NK schools forced to deal with health insurance woes

New Kent schools paid $1 million in employee health insurance premiums during the recently concluded school year. The system also registered $1 million in claims.

Those figures spell bad news for employees’ out-of-pocket expenses as well as the school system’s contribution for the upcoming year, schools’ assistant superintendent for operations Ed Smith told county School Board members during their July 7 meeting.

Provided New Kent sticks with its current plan, renewal means employees with family coverage could get hammered to the tune of $1,000 or more in out-of-pocket expenses per year. Those on individual plans can also expect an increase, but that hike is expected to be substantially less and probably in the $100 range, Smith said. Increases for those with employee plus one coverage would fall somewhere in between.

Adverse impact would also be felt at the budget level as the school system’s contribution would increase over $200,000 or 16 percent above the current year.

Smith’s revelations elicited dismay from school officials and administrators.

“It just doesn’t seem like there’s any good news with health insurance anymore,” Superintendent Roy Geiger moaned.

Board members, however, are considering health insurance options that could lessen the out-of-pocket bite and have less budget impact. A decision is expected at the board’s August meeting.

In other matters at last week’s meeting, board members honored two retirees. Shelby Waters retired after 32 years as a bus driver and cafeteria worker in New Kent while Karen Hill stepped down after five and a half years as a secretary/bookkeeper at Watkins Elementary.

Also, the first “Rising to the Challenge Award” for a student was presented to recent graduate Jaimie Lull. High school athletics director Ed Allen said Lull accomplished an amazing turnaround in schoolwork and other activities after transferring at the end of her sophomore year from a Northern Virginia school to New Kent.

Lull, he said, overcame academic and other difficulties incurred in Northern Virginia, becoming eligible for sports where she excelled in cross country and subsequently set school track records at 800 and 3200 meters outdoors and 1000 meters indoors. She graduated in June with a 3.8 grade-point average. She plans to attend Lynchburg College and compete in track.

Board members also received a report on New Kent’s partnership with Great Britain’s Astor College for the Arts in Kent, England. The next joint stage production for the two schools is scheduled for 2009.

Auditions and rehearsals start next February for a yet to be named production, scheduled for the New Kent High School stage on Oct. 22-24, 2009 with one show at Williamsburg’s Kimball Theater. In December, a select group of New Kent students are to travel to England for stage productions there. A teacher exchange program is also in the works.