We all know healthcare is one of the biggest sticking points
in school district/employee negotiations, now we have a study of
school business officials that says healthcare is THE BIGGEST bargaining
issue that leads to stalls in negotiations. Now both sides are spending
additional dollars to train their negotiators to bargain for better health
insurance results according to a School Board News story.



Schools are already frequently reaching impasse on this issue and there is no
sign of a decrease in tensions.  Most union negotiators I have recently
spoke with have made healthcare their top priority, even over pay increases. Of
course, there is a change in the roles of the negotiators on this issue.
Typically, it is the district attempting to hold their ground on issues such as
pay while the union makes extravagant requests, but on healthcare, it is the unions
who are trying to hold their ground against proposals of higher deductibles and
reduced coverage from districts.



This is a hot, hot issue, and it cannot be solved by schools alone. Teachers,
as some of our most valued public employees, deserve healthcare at the expense
of the public, but the shoestring budgets of schools simply do not allow them
to provide adequate healthcare while maintaining all other services. On this
issue, it is time for legislative action and state policy solutions. What those
solutions are needs to be debated, but the district by district approach to
this issue is just going to lead to more impasses, lockouts, and ultimately a
disincentive to join the teaching force. How can we expect math and science
teachers to give up their full healthcare plans at corporations to get stripped
down plans from public schools?