Union contract may raise other costs

Any health-care cost increase teachers get in their current contract negotiations with Huntley Unit District 158 will have a costly ripple effect.

The district's contract with the union for bus drivers and other support staff states the employees will get the same health insurance benefits teachers receive.

Oddly, the teachers contract proposal would actually increase the cost of insuring bus drivers and support staff more than it would raise the cost of insuring teachers.

This year, the district will spend $1.1 million on health insurance for support staff.

The district would spend at least $861,000, or 78 percent, more on health insurance for support staff next year under the teachers' plan.

The cost of insuring teachers, in comparison, would rise by about $852,000 under the their proposal.

Most of the increase in insuring support staff would be driven by a $3,600 stipend in the teachers' plan for employees who opt out of district insurance. The stipend would account for at least $659,000 of the increase.

The rest of the increase under the teachers' plan would be fueled by increases in the district's monthly contributions toward employees' health insurance.

The teachers' proposal would probably be even more costly because the $3,600 stipend would create a strong incentive for workers to opt out of district insurance.

The district's proposal would raise the cost of insuring support staff much less because the district's plan includes no stipends and raises monthly contributions by only 3 percent.

The 3 percent increase means the district would spend at least $34,000 more on insuring support staff under the district's proposal.

All told, health insurance for teachers and support staff under the teachers' plan would cost the district at least $5.68 million next year, a 43 percent increase over this year's total of $3.97 million.

The district's proposal would cost at least $4.09 million next year, an increase of 3 percent.