Wake schools could raise employee dental benefits costs, reduce maintenance. Here’s why
Wake County school board members want to take a second look at proposed cuts to school maintenance and employee dental benefits.
School administrators are proposing increasing employee dental costs by $28 a month and reducing maintenance spending as part of $18.7 million in budget cuts for next school year. During a budget discussion this week, school board members asked staff to come up with options to allow them to eliminate or scale back the dental and maintenance reductions.
“We don’t want to make any cuts, but we know some cuts have to be made,” said school board chair Chris Heagarty.
Administrators identified $60 million in local funding needs that they said can’t be fully met by asking the Wake County Board of Commissioners for more money. Under a budget plan unveiled earlier this month. Superintendent Robert Taylor coupled a request for $40.3 million more in local funding with $18.7 million in “strategic repurposing” cuts.
School workers could pay more in dental costs
Wake says it can save $2.5 million by eliminating employer contributions to employee dental insurance starting in January. This cut would impact 16,000 employees in the district’s dental plan. It would cost workers $28 more a month, or $336 annually.
“I would see this as a loss of income if I’m expected to put up that $28 a month,” said board member Lindsay Mahaffey. “Depending on where you are in the pay scale, that hits you harder, especially for our folks like our cafeteria workers.”
The higher dental costs could come at the same time Wake is looking to save money by eliminating some positions, both filled and vacant. Administrators said they’ll try to find other jobs in the district for people whose jobs are being eliminated.
“We’re asking our staff to do more work while taking away benefits,” said board member Christina Gordon.
Gordon was among several board members who asked about using a sliding scale so that lower-paid employees wouldn’t have to pay as much if the dental contribution is eliminated. The State Health Plan plans to use a sliding scale for increases in health care premiums.
“We have to take care of the people who are taking care of our children,” said board member Toshiba Rice.
Board vice chair Tyler Swanson, who chairs the budget and finance committee, told his colleagues that they need to make cuts somewhere else if they change the superintendent’s budget proposal.
Administrators will report to the board on April 8 with options for using a sliding scale as well as cuts that can be made elsewhere to keep all $2.5 million in employer dental contributions.
Wake could reduce maintenance spending
Board members were also concerned about reducing maintenance spending at a time when the district has more than $600 million in deferred maintenance needs.
Mark Strickland, chief of facilities and operations, has identified $2.7 million in potential cuts to transportation, custodial and maintenance services. He said reducing spending on regional maintenance and grounds maintenance could include things such as less cleaning at schools, less frequent waxing of floors and replacing carpets less often.
That didn’t sit well with board members who pointed to how multiple schools have closed due to buildings being too hot or too cold.
“We’ve been hearing parents and staff all come to us with questions and problems about the working conditions and learning conditions in schools,” said Heagarty, the board chair. “We’ve seen case after case of school closings disrupting teachers’ work plans and disrupting families.”
Heagarty said Wake shouldn’t be digging a deeper hole by increasing deferred maintenance needs.
Taylor, the superintendent, said he didn’t think any of the proposed cuts would impact HVAC maintenance.
But Taylor said they’ll report back to the board with more details on the proposed maintenance cuts. Taylor said they’ll also propose other cuts that can be made if the board doesn’t want to reduce maintenance spending.
