The Morrisville Schools housing crisis, as seen by a sixth grader. Mr. Emperor President? Any Chosen Accomplices? What say you?
This sixth grader compiled a list of pros and cons of elementary students "visiting" the high school this week. And let's hope it is just a visit. The high school space as it exists now is not conducive to a permanent solution. A sixth grader could tell you that, and here's just a few examples why:
Problems:
*Bathroom time cut off for sixth grade (you read that correctly - reduced access to bathrooms in order to accommodate younger children)
*Missing 15 minutes of art (last period class due to 2:15 dismissal)
*Routes to classrooms changed
*No Library
*Gym space cut in half
*Little kids eating in hallways
*Clubs canceled
*No homework zone
Good things:
*out 15 minutes early
*little kids get education
*nobody got hurt or died
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Fiddling in Morrisville: An Editorial
From the BCCT.
Dear Voters: If you're not disgusted by now with the way things are being run in this town, what will it take?
We were lucky. We dodged the proverbial bullet on this one big time. No students or repair crews were caught in the blast.
We fought over the money. As the tax funding dried up, we squabbled over what was left rather than frugally using what we had and making the hard choices. For years over successive school boards, maintenance items were routinely deferred and delayed just because we didn't have the money.
We fought over "illegal students", thinking the way to solvency was to exorcise and exclude those who didn't belong. We even had school board members camped out like bridge trolls waiting for an out of state licence plate as a badge of shame and as an excuse to pounce. That thinking persists even to this day.
Then we fought over the "gold plated Taj Mahal." Finally! Finally, when someone stepped up to the plate, swallowed hard, and made the hard choice to build anew to replace three crumbling structures, the nattering nay-sayers arose from their slumbers and nit picked the plan to death. All because it was "new" and it cost "money".
Investment in the future is never without cost. The reward, however, is incalculable.
What was the cost to build the Robert Morris High School the first time? What was the cost to renovate it into M. R. Reiter the second time? Yet this building has provided housing for our students for some eighty years. Expenditure: Large. Payback: Even larger.
I still think the idea of the new school was demonized unfairly, along with the high school students themselves, but that's water under the bridge. I hear the negative comments about the administration, the students, the staff, and all I can think of is that it's better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Yet here we are, groping vainly in the night for a solution.
This isn't about the "new school" versus the "old school." That would be like saying the new school offered a K-12 campus: The demise of Reiter and current enrollment stats makes this a great opportunity to cram everyone into the high school and call it a day. However, that's such a great example of the short-sighted thinking of our "leaders", I fully expect it to be the new reality.
What this is about is leadership and forward thinking. The mere act of producing a new building or renovating an old one doesn't make anything better in and of itself. You can take a positive action and mow the grass. The lot looks great for now, but it needs constant attention, so you make the commitment to keep at it. Your neighbor see what you're doing and joins in. Now there's two better kept yards. Soon there's a third. And so on, and so on... That example is pure corn, I know. But think about what Morrisville COULD be like if that style of thinking was the prevailing view.
It's about looking at today and instead of seeing the long dead past, or even the reality of today, seeing the future. Vision. Leaders have it. Others don't. President Reagan offered his can do optimism. President Carter offered us "malaise". Who won that election?
I know there's a pony in here somewhere. Let's look for it together.
Fiddling in Morrisville
The boiler explosion at the M.R. Reiter School is a warning that must not be ignored.
Like Nero’s legendary playing of his fiddle while Rome burned, Morrisville School Board members continue to fiddle with renovation plans while a school building nearly burned.
More accurately, the boiler at M.R. Reiter Elementary School exploded over the weekend, keeping students home from school Monday and administrators scrambling to find space for affected students in other district buildings.
Officials say damage at the school was limited to the boiler room, where windows were blown out. We’re glad to hear that the damage was confined. We are further relieved that classes were not in session when the boiler blew. School board members, who have delayed needed renovations at all three district schools, should feel fortunate indeed. Call it a warning, one board members cannot — must not — ignore. Delay no longer is acceptable.
This board has done little but fret over the future since the current majority took control nearly a year ago. Voted in to stop a $30 million plan to build a new K-12 school, members moved quickly to get that done. They have since been unable to move ahead on desperately needed renovations some of which clearly threaten the health and safety of district children.
