CATWISSA RR - The Southern Columbia Area teachers union voted this past week to allow the district to switch their health care insurance provider, saving the district approximately $170,000 per year for three years and protecting four staff members from being demoted and one physical education teacher from being furloughed.
Superintendent Charlie Reh made the announcement Monday night to the board members and nearly 20 students, teachers, parents and taxpayers that the teachers voted 74-22 to switch health insurance providers.
"I want to thank the teachers for their consideration and vote to change," Reh said.
The staff that will not be demoted are an elementary guidance counselor, a Spanish teacher, a technology education teacher and a family and consumer science teacher, which will all stay full time.
The announcement was made one week after the board voted to eliminate at least 16 positions and four programs to help offset a $900,000 budget hole for the 2012-13 school year.
The board voted unanimously to approve the district's withdrawal from the medical insurance plans sponsored by the Central Susquehanna Region School Employees' Health and Welfare Trust at the end of the fiscal year, which will expire June 30, 2012.
The board then voted to approve a memorandum of agreement with the Southern Columbia Area Education Association, which passed 5-2 with Directors Eric Stahley and Rick Steele voting against it.
"I think we're going in the wrong direction on employee contribution. We should be going up instead of down," Stahley said.
Stahley was referring to the teachers' union agreeing to switch if the cost to employees was reduced from 25 percent to 24 percent while the district pays the remaining 76 percent, and the payment to be made for any employee waiving health care coverage to be increased from $1,200 to $1,500.
The district will provide health insurance of equivalent coverage through a different carrier as agreed upon between the union and the district after a discussion from both parties.
The teachers union originally voted against a switch in health insurance providers.
Reh also announced that if the district taxes property owners above the 2.2 percent state index to bring in an additional $313,000, all positions would be saved except for an elementary school teacher, a part-time paraprofessional and a full-time paraprofessional.
"We are trying to minimize the impact. It's a difficult economic situation and we're all trying to work together to keep Southern Columbia the exceptional school it is," Reh said.
The final decision regarding furloughs, tax increases and final budget issues will be made at the June 18 meeting.