Plattsburgh City School teachers switch health insurance

Oct. 27--PLATTSBURGH -- The Plattsburgh Teachers Association will switch to Platinum Plan II health insurance.

The move, recently approved by the union and the Plattsburgh City School Board as part of a negotiated labor agreement, will take effect Jan. 1, 2015.

"We are happy the collaborative efforts between the Plattsburgh Teachers Association and the City School District have resulted in a contract ratified by the majority of our members," union President Mary Lou Megarr told the Press-Republican.

BUDGET PRESSURES

The switch to Plan II, formerly known as Plan B, comes in the wake of pressure from some community members for the School Board to unilaterally move district employees to the alternative insurance as a cost-saving measure.

After much public debate, the board ultimately decided to address the issue in negotiations.

"We hope this sends a clear message to our community that, while our members continue to be under a great deal of pressure to implement Common Core and related state testing, as well as deal with teacher evaluation, we understand the difficulties we face due to budget constraints," Megarr said.

"Working together to maintain quality health care for our members was a priority."

'MUTUAL RESPECT'

All City School employees have been on Platinum Plan I, formerly known as Plan A, for well over a decade.

Both plans are offered through the Clinton-Essex-Warren-Washington Schools Health Insurance Consortium, to which the district belongs.

"Our community can be proud of the ongoing cooperation between the Plattsburgh Teachers Association and the Board of Education," said City School Superintendent James "Jake" Short.

"These negotiations were driven by a spirit of mutual respect and a collaborative consideration of ideas.

"I believe that this agreement properly balances the needs and wants of taxpayers, faculty members and, of course, students."

HELP WITH COSTS

The district will fund a health-reimbursement account, which, according to City School Associate Superintendent Jay Lebrun, won't keep employee costs the same as on Plan I but will mitigate the impact of the higher deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses associated with the alternative plan.

"Ultimately, there will be a range of impacts of this transition, but the HRA (health-reimbursement account) does indeed insulate employees to a fairly significant degree," he said.

SAVINGS TO DISTRICT

Even with the reimbursements, the district estimates it will save about $500,000 annually as a result of the switch, according to Lebrun.

"While we feel PPII (Platinum Plan II) will provide our members with the health care they deserve, we still have a great deal of work ahead of us to be sure no one is harmed as we make the transition," Megarr said.

YEARS OF SERVICE

The agreement, which is effective through June 2017, also stipulates that only employees with at least 10 years of service to the district will be eligible, in retirement, for health-care coverage and Medicare Part B reimbursement.

Future retirees with more than 10 but fewer than 20 years of service will have these benefits paid by the district on a tiered scale.

"In other words, 100 percent health-care and Medicare Part B premium payments from the district will only be for those retirees with 20-plus years of service," Lebrun said.

RAISES

The new contract allows for annual salary increases of 1 percent.

With built-in step increases, Short noted, this will result in average salary increases of about 3 percent each year.

"As with past issues, we were happy to work with the district to solve this in a mutually satisfying manner and do what is best for our students, members and community," Megarr said.

Email Ashleigh Livingston:

[email protected]

Twitter: @AshJLivingston

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