School board President Bill Hellmann bears the most responsibility since he has taken it upon himself to make decisions without the full board’s input. Among his unitary decisions was removing M.R. Reiter from the renovation equation after companies had submitted repair proposals in June for all three buildings.
That done Hellmann and his friends on the board have a dire responsibility to do something — and do it now!
We’re not engineers, but our common sense perspective is that children should not be returned to that school. We don’t doubt parents would agree.
Maybe board members can make that decision without delay.
Dear Voters: If you're not disgusted by now with the way things are being run in this town, what will it take?
We were lucky. We dodged the proverbial bullet on this one big time. No students or repair crews were caught in the blast.
We fought over the money. As the tax funding dried up, we squabbled over what was left rather than frugally using what we had and making the hard choices. For years over successive school boards, maintenance items were routinely deferred and delayed just because we didn't have the money.
We fought over "illegal students", thinking the way to solvency was to exorcise and exclude those who didn't belong. We even had school board members camped out like bridge trolls waiting for an out of state licence plate as a badge of shame and as an excuse to pounce. That thinking persists even to this day.
Then we fought over the "gold plated Taj Mahal." Finally! Finally, when someone stepped up to the plate, swallowed hard, and made the hard choice to build anew to replace three crumbling structures, the nattering nay-sayers arose from their slumbers and nit picked the plan to death. All because it was "new" and it cost "money".
Investment in the future is never without cost. The reward, however, is incalculable.
What was the cost to build the Robert Morris High School the first time? What was the cost to renovate it into M. R. Reiter the second time? Yet this building has provided housing for our students for some eighty years. Expenditure: Large. Payback: Even larger.
I still think the idea of the new school was demonized unfairly, along with the high school students themselves, but that's water under the bridge. I hear the negative comments about the administration, the students, the staff, and all I can think of is that it's better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Yet here we are, groping vainly in the night for a solution.
This isn't about the "new school" versus the "old school." That would be like saying the new school offered a K-12 campus: The demise of Reiter and current enrollment stats makes this a great opportunity to cram everyone into the high school and call it a day. However, that's such a great example of the short-sighted thinking of our "leaders", I fully expect it to be the new reality.
What this is about is leadership and forward thinking. The mere act of producing a new building or renovating an old one doesn't make anything better in and of itself. You can take a positive action and mow the grass. The lot looks great for now, but it needs constant attention, so you make the commitment to keep at it. Your neighbor see what you're doing and joins in. Now there's two better kept yards. Soon there's a third. And so on, and so on... That example is pure corn, I know. But think about what Morrisville COULD be like if that style of thinking was the prevailing view.
It's about looking at today and instead of seeing the long dead past, or even the reality of today, seeing the future. Vision. Leaders have it. Others don't. President Reagan offered his can do optimism. President Carter offered us "malaise". Who won that election?
I know there's a pony in here somewhere. Let's look for it together.
Fiddling in Morrisville
The boiler explosion at the M.R. Reiter School is a warning that must not be ignored.
Like Nero’s legendary playing of his fiddle while Rome burned, Morrisville School Board members continue to fiddle with renovation plans while a school building nearly burned.
More accurately, the boiler at M.R. Reiter Elementary School exploded over the weekend, keeping students home from school Monday and administrators scrambling to find space for affected students in other district buildings.
Officials say damage at the school was limited to the boiler room, where windows were blown out. We’re glad to hear that the damage was confined. We are further relieved that classes were not in session when the boiler blew. School board members, who have delayed needed renovations at all three district schools, should feel fortunate indeed. Call it a warning, one board members cannot — must not — ignore. Delay no longer is acceptable.
This board has done little but fret over the future since the current majority took control nearly a year ago. Voted in to stop a $30 million plan to build a new K-12 school, members moved quickly to get that done. They have since been unable to move ahead on desperately needed renovations some of which clearly threaten the health and safety of district children.
School board President Bill Hellmann bears the most responsibility since he has taken it upon himself to make decisions without the full board’s input. Among his unitary decisions was removing M.R. Reiter from the renovation equation after companies had submitted repair proposals in June for all three buildings.
That done Hellmann and his friends on the board have a dire responsibility to do something — and do it now!
