The Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corp. school board unanimously voted to reduce the hours that part-time employees, substitute teachers, and lay coaches work per week by May 1. All board members were present.
The decision will impact 57 RBBCSC employees.
“It’s going to cost them two and a half hours of pay a week and they aren’t making much to start with,” said RBBCSC Superintendent Steven Kain.
The cuts come in response to rules soon to be put into effect by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The school corporation must offer health insurance to 95% of employees working an average of 30 or more hours a week. That would cost an estimated $1 million. If it failed to offer the insurance to qualified workers, it would be fined by the IRS. If employees then sought insurance from a government insurer, the school corporation would be fined again.
“There is no money to offer insurance,” said Dana Kerr, board president.
“I don’t see a good way to handle it other than reducing everyone to five and a half hours,” Kain said.
The IRS will only count the time seasonal employees work in their averages. Kain gave the example of lay coaches to explain.
“The IRS doesn’t care about the 24 weeks they’re not working. They look at the 12 weeks they were working,” he said.
Board member Randy Wright asked how employee hours will be tracked. Kain told him that time sheets will be kept, though they are likely headed toward time clocks.
“It’s very complicated,” Kain said. “It’s probably a good retirement plan for attorneys.”
“The reduction was horrible for all of us,” Kerr said of the unanimous vote.
Health insurance will continue for employees already receiving it.
The federal government also required the school to increase the price of lunch by 10 cents beginning next academic year.
Board member Larry Thrasher explained it as the government saying, “We’re going to give you this much, but you’ve got to charge this much.”
“This is not going to be a boondoggle to the lunch fund,” Kain said. “It’s actually going to be a negative.”
According to him, the 10-cent increase will not keep pace with increased food costs.
Breakfast prices will stay the same.
Assistant Superintendent Carol Gardiner announced that Edgewood Primary School and Edgewood Intermediate School will be receiving a 21st Century Learning Grant from the YMCA worth $380,000 over three years. The grant will aid in a collaborative learning effort between the two schools, the Boys & Girls Club, and the YMCA.
She also read the IREAD-3 results. At Stinesville Elementary School, 94% of all students passed, 97% if exempted students are taken out of the total. At Edgewood Intermediate School, 88% of all students passed, 94% with exempted students removed. Overall, 89% of students passed, 95% with exemptions removed.
The mission statement revision and policy proposals from the last meeting were unanimously approved by the board.
RBBCSC Director of Health Services Eileen Goss will retire effective April 30.
Two coaching appointments were made. Adrianne Ashkin was tapped to coach Edgewood Junior High School girls track and Jeffery Allen will be her assistant coach.
The next meeting of the RBBCSC school board will take place in the School Services Building May 20 at 7 p.m.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2013. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.