Dive Brief:
- Colorado Springs School District 11 had a self-funded healthcare plan for 25 years, but costs started to spiral after the recession and it found a path forward after partnering with a new hospital system.
- The district’s CFO and employee benefits manager write for District Administration that partnering with the Penrose-St. Francis Health Services system brought a new focus on preventative care and wellness along with favorable rates.
- Penrose-St. Francis also worked with the district to identify high-cost elements of its plan and address them, and it opened an easily accessible health clinic for district employees, providing more affordable care while fostering a culture of health.
Dive Insight:
Districts with an aging workforce are particularly vulnerable to the high costs of providing quality benefits. While many employers have scaled back benefits and worked with unions to renegotiate contracts, districts must consider the broader consequences of doing so.
Researchers from the Economic Policy Institute recently published a report discussing the increasing pay penalty teachers accept by choosing the profession. For a long time, the benefits and vacation schedule associated with schools created an incentive for teachers beyond the base salary. Economic hardship across the states may limit the pull of these incentives, especially as education reformers eye tenure and seniority protections as contributors to problems in the field.