Rosedale teachers say ongoing negotiations over health benefits are having a direct impact on their take-home pay and, for some educators, their family finances.
Rosedale Teachers Association President Joe Bono said teachers in the district historically had their health insurance fully paid. Under current proposals, he said teachers would be responsible for part of the cost of their coverage.
“So, they are effectively taking a pay cut because it’s $200 and about $250 for the lowest plan and more than that if they are opting into higher plans,” Bono said.
For Ashton Fernandez, a third-grade teacher at Independence Elementary, the added expense has changed some of her family’s financial plans.
Fernandez said her household relies on one income and that the additional health care costs have forced them to reconsider what they can afford.
“For my family, personally, we sometimes have to make hard decisions on if we can afford certain things. We were working towards saving for a house. That’s not a reality anymore for our family. We have to just put everything on hold,” Fernandez said.
Teachers are also asking for a 2% salary increase and a fully funded health care plan as bargaining continues, according to Fernandez.
The Florida Department of education has sent a letter to Florida districts regarding sexually explicit and inappropriate content in Florida schools. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images, Florida Department of Education)
The district has cited rising health care costs and declining enrollment as pressures on its budget. Superintendent Sue Lemon said the district has proposed increasing its contribution toward employee health benefits.
“We are proposing to add another 101 dollars a month to help cushion those costs. With that 101 extra dollars, there are two plans that would be fully paid,” Lemon said.
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Bono said the additional contribution would only last through the end of the year. He said the association also has concerns about the coverage and out-of-pocket costs associated with the proposed plans.
The Rosedale Union School District and the Rosedale Teachers Association remain in negotiations, with no agreement reached so far.