District working group rejects HDHP as primary option, favors PPO 8 if funding found

A district employee working group convened Jan. 28 recommended against adopting a high-deductible health plan as the district’s primary health plan, saying many staff could not afford the out-of-pocket costs. The group said it would prefer the district fund a PPO 8 plan for all employees if the board can identify about $600,000 in additional recurring funding; members said preserving jobs and avoiding salary cuts should be the district’s top priorities if extra dollars become available.

The working group gathered classroom teachers, classified staff representatives, principals, custodial leadership, the superintendent and a school board member to review benefit options and to bring staff concerns back to district leadership. Anne Holt, superintendent, said the group’s role is to center “the lived experiences of the staff that we serve” when considering benefit changes.

Members described repeated staff feedback that a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) was “not feasible” for many employees, especially those with ongoing prescription or…