By PAT MULVANEY | For the County Line
The Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School Board approved a contract with Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers to provide a full-time school nurse to the district for the 2022–23 school year.
Under the contract, the district will pay $95,500 for the position, which includes related administrative services offered by Scenic Bluffs.
Superintendent Travis Anderson said the cost of the contract is approximately $20,000 less than what it would cost the district to hire its own full-time nurse. That’s assuming it could get a candidate to apply given the nursing shortage, he added.
The board also approved renewing the employee group health insurance plan with WPS Health Insurance. Anderson said WPS initially quoted a 7.04% rate hike, but the district renegotiated, settling on a 4.5% increase.
According to Anderson, this is the first rate increase the district has had in the past two years. He said some school districts are seeing between 7% and 25% hikes in insurance rates. One of the quotes the district received was for a 23% increase, which would have had a $300,000 impact on the budget. Five companies declined to even offer a quote.
The new plan is identical to the current plan and includes the same deductibles, along with the option of either Gundersen or Mayo as the healthcare provider.
“We feel like we’re in a really good place with the increase this year to remain with the same coverage for everybody,” said Anderson.
The total renewal rate will be around $1.67 million, but the figure could vary depending on the number of employees who take the insurance and the type of plan they choose.
Other business
• Anderson informed the board the school will be participating in the “Get Kids Ahead Initiative,” a grant program that focuses on student mental health. The school received an $18,150 grant for the 2022–23 school year. It is currently developing a plan for the grant funds.
• The board approved courses for the Summer Learning Program, which will begin Tuesday, July 5, and run through Thursday, July 22. Classes will be held from 8–11:45 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays and include breakfast.
• Anna Alison, who made an unsuccessful bid for a N-O-W School Board seat in the April 5 election, addressed the board during the public comment period. She thanked the County Line for holding a candidate forum, which she said was run fairly.
However, she claimed she was treated badly by a lot of people during her campaign and cited some Facebook postings critical of her.