Another bargaining session between the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and local teacher and support staff unions is scheduled for March 30.
District Spokeswoman Pegge Erkeneff says the last meeting was rescheduled so that a consultant could be present to answer questions about the high-deductible health care plan proposed by the unions.
Erkeneff: “This is a plan to the Public Health Trust and so that person will be there and talk about what that will actually entail and look like in actual costs, given what our district’s number of employees are and what’s covered so that we’ll be able to get some good questions answered.”
KPEA’s David Brighton says the proposal submitted in February means teachers and support staff would not be self-funding their insurance anymore.
Brighton: “The nice thing about that is that it locks us in at an annual rate, similar to other commercial healthcare plans. But this one is a non-profit organization designed and chaired in Alaska for Alaskan educators.”
Brighton says the Trust covers over 16,000 members currently and by the Kenai Peninsula employees joining it would set a flat rate for the District over the next year.
The upcoming bargaining session between the District and the unions is set for 4:00 pm on Wednesday, March 30, in the 4D Building conference room in Soldotna.