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Teachers urge board to reconsider proposed changes to retiree health insurance
Summary
Several long-serving Rice Lake teachers told the board they learned at a prior meeting that the district may eliminate retiree access to district-provided health insurance and move to a stipend; speakers urged inclusion in decision-making and proposed grandfathering for employees near retirement.
Teachers and staff pressed the Rice Lake Area School District Board of Education on April 27 over proposed changes to retiree health insurance that would replace district-provided coverage with a stipend.
Gretchen Savina, a teacher in the district, said the April 13 meeting was the first time she learned the board might eliminate the option for employees to remain on the district’s health insurance plan after retirement. “This was the first time I had heard about eliminating my option to stay on the district's health insurance plan at retirement,” Savina said, noting uncertainty in federal law and the personal risk as a cancer survivor.
Cindy Worth, who said she has taught eighth-grade science for 29 years, told the board the proposed change left her “unsettled and frankly disheartened.” Worth described the shift from district-provided coverage to a stipend as inadequate to meet health-care cost volatility and asked the board to consider grandfathering employees who are close to retirement into the current coverage system.
“I would like to respectfully propose a solution: grandfathering employees who are close to retirement into the current insurance system,” Worth said, arguing it would allow the district to move to a new plan for newer employees while protecting those who planned their retirements around existing benefits.
Sherry Brust, a community member, voiced support for the teachers and urged more public communication about the proposed changes. Brust also questioned district priorities, asking why the district would consider expanding into daycare services while citing ongoing budget pressures.
Board members did not vote on the retiree-benefit language at the April 27 meeting; the item had been introduced at the board’s April 13 first reading. Board members and administrators acknowledged the concerns and encouraged participation in forthcoming listening sessions and further discussion as the policy moves toward any second reading.
The board did not adopt final policy language on retiree benefits at this meeting. Next procedural steps noted in the meeting record: continued discussion, listening sessions for staff, and additional board consideration prior to any final action.