We’re not engineers, but our common sense perspective is that children should not be returned to that school. We don’t doubt parents would agree.
Maybe board members can make that decision without delay.
Reiter: A timeline
From the BCCT.
Be sure to note the July entry below. The school board clearly and with premeditation ignored Reiter and its problems.
Events leading up to furnace explosion at Reiter
January 2008: New Morrisville school board takes office and largely opposes building a new, $30-million pre-K through 12 th - grade consolidated school to replace the district’s three ailing schools — Morrisville Middle/Senior High School and Grandview and M. R. Reiter elementary schools.
July: The school board votes to start preliminary work to replace the boilers at the high school and Grandview. Twelve companies submit proposals for work on all three buildings, but board President Bill Hellmann removes Reiter from the equation. “Reiter’s so bad, I think it should be bulldozed. I wouldn’t spend money on it,” says Tim Lastichen, district facilities director.
Dec. 10: In the afternoon, an oily odor from the furnace spreads through Reiter. After-school activities end and children and staff go home. Later that day, Hellmann announces he wants to hold a public hearing on possibly closing one of the district’s elementary schools to save money.
Dec. 11: Students are sent home when the odor returns.
Dec. 12: Reiter is closed as workers repair a pump in the school’s furnace room.
Dec. 13: A late night explosion in the furnace room blows out windows.
Dec. 14: The school board holds an emergency meeting to discuss the explosion. Officials announce the school is closed until the school is deemed safe — at the earliest Jan. 5.
Monday: Reiter students don’t have class. The administration works to finalize a plan for students to attend Grandview and the high school.
Today: Reiter remains closed. Students are expected to resume instruction Wednesday, but not in Reiter.
Be sure to note the July entry below. The school board clearly and with premeditation ignored Reiter and its problems.
Events leading up to furnace explosion at Reiter
January 2008: New Morrisville school board takes office and largely opposes building a new, $30-million pre-K through 12 th - grade consolidated school to replace the district’s three ailing schools — Morrisville Middle/Senior High School and Grandview and M. R. Reiter elementary schools.
July: The school board votes to start preliminary work to replace the boilers at the high school and Grandview. Twelve companies submit proposals for work on all three buildings, but board President Bill Hellmann removes Reiter from the equation. “Reiter’s so bad, I think it should be bulldozed. I wouldn’t spend money on it,” says Tim Lastichen, district facilities director.
Dec. 10: In the afternoon, an oily odor from the furnace spreads through Reiter. After-school activities end and children and staff go home. Later that day, Hellmann announces he wants to hold a public hearing on possibly closing one of the district’s elementary schools to save money.
Dec. 11: Students are sent home when the odor returns.
Dec. 12: Reiter is closed as workers repair a pump in the school’s furnace room.
Dec. 13: A late night explosion in the furnace room blows out windows.
Dec. 14: The school board holds an emergency meeting to discuss the explosion. Officials announce the school is closed until the school is deemed safe — at the earliest Jan. 5.
Monday: Reiter students don’t have class. The administration works to finalize a plan for students to attend Grandview and the high school.
Today: Reiter remains closed. Students are expected to resume instruction Wednesday, but not in Reiter.
Reiter: The Aftermath
From the BCCT.
Uh huh. Anyone remember the story about the barn door and the missing horse?
While there are a lot of good people who work for the borough and the school district who do the right thing day in and day out, try to imagine what this investigation would be looking like if pictures of a small white casket were accompanying the story rather than workers repairing broken glass and twisted aluminum.
Students reassigned; blast investigated
Morrisville’s mayor said Monday night that the borough will not allow M.R. Reiter to reopen until “our engineer tells us that the building is absolutely safe.”
By RACHEL CANELLI and DANNY ADLER
There’s once again no school today for M.R. Reiter Elementary School students, following a weekend furnace explosion that’s still under investigation, officials said Monday.
Administrators said pupils are expected to return to class Wednesday, when more than 250 children will temporarily report to the following facilities: pre-kindergartners to the Morrisville YMCA on Pennsylvania Avenue; kindergartners to Grandview Elementary School on Grandview Avenue; and first- and second-graders to Morrisville Middle/Senior High School on West Palmer Street.
