Amherst Schools
School budget could decrease if health insurance changes
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

The Amherst Central School District could face a 5.74 percent increase in its 2007-08 school budget, but the number could be lower if changes are made to its health insurance program.

At the March 20 Board of Education meeting, Bill Brothers, president of Premier Consulting Associates, said the board could save $800,000 and reduce the spending increase by 1.6 percent if it adopts a self-insurance model.

Brothers said if the district changed to self-insurance, the only difference would be how the premiums are funded.

"If we have a bad year, the following year we have to pay for that loss that we had anyway," said Brothers. "So we're going to pay our own claims, hire a vendor who will cut a check to the provider, and all we're going to do is write a check once a month to pay those vendors."

If the district does not change its current health insurance program, premiums are expected to increase 30 percent and create an additional expense of $1 million for the district, said Mark Whyle, the district's director of administrative services.

Specific figures were not made public.

Ford said if the district changes its insurance program, the budget increase would be under 4 percent.

Another area increasing the district's budget is an additional $150,000 for increased enrollment in BOCES' occupational education program. Ford said the budget could be lowered by another $100,000 through staff recommendations that he had yet to prioritize.

In another matter, the board accepted the resignation of Deputy Superintendent Paul Wietig, effective July 1. Wietig served as acting superintendent from mid-August to Jan. 31 while Ford attended a family emergency.

Earlier this month, the board announced that current Westfield Central Schools Superintendent Laura K. Chabe will become the district's new superintendent upon the retirement of Ford on July 1.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com