The Calvert County Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously Thursday, June 12 to adopt their fiscal year (FY) 2015 budget. In order to balance the $199.7 million plan, the BOE will use $2.6 million in fund balance. The need for a significant amount of additional funding is due to dramatically rising healthcare coverage costs.

During the Calvert County Commissioners’ FY 2015 budget hearing May 20, Interim Superintendent of Schools Nancy Highsmith requested an additional $3 million from the county government to cover the additional costs for Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) healthcare coverage by CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The county commissioners announced early in the FY 2015 budget cycle they would hold CCPS harmless from a drop in student enrollment and fund the school system above the maintenance of effort level. The commissioners also allocated an additional $1.9 million.

CareFirst increased CCPS’ premium costs by 13.7 percent, while the BOE had only budgeted 7 percent for the anticipated increase.

Addressing the commissioners’ public hearing last month, Highsmith indicated the depleted fund balance and higher healthcare costs could necessitate CCPS employee layoffs.

The hefty increase in premium costs has roiled employee union representatives. A series of e-mails critical of the BOE and CareFirst—written by Joseph T. Sella, the chief negotiator for the Calvert Education Association (CEA) and Calvert Association of Educational Support Staff— have been forwarded to school board members, administrators and members of the press.

“Teachers and staff are not receiving a raise—a raise that was funded by the commissioners to mirror the raise provided county employees—because of the absurd Blue Cross raise,” Sella stated in an e-mail sent out Friday, June 13. “We have a reasonable proposal to immediately save CCPS at least 2 percent by addressing the $900K premium paid for ‘stop-loss’ insurance that only generated $179K in benefits. Is that a responsible and accountable use of taxpayer funds?”

Sella, along with other CEA and CAESS leaders, has asked the school administrators to consider advertising a request for proposal (RFP) for a new healthcare plan from a different vendor.

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com