Officials said they’ll hold an open house tonight at the Middle/Senior High to show Reiter parents where their children will be learning until the winter break, which starts Dec. 24.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said she wants to ensure parents of elementary school kids that the younger children, who will arrive and depart after the teens, will be isolated from the older students and have their own bathrooms, eating area and gym area.
Meanwhile, after a recommendation from air quality testers Environmental Connections, Remediation Specialists Inc. spent Monday cleaning teachers’ books and other materials at Reiter, said Yonson. Although the explosion was contained to the furnace room, a thin layer of residue filtered through the heating vents and into other areas, including classrooms, Yonson said.
“We don’t believe there’s any hazardous material,” Yonson said. “We’re just being on the safe side.”
A preliminary investigation into the blast found that a new pump installed Friday didn’t cause the explosion, which will close the Morrisville school until at least Jan. 5 so it can be cleaned and is deemed safe, administrators said Monday afternoon.
Fire Marshal Robert Seward said the blast may have occurred because a malfunctioning part was allowing too much fuel into the furnace’s firebox. Officials are waiting for insurance company investigators before dismantling the furnace in search of a cause to Saturday’s explosion. That should happen within the next few days, officials said.
Officials said the furnace is decades old. “This is something, unfortunately, we’ve had problems with over the years,” the fire marshal said.
School district facilities director Tim Lastichen warned: “It will explode again if we let it run.”
Following several troublesome days with the furnace, the blast blew out the furnace room windows and spread soot throughout the building. An odor of oil started spreading through the school Wednesday afternoon. The smell returned Thursday morning and students were sent home. The school was closed Friday, so a new pump could be installed.
Lastichen said at an emergency meeting Sunday night that the new pump was putting out fuel at a higher pressure than the faulty pump it replaced. That may have contributed to the blast, he said.
On Monday, Lastichen said officials inspected the furnace after the new pump was installed.
“When we replaced the pump, it was working well for two days,” he said. When he went to check on the heater Saturday morning, he said, “Everything was fine.”
Lastichen said engineers are expected to report to the school district today on what repairs are needed at Reiter, including a cost estimate for a new heating system. It will be up to the school board to decide whether it wants to replace the system or “Band-Aid” this one, he said.
“It’s had many Band-Aids,” Lastichen said of the furnace.
At Monday night’s borough council meeting, Mayor Thomas Wisnosky signaled that the borough will decide when the school can reopen.
Ordinarily, school facilities are handled separately from the borough because they are two individual authorities, “however, this is a different situation,” the mayor said.
“This is an emergency situation. We have a school building that, well, it had an explosion, there’s significant damage, and that changes the rules dramatically for the Borough of Morrisville,” he said. Under borough code, Wisnosky said, the borough is “required” to inspect with its own engineer. The borough engineer is expected to be at the site this afternoon.
“The Borough of Morrisville will not allow that school to reopen until our engineer tells us that that building is absolutely safe for children no matter what,” Wisnosky said. “We have the authority, according to the code and according to our ordinance, to keep that building closed until such time that we are satisfied. We are in charge of public safety.”
Uh huh. Anyone remember the story about the barn door and the missing horse?
While there are a lot of good people who work for the borough and the school district who do the right thing day in and day out, try to imagine what this investigation would be looking like if pictures of a small white casket were accompanying the story rather than workers repairing broken glass and twisted aluminum.
Students reassigned; blast investigated
Morrisville’s mayor said Monday night that the borough will not allow M.R. Reiter to reopen until “our engineer tells us that the building is absolutely safe.”
By RACHEL CANELLI and DANNY ADLER
There’s once again no school today for M.R. Reiter Elementary School students, following a weekend furnace explosion that’s still under investigation, officials said Monday.
Administrators said pupils are expected to return to class Wednesday, when more than 250 children will temporarily report to the following facilities: pre-kindergartners to the Morrisville YMCA on Pennsylvania Avenue; kindergartners to Grandview Elementary School on Grandview Avenue; and first- and second-graders to Morrisville Middle/Senior High School on West Palmer Street.
Officials said they’ll hold an open house tonight at the Middle/Senior High to show Reiter parents where their children will be learning until the winter break, which starts Dec. 24.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said she wants to ensure parents of elementary school kids that the younger children, who will arrive and depart after the teens, will be isolated from the older students and have their own bathrooms, eating area and gym area.
