As election nears, teachers’ premium cost is a hot topic for BASD board
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
While the April School Board elections may still be months away, the first salvos in what will probably be a long fight were fired Monday night.
Burlington Area School District School Board member and candidate for re-election Larry Anderson read a prepared statement on health insurance costs for the district, and board member Roger Koldeway responded with a second letter at Monday night’s general board meeting.
Anderson touted his contention that BASD is among the best in the state in terms of saving taxpayers the cost of insurance. Koldeway, however, countered that the district could save even more by requiring all teachers to pay a portion of their premium.
Anderson has been researching the costs of health insurance, and it has turned into a multi-page document. While the numbers being compared are not precisely apples to apples – Anderson was forced to use 2011-12 number for other school districts, while BASD 2012-13 numbers are available – comparing the numbers still provides a bit of insight into the district’s methods.
There are just 20 districts statewide – and none in the immediate seven-county southeast Wisconsin area – with cheaper health insurance costs for single coverage, and 50 with cheaper family coverage (only four in the seven-county area, which is Racine, Walworth, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee).
According to the research Anderson did, using numbers on the Wisconsin Association of School Boards School District Settlement Database, the average monthly cost for single coverage is $682 for 2011-12, and for a family plan, $1,609.
Also, Burlington is not the only school district in the state not requiring employees to pay a percentage of their premiums, though most districts did. According to the data, Clinton, Delavan-Darien, Edgerton, Greenwood, Hustisford, Kickapoo Area, Marathon, Melrose-Mindoro, New Berlin, Phelps, Pittsville, Port Edwards, Three Lakes and West De Pere all paid 100 percent of the premium for single coverage, while just Delavan-Darien, Hustisford, Kickapoo, Marathon, Melrose-Mindoro and New Berlin offered 100 percent coverage for family plans.
On average, districts are paying 90 percent of the costs for single coverage and 89 percent for family coverage.
Anderson has been an advocate of showing the savings BASD has managed through the change of insurance plans, vs. the previous use of the WEA Trust plan. Had the district chosen to stay with that plan, it would have had to require a premium payment by employees – and likely would not have gotten near as much in savings because of the cost of that plan.
BASD is currently offering two different plans by Humana – a high-deductible plan ($1,500 single, $3,000 family) but offering an upgrade to last year’s plan (one offering lower deductibles and copays) if employees pay the difference in premium.
Using those two plans, BASD realized about $761,244 in savings.
Critics of the district have said that BASD has not utilized all tools given to it by Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 – namely requiring a portion of the premium be paid by all employees – and thus missed out on saving even more money.
However, Anderson and other district officials have maintained that by asking employees to either use the high deductible plan – which would likely involve out-of-pocket costs at some point for most employees – or to pay the premium costs of the upgrade has, in essence, asked enough of its employees this year.
School Board member Roger Koldeway, one of those in favor of requiring all employees to pay a portion of their premiums, revealed Monday night that he was “uncomfortable” with a recent statement by Anderson in the Racine Journal-Times that said had the staff paid premiums, a more costly health insurance plan would have likely been used.
Presumably, Anderson meant that had the district stuck with a plan that required employees to pay part of the premium – namely the WEA Trust – the costs would have risen.
However, Koldeway took his inquiry to Dan Martin of Hausmannn-Johnson, the district’s insurance broker, where it was revealed that, in order to save money, the district needed 75 percent of its employees to enroll in the plan.
Koldeway said that the board needed to use full and accurate information in its decision-making process, not “cherry pick information to sway other’s opinions.”
What has become clear, though, is that plenty of information is available for anyone willing to do the research – whether it is Anderson, Koldeway or other members of the board. The question then goes back to what has been the major point of contention over the past year and a half – what should be expected of teachers?
Looking at Anderson’s numbers, the district has achieved considerable savings – among the best in the state. By Koldeway’s viewpoint, however, those savings could have been greater.
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Savings for who?!?
Can I get my insurance thru the school district then?
I’m sure EVERY taxpayer in the state would love to be on this plan.
Let’s open it up for everyone. Heck, why not, we don’t pay enough in taxes!
Oh wait, we’re already one of the HIGHEST taxed states, and it’s idiotic, fiscally irresponsible thinking like this that got us there!
