Board weighs state plan for retirees' health care

The board discussed how it will repair the high school-middle school roof.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NORTH JACKSON -- School officials are considering a state proposal that promises to provide an ongoing revenue stream to support health-care coverage for retired teachers.
At its meeting earlier this week, the Jackson-Milton Board of Education discussed the measure from the State Teachers Retirement Board that calls for increasing teachers' contributions to the State Teachers Retirement System by 2.5 percent, as well as their employers' contributions by 2.5 percent of teacher payroll.
The two increases would be phased in over five years in 0.5 percent increments, the STRS said.
The proposal is needed, some school officials say, because of rising health-care costs, higher usage rates and other economic factors.
Treasurer John Zinger called the idea a "short-term fix," saying that it won't make necessary repairs to the health-care problem, but it will be "a significant addition to our budget."
Other action
In other business, officials outlined four summer projects, among them making repairs to a portion of the Jackson-Milton High School-Middle School's roof.
Work on the 93-year-old building will include adding drainage pipes as well as insulated sloping to get rid of excess water, Superintendent Buck Palmer said.
Officials hope to place bids for the project, estimated to cost around $500,000, by later this month or early May, Palmer said.
Other projects include building a secure, fenced-in parking lot for the district's school buses on four acres the district owns off Mahoning Avenue, Palmer continued. As part of a Department of Homeland Security mandate, the area would be designed to protect the buses from being targets for terrorism, Palmer noted.
Officials also plan to recycle and replace teachers' laptop computers this summer, Palmer added.
The district will host an open house to allow parents and pupils to meet kindergarten teachers and ask questions. The hourlong event is set for 6:30 p.m. May 10 at Jackson-Milton Elementary School, 14110 Mahoning Ave.