Nuclear Option

Spencer-E. Brookfield school board could have cut insurance costs, one member says

By Kim Ring, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

SPENCER — While selectmen have been begging the Spencer-East Brookfield School Committee to review insurance costs and set a higher contribution rate for retired teachers, school officials have for months said that wouldn't be doable.

But, one committee member said, a recently discovered letter indicates that a simple vote would be all that is needed to make the money-saving change.

A second letter, an email, has surfaced indicating that another committee member thought the board should hold "private" sessions to work on the budget, which, if a majority of the board were present, would be illegal.


Kevin Hayes, who was elected to the school committee earlier this year, told selectmen Monday that he had recently learned of the insurance-related letter to former School Committee Chairman Mary Gershman and said it was received in the spring. A second letter was sent to the current chairman, John Howard, he said.

"(It's) dating all the way back to May 2013 to the then-chairman of the board, saying take a vote and sign this and we can move the retirees to 75/25," Mr. Hayes said. "We were told time and again we can't do this, but now we find letters ... from counsel saying we can do that."

Spencer selectmen said they made such a move — increasing retirees' contribution to their health insurance when tough fiscal times hit — and they couldn't understand why the the school department was unable to do the same. School officials said the change would have to be negotiated though retirees are not part of a bargaining unit.

After their meeting Monday, selectmen expressed frustration and said the school department could have saved thousands of dollars during a time when the school budget crisis is putting a burden on taxpayers.

"If this had been started back when they first learned they could do this, they could have saved a lot, and maybe we wouldn't be in this predicament," Selectman Donald R. Berthiaume said. "Maybe we'd be looking for a few hundred thousand instead of $1.1 million."

Retired teachers pay 10 percent of their health insurance costs, while municipal retirees contribute 24 percent, and their share is being increased by 1 percent every year until they are paying 40 percent, Town Administrator Adam D. Gaudette said after the meeting.

A second letter, this one an email that was sent Oct. 9 to school committee members email addresses, except for that of Kurt Nordquist, who does not use a computer, indicated that member Christopher King wanted to hold "private" meetings and that he has problems working with Mr. Nordquist. The email is noted as being confidential ,but the state's public records law dictates that correspondence between board members, including email, is public.

In the email, Mr. King writes that he was, "frustrated, agitated and/or disappointed in the content of our meeting (the previous night)." He said that the meetings make it "impossible to be productive" and that he was troubled by requests to go through the budget line by line.

"Would it not be more efficient to meet as a committee, in private, to through (sic) ideas against the wall, see what makes sense and explore action plans and feasibility of ideas? If homework was actually performed outside the parameters of the public meeting, individuals could actually come to the public meetings with previously discussed and vetted ideas to discuss in the public meeting," the email states.

It could not be determined if any such meetings were held. Two committee members, Mr. Hayes and Mr. Nordquist said they did not attended private meetings.

The email also outlined what Mr. King called "a handful of options" for the school budget.

"Reduce headcount of teacher/staff, reduce services and programs or shove the budget down the throats of the towns. The only other alternatives, which seem highly unlikely, is finding $1.3 million in cuts (other than staff or programs) or negotiate with teachers and retirees on Health Insurance contributions (which will never happen before our deadline of December)," the email states.

Attempts to reach Mr. King by email were unsuccessful. His original email indicated he would be unable to attend meetings the weeks of Oct. 14 and 21.

The school committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Wire Village School on Paxton Road. This is the last meeting scheduled before a regional district meeting Saturday at which voters will act on the latest budget proposal from the school department.