ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst School District 205’s board on Monday morning demanded the district’s insurance committee reach an agreement on health insurance for next year.
The school district is facing its third year in a row with double-digit percentage increases in health insurance costs. Last year’s was 37 percent. This is happening while the district has budgeted a $5.8 million deficit for this school year.
“While there are components of a proposal that the insurance committee has reached agreement on, there are also outstanding issues that remain in a deadlock vote,” school board President Athena Arvanitis said in a prepared statement.
Click Here: cheap newcastle knights jersey
Find out what's happening in Elmhurstwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
She said the district’s teachers union contract requires the committee to send the board a complete proposal with a majority vote.
“This motion demands the committee do so,” Arvanitis said. “If the committee is unable to send such a proposal, the board will vote on an insurance plan at its next meeting.”
Find out what's happening in Elmhurstwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The board voted unanimously to issue the demand. That followed a nearly half-hour closed meeting.
The 12-member committee is divided equally between representatives of unions and the administration. Four members are from the teachers union and one each from the custodian and support staff unions.
Two of the administration’s members are board members Jim Collins and Kelly Henry.
At a board meeting last week, members voted unanimously to delay consideration of an insurance contract. At the time, member Kara Caforio suggested the insurance committee “go back to work and find a little more cost savings.”
The next school board meeting is set for Oct. 15.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.