The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools administration presented a proposal, contracting with Community Health to employ school nurses, but the nurses spoke out clearly that they want to continue as employees of the school district. The board took no action and Superintendent Allen Bourff told the board administrators will be working to answer questions in the next few weeks before the board is asked to vote on any contract.
Every school building in the HSE District has a nurse which has been employed by the school corporation. These nurses have roughly the same benefit package teachers and most other school district employees enjoy.
HSE High School Nurse Beth Hanover speaks before the board asking to remain a school district employee. (Photo provided)
Based on a presentation from HSE’s Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter, some nurses pay would remain the same and some would see a salary increase as a result of the proposed change. But the benefits would be very different if the nurses were to become employees of Community Health Network.
For example, spouses would not always be covered in the Community health insurance plan, the HSE employee plan covers spouses. The annual out-of-pocket employee amount for HSE workers health costs is $4,000, for Community it is $11,400.
Nurses covered by the Public Employee Retirement Fund (PERF) as school employees would no longer be covered under a defined benefit plan (monthly annuity payments after retirement). Nurses vested in the system could get the PERF annuity, but since the formula uses years of service and age, many vested nurses would likely wait into their 60s to be eligible for annuity payments in retirement.
Four school nurses took turns making their case before the school board to remain school district employees. They made arguments that the standard of care would change under Community Health, although Community took issue with that assertion.
The board took the proposal under advisement and plans to get answers to questions posed by the school nurses before the board receives a recommendation from school administrators.
Under the proposed agreement, Community would employ the school nurses, operate the employee health center and take over sports medicine services.
Reuter told the board that Community’s proposal to assume operational and financial responsibility for the school nurse program would result in estimated savings to the school corporation of $1.5 million.
If the board were to approve the proposal, the changeover for the nurses would happen in the 2019-2020 school year.