WBESC board hears ACA policy concerns

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

PAULDING — The Western Buckeye Educational Service Center Governing Board took a number of personnel actions and also learned about the need to revise its healthcare insurance policy due to the effects of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

Superintendent Brian Gerber updated the board on a number of issues, and provided board members with information on the negative financial impact the ACA is having on insurance premiums.

With insurance premiums rising, Gerber told the board that a revised board policy is needed due to ACA mandates, noting that the last healthcare insurance policy was approved in 2009 before Obamacare was adopted.

“Now that school districts are in a new era of higher and rising insurance premiums, it is time to revisit old policy and replace it with a revised version that reflects the negative impact of the ACA, while at the same time, keeping the ESC compliant under the ACA guidelines,” Gerber said.

The board also dealt with the following personnel actions:

• Accepted the resignation of truancy officer Robert Miller, effective May 23.
• Approved a one-year sabbatical for Sandra Freeman, effective May 26.
• Accepted the resignation of Zach Boyer as an intervention specialist, effective June 21.
• Amended Jill Weirick’s contract from full-time to part-time due to a change in position for the 2016-17 school year.
• Approved additional days for school psychologist Rod Dudgeon.
• Approved a one-year contract for paraprofessional Tiffany Curry for the 2016-17 school year.
• Approved hiring Jan Kohart as special education clerical assistant for the upcoming school year and approved a job description for the position.
• Approved a one-year contract for Lindsay Ebbeskotte as an intervention specialist for Lincolnview Local Schools.

In other action, the board:

• Approved an agreement with SORSA for property and liability insurance at a cost of $9,733 for a period to run from July 1 through June 30, 2017.
• Approved service contracts with Antwerp, Crestview, Lincolnview, Paulding, Wayne Trace, and Delphos school districts, as well as Parc Lane Training Center and Thomas Edison Center.
• Approved Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations.
• Approved FY 2016 HMG/EI service coordination Grand Award and appropriation in the amount of $3,197.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the WBESC Governing Board will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, August 24, at the Van Wert ESC office.