DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / September 17, 2000

LUTCHER – Insurance premiums are going up for St. James Parish SchoolSystem employees.

The school board voted Tuesday to renew the health plan offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. High claims over the last year caused the rates toincrease more than 40 percent.

Though the school system will continue to pay almost 70 percent of the premium cost of the plan, employees will still have deal with a stiff increase.

The single plan, which cost $12.51 last year, will rise to $39.02. The plancovering the employee and one dependent increases from $135.55 to$203.52. The family plan increases as well from $254.71 to $370.The overall cost of the policy has increased from $2.1 million to $2.9million.

Lionel Porta of the school system’s business office and the independent consulting company Marsh USA pooled other companies but found that with the high claims last year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield had the best offer.

This is the first increase the school system has had to pay in last eight years. Though the school system couldn’t pay for the full amount of theincrease, it maintained its current near 70 percent coverage for the employees.

“We didn’t want employees to have to pick up the full amount,” said school board member George Nassar.

Even if the school system maintains a better record in the future, rates should not be expected to drop, said Porta. If in the next two years asurplus in payments can be built up, it will serve as a reserve for other difficult years in the future. Such a reserve had been built up in the past, but afterlast year it has eroded, added Porta.

In another matter, after last year’s successful student programs, Director of Student Programs Elvis Cavalier presented his plans for continuation school board.

“Building Good Programs into Great Ones,” was the theme of Cavalier’s presentation. The three main programs being continued are Making theConnection, which brings businesses and students together for real world study and education; the Great River Camp, which focuses on education, economics, environment and ethics as hands-on learning; and “I Am Your Child,” the title for the St. James Theater production which bringstogether students from both sides of the river.

Also, teachers Chakira Gaines and Teka Steptore were reassigned from Romeville Elementary School.

Romeville Elementary has been the lowest achieving school in St. JamesSchool system, and though concern that the reassignments would mean increased class sizes at the school, Millie Matherne, administrative director of personnel, said certified teachers would be looked for as replacements.

Gaines and Steptore are were two of the seven uncertified teachers employed at Romeville.

Matherne later stated she would do her best in finding certified teachers for the position, but this late in the school year it would probably be difficult.

Though Gaines has already been reassigned to the Learning Academy, Steptore may be held back from Paulina Elementary until replacements can be found. Either she will be held until replaced, or the most qualifiedsubstitute teacher will used until replacements are found, said Matherne.

Hopefully, replacements will be found before she’s transferred, she added.

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