Well, those $600 & $1,600 Mo Figures will all go out the Window soon.. Why? Those a Group Health Plans that Have no Pre-X ( Pre Medical Conditions) and you pay upto Twice as much for that Benefit..
While Kaiser in California says, Singles are only $200 ad Family $600 a Month
The Obamacare plan will Change all that for the Better..and Be alot lower
And must be Nice.. To have your Employer pay Over $19,000 a Yr for your Family health insurance and the Singles get Left out and only Have their Measly $7,200 yr Paid for and Does Anyone Pay any Payroll Income Tax for getting this Benefit ?
Another Sore Issue , I’m sure..
Why not Everyone gets the single Plan paid for , while anyone with Needs for a Family plan, pay the Difference? And of that single Plan? The Employee pays 50% and the employer pays the other 50% as part of their Payroll Income .. and they only have to pay Income taxes on that 50% they get ?
Being Self Employed, I had to pay for my own Health Insurance and That was After Income tax was paid for most of my Yrs.. Only when it exceeded 7.5% of my Gross Income was that Deducted..
making the AMI of $50k yr? the 1st $3,750 was not Tax Deductable.. My 80/20 of the 1st $5,000 cost me about $200 a Month 10 yrs ago before I Retired and got into Medicare..
Good Luck getting Employees off the Habit of Entitlement that their Health Insurance is a Tax Free Benefit and all should be paid for their Employement and not part of their Salary..
That $600/$1,600 a month or $7,200/$19k + yr Plan sounds like a alwfully Rich Plan to me..
and the Group Health Ins. Agent selling will atrongly argue it be Maintained, since I’m sure they make a Very Nice Commission on it..
If I was still Working and Self Employed? I would Just be Jealous..
😉
Perhaps the vicious letter writers and the two school board wack jobs will softer their rhetoric in light of the God awful tragedy in Connecticut. Teachers at the school went beyond the call of duty to protect and save innocent lives. It’s time to stop and say thanks to teachers and not continue to lambast them as the right wing tea party doofus continue to do. Thank God we have brave and dedicated teachers all over the country including the ones who work for BASD. I,for one,want to say much thanks and let them know many of us in this area are not in symnpathy with the tea party jerks.
Wanting teachers to contribute to their health insurance like everyone does is not attacking or being evil like you libs like to portray. Its just common sense which you lack. Are we thankful yes. I would like to thank them also but do not feel it wrong in anyway thinking that someone should contribute to their own insurance. How is that bad? BTW love the slant to the article.
Bob – Your comment is disgusting. For you to somehow equate what happened in CT to teachers paying their fair share is reprehensible. Your extreme liberal demeanor shines through in your pathetically written comment. I sincerely hope you are not a teacher or related to one.
The radical left has no morals. they’ll use anything. not surprised.
The Conn. Shooting…
This Latest Outrageous Action also Shows how it can happen Anywhere and I for one, have adovcated Alot More Security For our Kids..and our Techers for that matter.. Both In the School and our School Buses.
Many of you who grew up in these Nice Rural Towns Haven’t been Exposed to the Big Cities Schools and the Gangs and Threats that Occure everyday in them.
But they are Comming to a School In your Town as we speak..
The Added cost for hiring a ARMED Security Guard for each School is Not out of the question and Not That Expensive.. As with Football, A Good Defense has to Come First..And the More Deterrants we can Provide , the Better..
And if it means we have to Raise Our Property taxes or whatever to Have the $ to pay for this? I say, $ well Spent.. The Alternative of even One Child or Teacher being Hurt , is not Acceptable , let alone?
I would not Doubt the Lawsuits that would follow for the School and Town being Held Liable for not providing such Security, would more than Justify the Costs.
Having More Gun Control, Mental Health Care and all the other Ideas may have some Impact, but I understand there are over 200 MILLION guns in the USA and I think, “that Ship has Sailed” on controlling them and the Millions in cost per State for providing the Mental Health services , maybe Un Realalistc and not Practical as well.
BTW- they just caught another Person with Multiple Guns, that said he would go Shoot up a School In Cedar Point, Indianna..
and with More and More Immigrant Children and their Parents , that come from very Violent Countries, And some Not Having gone thru Immigration Procedures, Comming into Our Communities and Schools, increasees the Risk as well.
And Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure..
