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Bedford board approves retirement, teacher MOU and OPC deal; switches health-insurance administration
Summary
On Nov. 20 the board approved the retirement of Mr. Andrew Johnson, ratified a memorandum of understanding with the BEA, accepted a tentative OPC agreement and approved switching health-insurance administration from Cigna to Mutual Health Services with pharmacy carve-out to TrueRx.
Bedford City — The Bedford City Board of Education on Nov. 20 approved several personnel and operational actions: the retirement of Mr. Andrew Johnson, an MOU with the Bedford Education Association, a tentative agreement with the OPC bargaining unit, and a new health-insurance administration arrangement for 2026.
The board voted 5–0 to accept the recommended administrative personnel action recognizing the retirement of Mr. Andrew Johnson. Multiple board members and community speakers praised Mr. Johnson’s service; staff said timing was tied to STRS and retirement calculations.
Under agenda item 6.04 the board approved an MOU between Bedford City School District (BCSD) and the Bedford Education Association (BEA) by unanimous roll call. Shortly after, under agenda item 8.01 the board approved a tentative agreement with the OPC. Officer Calhoun, OPC president, thanked the board and described negotiators’ priorities: a two-year agreement that raised wages for some cafeteria staff from roughly $10–$11 to $15–$18, added a $750 training stipend for bus-driver training, adjusted step-placement to improve retention, and included other modest personnel protections: “We negotiated a two-year deal…we got it up to 15 to $18 for our ladies in the kitchen,” Calhoun said.
The treasurer’s report included a benefits recommendation. After noting that Cigna proposed a 34.9% rate increase effective Jan. 1 that the district could not afford, the benefits committee voted to switch administration to Mutual Health Services (owned by Medical Mutual of Ohio) and to carve out pharmacy benefits to TrueRx; the district also explained it will secure a stop-loss carrier for claims exceeding $150,000. The treasurer said the changes allow more flexibility in pharmacy management and could reduce forecasted deficit spending.
These votes were taken during the consent and business portions of the meeting; the board recorded unanimous roll-call approvals on the MOU, OPC tentative agreement and the 2026 benefits recommendations.
