Lubbock ISD board approves costlier employee health plans
By Karen Michael, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Texas | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
By a 6-1 vote in a Thursday morning meeting, the
The district is going to kick in more money toward the employee health plans this year at
Vinson said she worries about possible gaps in the insurance plans.
Baum said the board was looking at approving the costs of the benefits and can continue looking at ways to address gaps in coverage for some employees.
If LISD employees participate in a wellness plan that includes a blood draw and talking to a health professional about their health, they get a
For employees on the district's bronze plan, that means a single employee with the wellness credit will pay
"That's something down the road that we're looking at. We're gradually introducing different steps in our wellness program," Tarro said, referring to the start of LISD's wellness plan three years ago as a series of "baby steps."
Three years ago, the district's insurance plan was financially broke, Tarro said.
"Now it has some reserve money," he said.
During the meeting, Trustee
"The bottom line is, health care is expensive," he said. He said it is a struggle every year that the district needs to be able to pay for.
Accelerated instruction
High school students who take summer school after failing an end-of-course examination in the district have a better chance of passing the test when they retake it, trustees heard at the meeting.
The problem is, it's hard to get students to come to those accelerated instruction programs, said
Some students may have missed the second test or the classes because of illness or because their families had prior arrangements to leave town, she said.
"We offer the test three times during the year," Rollo said. "They have to pass all these end-of-course exams to graduate."
Rollo said about one-sixth of the students who failed their test returned for accelerated instruction. Some came back for the re-test, but not the summer school, she said.
The schools did callouts and reminders, but about 50 percent of students did not take advantage of the re-testing or the extra classes.
"It seems like we've got to get more kids there,"
A report on the district's Financial Integrity Rating System of
Since the FIRST program was started 12 years ago, Baum said, the district has received the highest possible rating each year. This year, nothing changed as the district received 70 out of 70 possible points in the rating.
"We just try really hard to make sure we do the right thing," Baum said.
The CFO said the state is considering a more stringent rating system, but LISD welcomes it.
"It could require some additional reporting," Baum said.
The board took no action on the FIRST report.
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