Our communities are changing. Families are under stress, struggling with the burden of an increasingly competitive world and diminishing incomes. Those stresses often manifest in our schools, sometimes in the form of learning difficulties and sometimes as behavioral problems. Teachers are now very frequently on the front line in the struggle to deal with stressors that emanate from outside of the school environment. It is unfortunate that the recent targeting of teachers by the Walker administration has simply perpetuated this problem and in fact exacerbated the problem. Walker has demanded that teachers be held accountable for student outcomes. While this may seem to be an admirable strategy, to succeed it would require teachers to be responsible for addressing family stressors and social-economic problems. Even as Walker has taken this step he has also reduced and opposed the availability of supports for families. This creates an increasingly challenging and stressful environment for teachers.
Incredibly the educational community keeps rising to the occasion. I often speak with my children’s teachers during late afternoon and evening hours. They have not responded with bitterness. Instead they have committed themselves to doing more. We owe it to our educational community to work as hard as we can to provide them with the resources and benefits to continue with their excellent work. Schools are still the safest places for children to be thanks to the excellent work and care of dedicated teachers. We are all responsible for educating all of our children, not just our own but also the children who live next door. This is the genius of the American public school system which has served us well and used to be a core conservative value! It needs improvement but we will not attain that by defining educators as the problem, as the cause of our social stress. This is one of the great tragedies of the misguided Walker administration which has targeted our educators and turned significant numbers of people against educators. This misguided policy merely serves to shift the burden for improving the lives of our children from the family to the school, demanding that the school improve outcomes that are only partly responsive to the educational process. No teacher, no matter how excellent, can ensure that a child achieve high grades while the child returns to a family that is falling apart, losing their home, embroiled in conflict, or struggling to pay bills.
If it means we pay a little more in taxes (and our excellent school board and superintendent have done wonders at keeping down increases) then so be it. Our children are worth it. Our educators are worth it!
The unionization of the public schools and the moral decline pushed by the radical left in the 1960s and the johnson welfare state did in our schools. there are great teachers who for years have put up with bad administration and the union rewarding incompetence while depressing the innovative and harder working teachers. when someone dares to break the monopoly and help the kids they scream like this guy who benefits from all the money that is wasted in public education. who pays? the kids pay with huge school loans and huge public debt that depresses the job market and their future.
This guy tries to pray on your emotions for children while reaching around and taking money from your pocket and ripping off your kids’ money. Don’t fall for it. Stay involved in your kids education and demand accountability.
Mr.-Gov Walker Can’t Say what He really wants to say.. And that is?
PARENTS have to Go back to the future and take control .. of Teaching their Children..
The PARENTS are the Assistants to the Teachers..They have to Work Hand and Hand..
Teachers Sharing what it Too Them to Succeed in Acedemics. Long Hours of Studying and Alot of help doing so..
If the PARENTS aren’t going to Assist the Teachers in teaching Their own Kids? Then A major Part of the Education Process will Fail..
-We were allowed to Go Play after School
– But After Dinner? No TV and Homework
-After Homework was Done? One of our Parents Doubled Ck’d our Homework
Wknds were Playing /Camping/Hiking/Outside Exercising, etc.. = Physical Activities..
But come Sunday Nites? After Dinner? It was reviewing Homework
and getting Extra Homework from the Teachers..
With the Advent of VCR’s, now DVD’s? No reason not to get Class Courses to Watch as well.. During School Season and During the Summer Season to prepare alot better for the Next Yr !
and? the Upper Classman( & girls) were Mentors to The Lower Class to help them.. And that’s How come Our school always had the Highest Graduating Classes and the most that went onto College !
It’s the PARENTS that have to be part of the Teaching Team to our Future Generation of Americans
Back to the Future..! Teachers’ and School only has our kids 33% of the day, and only 75% of the Yr, the rest is upto the Parents..
But if Gov. Walker and all the others were to say things like this? What do you think would happen?
totally agree. but we have a non responsibility govt that encourages you to abandon your kids to the state, then tries to play on your emotions to pay them and their cronies more or your kids will suffer while they retire fat early and happy leaving you and your kids lots of debt and taxes.
No matter how many changes it may occur on insurance plans, one should always remember to provide more benefits to the senior citizens then any other as they are the one who need the health care at the core !