Local School District officials and teacher and support staff union representatives met Wednesday to review the proposal of employees joining the Public Education Health Trust, but found it too costly.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District spokeswoman Pegge Erkeneff says a consultant from the Trust brought a few options…
Erkeneff: “They took the time to take all the information that we sent them about our current health care and put together a proposal for the school district. We know that based on the rates, the plans and the proposal, is not going to be something financially that our employees would be able to accept so on behalf of that the District can’t accept that either. And that was well recognized by both parties.”
The proposal to join the trust was brought to the District in early February by the Kenai Peninsula Education and Support Associations. The idea was that it would level out the healthcare rates that the District has seen continually climbing over the past decade.
Erkeneff says both parties were grateful the Health Trust consultants took time to present very detailed concepts of what the district’s plan could be but the costs were significantly higher.
She says at this time there are no more bargaining sessions scheduled to for the District and unions to work on agreeing on contracts.
Arbitration on contracts between the District and the unions has been set for June 1 and 2 before Arbitrator Gary Axon who was jointly selected by the parties.
