, while decreasing what the district pays into it.
The district will see an increase of about $1.3 million in insurance costs this year.
Insurance open enrollment for school district staff is May 6-15.
Under the plan, premiums are going up, and the district will pay 88% of insurance plan costs for employees, down from 90%. That brought pushback from some school board members.
Board member Cathy Myers asked for more of a heads-up regarding benefits, and supported postponing the renewal to May. A vote on that postponement failed Tuesday.
鈥淚 asked for a meet and confer about benefits. We asked for this last summer. I asked for it a few months ago. I know the result might have been the same possibly,鈥 board member Cathy Myers said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not questioning the efforts to try to put together as good a plan as possible, but we鈥檝e got to listen to the concerns of our staff and involve them in the problem solving.鈥
Board member Susan Johnson voted against the renewal and voted in support of its postponement.
鈥淚 did not have a chance to consult any health insurance experts and I would like to do that,鈥 Johnson said.
Board member Elizabeth Paull said that 鈥渋t鈥檚 important that we are cognizant of the fact that none of the people in this room likes these numbers. We all feel them. There鈥檚 a lot out of our control.鈥
However, 鈥渨hen we get angry about what is happening to teachers because it is not what it used to be, there is also the understanding that we have to understand we are not choosing this. This is happening whether we want it or not and it鈥檚 happening in every school district and every industry,鈥 Paull continued.
About 1,000 employees are enrolled in the school district鈥檚 insurance plan.
Jamie Brown, the district鈥檚 benefits manager, presented the renewal options to the board Tuesday.
School district staff have the option of choosing between two carriers, either Dean or Mercy, both of which would raise their rates as part of the renewal. Dean鈥檚 increase would be 21.9%, Mercy 18.5%.
Under the Mercy plan, the employee monthly premium for single tier will go up to $76.08, up from $68.24. For employee and spouse, it will go up to $168.16, up from $150.84. For employee and children, it鈥檚 $141.53, up from $126.95. For family, it鈥檚 $229.07, up from $205.46.
Under the Dean plan, the employee monthly premium single tier cost is $211.24, up from $143.72. For employee and spouse, it will be $439.01, up from $294.29. For employee and children, it will be $401.23, up from $274.31. For family, it will be $614.57, up from $414.85.
Brown told the board the plan presented brings the least amount of disruption for staff, remains competitive enough to attract and retain staff and meets the district budget.
Johnson said she鈥檚 concerned about the impact of the increase on teacher retention.
鈥淚t is difficult starting out. Teachers decide within the first 3-5 years whether or not they are going to stay in the district, go to a different district or leave the teaching profession altogether,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淗ealthcare is one of the most important ways to improve teacher retention.鈥
In an effort to get the best plan, Brown said the school district put out bids to national insurance carriers, with four responses that didn鈥檛鈥 meet its needs. It also weighed tapping into a state plan, but then learned that the cost would be higher than a renewal. And a self-funded option it examined would also be more expensive.
Dental
The board also on Tuesday approved an increase for dental coverage.The renewal single premium was approved at $39.60, with the employee share being $4.75. That is up from a premium of $37.71 and employee share of $4.53 this year.
The family premium was approved at $116.74, with an employee share of $14.01. The family premium this year is $111.18 and the employee share is $13.37.
The district anticipated a 5% increase in spending in dental insurance, according to Brown鈥檚 presentation. The coverage also starts July 1.