Meanwhile, after a recommendation from air quality testers Environmental Connections, Remediation Specialists Inc. spent Monday cleaning teachers’ books and other materials at Reiter, said Yonson. Although the explosion was contained to the furnace room, a thin layer of residue filtered through the heating vents and into other areas, including classrooms, Yonson said.
“We don’t believe there’s any hazardous material,” Yonson said. “We’re just being on the safe side.”
A preliminary investigation into the blast found that a new pump installed Friday didn’t cause the explosion, which will close the Morrisville school until at least Jan. 5 so it can be cleaned and is deemed safe, administrators said Monday afternoon.
Fire Marshal Robert Seward said the blast may have occurred because a malfunctioning part was allowing too much fuel into the furnace’s firebox. Officials are waiting for insurance company investigators before dismantling the furnace in search of a cause to Saturday’s explosion. That should happen within the next few days, officials said.
Officials said the furnace is decades old. “This is something, unfortunately, we’ve had problems with over the years,” the fire marshal said.
School district facilities director Tim Lastichen warned: “It will explode again if we let it run.”
Following several troublesome days with the furnace, the blast blew out the furnace room windows and spread soot throughout the building. An odor of oil started spreading through the school Wednesday afternoon. The smell returned Thursday morning and students were sent home. The school was closed Friday, so a new pump could be installed.
Lastichen said at an emergency meeting Sunday night that the new pump was putting out fuel at a higher pressure than the faulty pump it replaced. That may have contributed to the blast, he said.
On Monday, Lastichen said officials inspected the furnace after the new pump was installed.
“When we replaced the pump, it was working well for two days,” he said. When he went to check on the heater Saturday morning, he said, “Everything was fine.”
Lastichen said engineers are expected to report to the school district today on what repairs are needed at Reiter, including a cost estimate for a new heating system. It will be up to the school board to decide whether it wants to replace the system or “Band-Aid” this one, he said.
“It’s had many Band-Aids,” Lastichen said of the furnace.
At Monday night’s borough council meeting, Mayor Thomas Wisnosky signaled that the borough will decide when the school can reopen.
Ordinarily, school facilities are handled separately from the borough because they are two individual authorities, “however, this is a different situation,” the mayor said.
“This is an emergency situation. We have a school building that, well, it had an explosion, there’s significant damage, and that changes the rules dramatically for the Borough of Morrisville,” he said. Under borough code, Wisnosky said, the borough is “required” to inspect with its own engineer. The borough engineer is expected to be at the site this afternoon.
“The Borough of Morrisville will not allow that school to reopen until our engineer tells us that that building is absolutely safe for children no matter what,” Wisnosky said. “We have the authority, according to the code and according to our ordinance, to keep that building closed until such time that we are satisfied. We are in charge of public safety.”
Pension Fund Increases Hitting Budget in 2012
From the Inquirer.
The article says "planning could lessen the impact".
We all know what the Emperor thinks about planning.
Pa. teacher pension agency says outlook worsens
The Associated Press, Posted on Fri, Dec. 12, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's public school pension fund says school districts should try to start saving for an expected increase in costs starting in 2012.
The Public School Employees Retirement System announced Friday that the amount of payroll that school districts and the state will have to contribute that year is now expected to be more than 16 percent, up from earlier projections of about 11 percent.
The system's board of trustees says next year's employer contribution rate will be just under 5 percent, fractionally higher than the current year's.
Pension system officials say planning could lessen the impact of the dramatic increase expected to hit in four years.
The pension fund's investment portfolio was $55 billion at the end of September.
-------------------------------------------------------
Friday, December 12, 2008
PA school pension subsidy will nearly quadruple to $2.3B by 2012-13
New data from the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System projects taxpayers' "employer contribution" to school teacher and administrator pension and retiree health care will nearly quadruple by 2012-13, to $3.2 billion, from $595 million this year.
Pensions for retired teachers and administrators are paid partly by investment profits, and partly by teacher payroll deductions; the rest is funded by state and school district taxpayers. Under the current subsidy formula, which takes into account investment profits and losses for the past several years, next year's contribution rate will go up only slightly, to 4.78 percent next year, from the current 4.76 percent, but the rate will make a "dramatic" increase in 2012-13, more than tripling to 16.40 percent, executive director Jeffrey B. Clay warned.
