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BCSS to see $3 million jump in insurance costs for non-teachers

Posted by

Mike Buffington

in Education Archives, Top Stories & Breaking News

Wednesday, March 7. 2012

Comments (15)

Like other school districts in Georgia, the Barrow County School System faces an alarming increase in insurance costs for non-teacher employees in the next few years. According to data recently provided by school leaders, in three years, the school system will have to fork out more than $3 million in additional costs to cover the health care expenses for bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodial staff.

Currently, the system pays $296 per month per employee for 572 non-educator employees at an annual cost of $2 million. Those employees pay on a range of $40 to $90 per month depending on their plan.
In FY2013-14, the cost per employee will jump to $446 per month at a $3 million annual cost to the school system.

For FY2014-15, it will be $596 per employee per month for an annual cost of $4.1 million.

By FY2015-16, if the school system retains the same amount of non-educator employees, it will cost $746 for each employee per month to keep them covered at an annual cost of $5.1 million to the system.

School leaders have not yet determined how the increase will be paid for.

For the full story, see the March 7 issue of the Barrow Journal e-Edition or in print.

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#1 Taxpayers jacked up by the new system? on 03/07/12 at 09:22 AM [Reply]

What about the origin of the cause of this increase? WHY are we being jacked up as taxpayers, on the insurance that we provide to our employees that we Need to have to safely transport & feed our children, clean/maintain our schools, etc??

Is this a result of Regulation by Washington,DC to force the Schools into Obamacare?? Ask the Question!! , something is beginning to smell.

Otherwise, the State School system, one of, if not the largest employer in the State, cannot neogiate a better deal or dump one carrier for another???

#2 reality on 03/07/12 at 12:54 PM [Reply]

I hate it but it is a reality of life. The question will be if BCS can afford to carry insurance on part time workers like bus drivers.

#3 reality again on 03/07/12 at 02:13 PM [Reply]

From the above figures BCS pays about 80% of health insurance costs for these non-teachers. The price is going up by about 50% for the county.

I suggest that the employees absorb half of that which will raise their contribution to only about 25% of the total cost. This shares the burden. As further increases come, employee share can be increased until they are paying half of their premiums.

Employees of this type should beging to shoulder more of their own health care premium costs rather than the taxpayers.

#3.1 Taxpayers jacked up on 03/07/12 at 02:50 PM [Reply]

We will probably lose good workers or force them to go without Insurance, therefore still a burden on the Taxpayers.

Many Quality Qualified part-time employees do these jobs to insure themselves to not be on the taxpayers tab, this forces them there anyway, because these jobs don't pay enough already but are worth doing for that benefit.

I still say that the State BOE should be able to negotiate a better deal, Maybe this can CHANGE in November if the rest of America will open it's eyes and Vote in the Change we need.

#3.1.1 Anonymous on 03/07/12 at 06:24 PM [Reply]

If these are the numbers that the non-teachers are seeing, I can only imagine how high the rates for teachers will jump.

Its going to be a very tough year in 2013 given rising health insurance rates.

#3.1.1.1 Anonymous on 03/07/12 at 06:32 PM [Reply]

Teachers have State Merit System and a NEA lobby, so They may have a better deal offered to them, they are higher priority (for good reason). Every Teacher I know insures their entire family (which I am not saying is a bad thing).

BOE is getting a raw deal on the Non-Teachers, Bet our TAXES go up to pay for it. Welcome to the upcoming future of Socialism

#4 Anonymous on 03/07/12 at 02:15 PM [Reply]

thanks to obama and the demorats for this mandate.Insurance companies can rot and burn for using obama care as an excuse to jack everybodies rates even higher .We in America are in the middle of what is becoming a long train of usurpations by the government and there is only one remedy for it.

#4.1 Anonymous on 03/07/12 at 07:56 PM [Reply]

Yet I,ll venture a guess that you were and are against the one-payer system.

#5 reality on 03/07/12 at 03:58 PM [Reply]

Let's understand something here. If a worker takes one of these jobs to have insurance they are on the taxpayer's tab for pay and insurance. Who pays 75% of the insurance cost -taxpayers.

The jobs evidently pay plenty enough to attract workers. The BCS should pay enough to attract workers and not a penny less or more.

#5.1 Taxpayers jacked up on 03/07/12 at 05:03 PM [Reply]

You missed it, they don't pay that well, but they OFFER Insurance that can be afforded, that is the selling point. I want a decent qualified Driver for the Bus 100 of our children are on, many are self-employed for their primary income and being a part-time bus driver is how they are able to be insured and transport our children safely as a Part-time Employee.

I want every dime saved too. (on other blogs, I see for example: the Police Depts/Sheriff wasting money changing decals on already marked cars, that is unnecessary spending of tax money, WPD just did one, waste $) I am worried that we dont compromise safety or hire less desired employees with our children involved. I say there is some balance that needs to be there. I think this is a creation from DC to begin the force move to Obamacare most likely. Taxpayers will be Jacked Up either way (you wait & watch, Your wallet & mine!)

#6 reality on 03/07/12 at 06:07 PM [Reply]

I didn't miss it. What BCS will be forced to do is to attract bus drivers without offering them heavily subsidized health insurance. Economics will force the change.

#7 John Birch on 03/08/12 at 05:14 AM [Reply]

I pay my own health insurance why can't these employees? As a taxpayer, I pay Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, state taxes for Medicaid, Property taxes for education healthcare; Who pays taxes for my healthcare?

Please people wake up to accountability and personal responsibility. The working man can no longer afford to carry all the takers in society.

#8 non teacher employer on 03/12/12 at 12:25 AM [Reply]

Last I was told they were only paying $37.00 of my insurance I pay 361.29 for my health insurance alone not including other vision,dental etc...

#9 Bus Driver on 03/29/12 at 03:35 PM [Reply]

An Avg Bus Driver in Barrow makes $18.49 per hour I think they make pretty good concerting that most of the drivers never went to college and if truth most probably never graduated High school go look on the web site at what their top "IN CHARGE" Bus Driver made last year she made $33,561.o1 an $1,294.00 in travel expense where on earth did a bus drivers that does not have a High school education go that cost $1,294.00? Come on Barrow County wake up and if you don't believe me go look on the web site click on local boards of education and put in any name you want.

#10 Anonymous on 03/29/12 at 03:45 PM [Reply]

here is the web site
http://www.open.ga.gov/sta/entryPoint.aud

GA Departments of Audits and Reports go to bottem of page click on salaries and reimbursements then go to the green one and click here then click person then click local Borad of education then put in a name...

#11 A Barrow County Bus Driver on 04/02/12 at 10:32 PM [Reply]

I graduated from High School,and I went to Technical School I also work my trade,Cosmetology,,Who are you to judge us? Yes I took the job because I am self employed and could not afford health care for my Family ,better than living off the system! Most of us work other jobs That income you looked up is a supervisor ,no regular bus driver gets travel expenses so if you don't know what you are talking about be quite! We all need Insurance to cover our families,driving a bus is harder than you think,we are responsible for all the children we carry to and from School.To make $18.49 a hour you have to have year in to make that start out drivers is not that high. my question is did you get fired from Barrow County School Bus Driver? You sound like a angry fired bus driver! LOL get over yourself!We take PRIDE in what we do daily ,someone has to drive the bus,a lot of drivers have other careers or retired from other jobs,and yes come for the insurance like all AMERICANS do we all want INSURANCE for our families,So you Wake up and get off our backs ,this doesn't concern you, if we have insurance or not! We pay alot out of our pockets for insurance and copays ,Nothing is given to us

FREE!

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