School Board to Vote on Insurance Tonight

The Sumner County School Board will meet tonight at 6PM at the Board Office in Gallatin.  Among the agenda items is discussion and a vote on moving to a new, locally managed insurance plan for all employees.  If accepted, certified employees (teachers) would move to the new plan in January 2014.  Enrollment in the new plan would begin in October.  The agenda also includes a vote to separate classified employees from the current County-managed insurance trust to the new trust managed by the School Board by way of its appointed Trustees. It is expected the Board will vote to separate and move all employees to the new trust by January 2015. 

Teachers approved the new plan in a vote held last week.

The School Board's consultants (Arista Consulting Group) have indicated that the Board will realize significant savings -- enough to continue covering a minimum of 45% of health insurance for retired teachers despite the loss of a state subsidy that currently covers those teachers.  Teachers who retire before age 65 with at least 30 years of service are guaranteed that 45% of their health insurance cost will be paid by the state until they reach age 65.  That's because teachers are currently covered under the state plan.  According to the numbers provided by the consultants and Sumner's recent claims experience, it seems likely that significant savings will be realized. 

Another agenda item is the election of a Board Chair and Vice Chair - currently, those positions are filled by Ted Wise and Beth Cox.