The actual cost will go up even faster than the rate, because the state expects teacher payroll to zoom to $14.1 billion, from $12.5 billion. Clay urged Pennsylvania school boards to set aside money for the increase now, despite the weak economy, because the state is losing money on its pension fund investments as values fall.
The article says "planning could lessen the impact".
We all know what the Emperor thinks about planning.
Pa. teacher pension agency says outlook worsens
The Associated Press, Posted on Fri, Dec. 12, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's public school pension fund says school districts should try to start saving for an expected increase in costs starting in 2012.
The Public School Employees Retirement System announced Friday that the amount of payroll that school districts and the state will have to contribute that year is now expected to be more than 16 percent, up from earlier projections of about 11 percent.
The system's board of trustees says next year's employer contribution rate will be just under 5 percent, fractionally higher than the current year's.
Pension system officials say planning could lessen the impact of the dramatic increase expected to hit in four years.
The pension fund's investment portfolio was $55 billion at the end of September.
-------------------------------------------------------
Friday, December 12, 2008
PA school pension subsidy will nearly quadruple to $2.3B by 2012-13
New data from the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System projects taxpayers' "employer contribution" to school teacher and administrator pension and retiree health care will nearly quadruple by 2012-13, to $3.2 billion, from $595 million this year.
Pensions for retired teachers and administrators are paid partly by investment profits, and partly by teacher payroll deductions; the rest is funded by state and school district taxpayers. Under the current subsidy formula, which takes into account investment profits and losses for the past several years, next year's contribution rate will go up only slightly, to 4.78 percent next year, from the current 4.76 percent, but the rate will make a "dramatic" increase in 2012-13, more than tripling to 16.40 percent, executive director Jeffrey B. Clay warned.
The actual cost will go up even faster than the rate, because the state expects teacher payroll to zoom to $14.1 billion, from $12.5 billion. Clay urged Pennsylvania school boards to set aside money for the increase now, despite the weak economy, because the state is losing money on its pension fund investments as values fall.
State Health Insurance?
From the BCCT.
Pa. school boards resist state health insurance
By MARTHA RAFFAELE
The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The spiraling cost of health care is a constant lament of Pennsylvania school boards whenever they draw up their annual budgets.
Their consternation, however, wasn't enough to overcome their skepticism during the 2007-08 legislative session about a proposal that Gov. Ed Rendell said could reduce those expenses , and rein in property-tax increases.
With great fanfare, Rendell in September 2007 advocated legislation to create a special benefits board to look into establishing a statewide health insurance plan for all of the state's school districts. A handful of other states have adopted similar approaches.
A bill was introduced in the House, but it stalled in committee and died when the General Assembly's session concluded last month.
A statewide plan would help control school employee health benefit costs by spreading the risk more widely, managing benefits better and lowering school administrative costs, Rendell said. In a trade-off, employee unions would give up the right to bargain for better health insurance benefits during contract negotiations.
Rendell has said school districts spend about $1.5 billion annually on medical and prescription drug insurance, or $1 out of every $6 in school property taxes collected. A 2004 legislative study said school districts could save up to $585 million a year, and more in later years, under a statewide insurance plan.
Many districts now buy individual group policies, while some districts have formed regional insurance-buying consortiums and others buy separate policies for professional and service employees.
House Democrats, who control the flow of legislation in that chamber, didn't advance the measure because of resistance from their home school districts, said Bob Caton, a caucus spokesman.
"Members heard from their districts that they were already participating in a regional group insurance program and were afraid their costs would increase and benefits lessen," Caton said.
Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo called that argument a "stalling tactic."
"From a business perspective, the opposite makes far more sense: If we aggregate our purchasing power, we can buy more for less money," he said. "The truth is that we won't know for sure until we get the data, and that's why the bill makes it possible to determine whether it's feasible to run a statewide system and , if it is , launch it."
Although Rendell has said the state would pay up to half of the year-to-year increase in health insurance premiums, the bill imposes certain limits, said Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials.
"When you look at the details, the state's share is capped," Himes said. "So, if in a year there gets to be extraordinary rate increases, then school districts are left holding the financial bag."
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association saw problems with the benefits board's composition, lobbyist Tim Allwein said.
