July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Board, JCTA working together
Groups focus on mitigating issues with health insurance
Jay School Board agreed Monday to meet with the Jay Classroom Teachers Association in an effort to minimize the impact of changes in health insurance coverage on teachers’ household budgets.
With an Indiana Education Employment Relations Board fact-finder’s ruling on this year’s contract between Jay Schools and the JCTA still pending, both the board and the teachers’ association turned their attention to the health insurance issue.
David Golden of the JCTA’s insurance committee suggested the school corporation explore the concept of establishing its own clinic as a way of cutting costs and look for ways to avoid the big hit some teachers are taking when trying to meet their deductibles.
“I see a lot of reasons why we ought to look at this,” Golden said of the clinic concept.
Board member Ron Laux noted that the idea had been kicked around for years but had never come together.
“It sounds like a good idea,” he said.
“We looked at clinics a few years ago,” noted superintendent Tim Long.
Golden pointed out that teachers who moved to Plan D this summer had to meet a $3,000 deductible this fall then will be required to meet another $3,000 deductible beginning in January.
“We hope you as a board and administration will work on that issue with us,” he said.
The shift to new insurance plans was a result of Jay Schools coming into compliance with House Enrolled Act 1260, which board members noted was a one-time occurrence.
“This year is just an anomaly,” said board member Mike Masters.
Long indicated a meeting on the insurance issues will be scheduled before the end of the year.
Meanwhile an additional appropriation to pay year-end insurance claims, which had been a contentious issue in October, was approved unanimously by the board Monday.
The move appropriates $900,000 for health insurance claims and $25,000 for capital repairs.
Any funds that are not spent will revert to the general fund.
JCTA members had challenged the additional appropriation in October, viewing it as an attempt to “hide” money prior to a fact-finding hearing.
Business manager Brad DeRome said Monday Jay Schools is on pace to incur $900,000 more in medical expenses than last year.
In other business, the board:
•Unanimously approved borrowing $1.1 million in January from the Indiana Bond Bank for the capital projects fund in advance of the school corporation’s future property tax revenues. An interest rate of less than one percent is expected.
•Heard Trent Paxson, director of testing and assessment, report that the A to F ratings for schools should be released on a preliminary basis on either Nov. 15 or Nov. 22.
•Learned Glenda Ritz, state superintendent of public instruction, will be the featured speaker at Score Big with Your Character Night on Nov. 19. The event will be held in the Jay County High School auxiliary gym and will include elementary school basketball scrimmages. The event begins at 5:30 p.m., with Ritz scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $1.50 per person, capped at $6 per family.
•Received an initial draft of the 2014-15 school calendar, which will be the subject of discussions with the JCTA and be brought back to the board for action in December. The tentative calendar calls for the first student day in the 2014-15 school year to be Aug. 11 and the last student day to be May 21.
•Received for review 10 different policy revisions bringing policies into compliance with changes in state and federal law. Those updates include policies on tobacco, equal educational opportunity, drug and alcohol testing for employees with commercial drivers’ licenses, electronic monitoring and access to school corporation technology.
•Heard Paxson report there are currently 27 student teachers from six different colleges and universities now working in seven schools in the corporation.
•Moved its Dec. 16 meeting to 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. so board members may attend elementary school Christmas programs.
•Approved leaves of absence for custodian Teffney Lowe, fifth grade teacher Kristen Gibson and instructional assistant Kelly Moser.
•Accepted the retirement resignation of speech pathologist Susan Johnsonbaugh.
•Accepted the resignations of JCHS head cook Laura Wimmer and instructional assistant Brittany Muhlenkamp.
•Approved extra-curricular assignments for Andy Pfeifer as assistant wrestling coach at JCHS and Susan Garringer as girls tennis coach at JCHS.
•Approved field trips by the Spanish III class, the JCHS band and the FFA.[[In-content Ad]]
With an Indiana Education Employment Relations Board fact-finder’s ruling on this year’s contract between Jay Schools and the JCTA still pending, both the board and the teachers’ association turned their attention to the health insurance issue.
David Golden of the JCTA’s insurance committee suggested the school corporation explore the concept of establishing its own clinic as a way of cutting costs and look for ways to avoid the big hit some teachers are taking when trying to meet their deductibles.
“I see a lot of reasons why we ought to look at this,” Golden said of the clinic concept.
Board member Ron Laux noted that the idea had been kicked around for years but had never come together.
“It sounds like a good idea,” he said.
“We looked at clinics a few years ago,” noted superintendent Tim Long.
Golden pointed out that teachers who moved to Plan D this summer had to meet a $3,000 deductible this fall then will be required to meet another $3,000 deductible beginning in January.
“We hope you as a board and administration will work on that issue with us,” he said.
The shift to new insurance plans was a result of Jay Schools coming into compliance with House Enrolled Act 1260, which board members noted was a one-time occurrence.
“This year is just an anomaly,” said board member Mike Masters.
Long indicated a meeting on the insurance issues will be scheduled before the end of the year.
Meanwhile an additional appropriation to pay year-end insurance claims, which had been a contentious issue in October, was approved unanimously by the board Monday.
The move appropriates $900,000 for health insurance claims and $25,000 for capital repairs.
Any funds that are not spent will revert to the general fund.
JCTA members had challenged the additional appropriation in October, viewing it as an attempt to “hide” money prior to a fact-finding hearing.
Business manager Brad DeRome said Monday Jay Schools is on pace to incur $900,000 more in medical expenses than last year.
In other business, the board:
•Unanimously approved borrowing $1.1 million in January from the Indiana Bond Bank for the capital projects fund in advance of the school corporation’s future property tax revenues. An interest rate of less than one percent is expected.
•Heard Trent Paxson, director of testing and assessment, report that the A to F ratings for schools should be released on a preliminary basis on either Nov. 15 or Nov. 22.
•Learned Glenda Ritz, state superintendent of public instruction, will be the featured speaker at Score Big with Your Character Night on Nov. 19. The event will be held in the Jay County High School auxiliary gym and will include elementary school basketball scrimmages. The event begins at 5:30 p.m., with Ritz scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $1.50 per person, capped at $6 per family.
•Received an initial draft of the 2014-15 school calendar, which will be the subject of discussions with the JCTA and be brought back to the board for action in December. The tentative calendar calls for the first student day in the 2014-15 school year to be Aug. 11 and the last student day to be May 21.
•Received for review 10 different policy revisions bringing policies into compliance with changes in state and federal law. Those updates include policies on tobacco, equal educational opportunity, drug and alcohol testing for employees with commercial drivers’ licenses, electronic monitoring and access to school corporation technology.
•Heard Paxson report there are currently 27 student teachers from six different colleges and universities now working in seven schools in the corporation.
•Moved its Dec. 16 meeting to 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. so board members may attend elementary school Christmas programs.
•Approved leaves of absence for custodian Teffney Lowe, fifth grade teacher Kristen Gibson and instructional assistant Kelly Moser.
•Accepted the retirement resignation of speech pathologist Susan Johnsonbaugh.
•Accepted the resignations of JCHS head cook Laura Wimmer and instructional assistant Brittany Muhlenkamp.
•Approved extra-curricular assignments for Andy Pfeifer as assistant wrestling coach at JCHS and Susan Garringer as girls tennis coach at JCHS.
•Approved field trips by the Spanish III class, the JCHS band and the FFA.[[In-content Ad]]
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