The House bill initially called for a 12-member board, drawing four members each from unionized school employees and school boards. But later versions of the bill expanded the board's membership to 20 and gave school employees 10 seats.
"If you essentially have a plan where you've got employees calling the shots regarding their benefits, you're not going to get a plan that saves the most money," Allwein said.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, supported the legislation. Association president James Testerman said his group did not push for expanding union membership on the board.
Testerman also disputed PSBA's contention that the union would hold sway over the board. Testerman noted that the state also has a role as a school employer, and the board would include legislative members.
Additionally, any decision to implement either a statewide plan or an alternative plan to reduce health-care costs would require at least 15 votes under the bill.
"Even if all of labor sticks together, they still need to go and find five other votes," Testerman said.
Ardo said the administration expects to renew its push in the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.
"Particularly when the economy is as bad as it is today, it's more important than ever that we figure out ways to save money for taxpayers while making government work smarter," he said.
,,,
Martha Raffaele covers education and health care for The Associated Press in Harrisburg. She can be reached at mraffaele(at)ap.org.
Pa. school boards resist state health insurance
By MARTHA RAFFAELE
The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The spiraling cost of health care is a constant lament of Pennsylvania school boards whenever they draw up their annual budgets.
Their consternation, however, wasn't enough to overcome their skepticism during the 2007-08 legislative session about a proposal that Gov. Ed Rendell said could reduce those expenses , and rein in property-tax increases.
With great fanfare, Rendell in September 2007 advocated legislation to create a special benefits board to look into establishing a statewide health insurance plan for all of the state's school districts. A handful of other states have adopted similar approaches.
A bill was introduced in the House, but it stalled in committee and died when the General Assembly's session concluded last month.
A statewide plan would help control school employee health benefit costs by spreading the risk more widely, managing benefits better and lowering school administrative costs, Rendell said. In a trade-off, employee unions would give up the right to bargain for better health insurance benefits during contract negotiations.
Rendell has said school districts spend about $1.5 billion annually on medical and prescription drug insurance, or $1 out of every $6 in school property taxes collected. A 2004 legislative study said school districts could save up to $585 million a year, and more in later years, under a statewide insurance plan.
Many districts now buy individual group policies, while some districts have formed regional insurance-buying consortiums and others buy separate policies for professional and service employees.
House Democrats, who control the flow of legislation in that chamber, didn't advance the measure because of resistance from their home school districts, said Bob Caton, a caucus spokesman.
"Members heard from their districts that they were already participating in a regional group insurance program and were afraid their costs would increase and benefits lessen," Caton said.
Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo called that argument a "stalling tactic."
"From a business perspective, the opposite makes far more sense: If we aggregate our purchasing power, we can buy more for less money," he said. "The truth is that we won't know for sure until we get the data, and that's why the bill makes it possible to determine whether it's feasible to run a statewide system and , if it is , launch it."
Although Rendell has said the state would pay up to half of the year-to-year increase in health insurance premiums, the bill imposes certain limits, said Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials.
"When you look at the details, the state's share is capped," Himes said. "So, if in a year there gets to be extraordinary rate increases, then school districts are left holding the financial bag."
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association saw problems with the benefits board's composition, lobbyist Tim Allwein said.
The House bill initially called for a 12-member board, drawing four members each from unionized school employees and school boards. But later versions of the bill expanded the board's membership to 20 and gave school employees 10 seats.
"If you essentially have a plan where you've got employees calling the shots regarding their benefits, you're not going to get a plan that saves the most money," Allwein said.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, supported the legislation. Association president James Testerman said his group did not push for expanding union membership on the board.
Testerman also disputed PSBA's contention that the union would hold sway over the board. Testerman noted that the state also has a role as a school employer, and the board would include legislative members.
Additionally, any decision to implement either a statewide plan or an alternative plan to reduce health-care costs would require at least 15 votes under the bill.
"Even if all of labor sticks together, they still need to go and find five other votes," Testerman said.
Ardo said the administration expects to renew its push in the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.
"Particularly when the economy is as bad as it is today, it's more important than ever that we figure out ways to save money for taxpayers while making government work smarter," he said.
,,,
Martha Raffaele covers education and health care for The Associated Press in Harrisburg. She can be reached at mraffaele(at)ap.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)