BRIDGEPORT — A total of about $2.2 million is owed to the Bridgeport Public Schools by some individuals who were covered by the school district’s health insurance plan but should not have been, the state Department of Education said.
The people incorrectly covered were former Bridgeport school district employees or their dependents who no longer qualified for the healthcare coverage, according to a Tuesday statement from the state Department of Education.
The error with the school district’s medical insurance came to light during a financial review that has been led by the state Department of Education and a technical assistance team assigned to support the Bridgeport Public Schools by state Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker.
Ed Arum, a member of the technical assistance team, said at the May 13 meeting of the state Board of Education that his experience in education and school finances prompted him to conduct an insurance audit in the Bridgeport Public Schools.
“Maybe there are employees who should not have been on the plan or who have died,” he said at the meeting.
Ultimately, the individuals will be required to pay back the Bridgeport Public Schools a total of $2,210,991.13, Arum said.
For the repayment process, “arrangements were handled” on an individual basis with each person involved, and it was “worked through collaboratively to ensure repayment plans were reasonable and appropriate based on each situation,” the Bridgeport Public Schools’ communications department said in a Tuesday statement.
The ongoing intervention also gives the state education commissioner the authorization to have the final say as to who will be the district’s next superintendent, along with requiring school board members to go through governance training and more.
In total, the state Department of Education, Bridgeport school officials and the technical assistance team members were able to recover over $12 million by finding ways to save money in various areas, including in special education, staffing, Medicaid, health insurance and more. This work has been taking place over the past few months, officials said.
“While there is still work ahead, Bridgeport Public Schools is in a stronger position moving into the next school year, with improved stability, stronger systems and a continued focus on students and the staff who support them,” a state Department of Education statement said.
In its statement, the Bridgeport Public Schools said it “appreciates the continued partnership and support from the Connecticut state Department of Education, the technical assistance team and the state Board of Education as we continue working together to strengthen operational efficiencies across the district.”
Moving forward, Arum said they will look at more areas for cutting costs, including when it comes to transportation. Arum said he has been in contact with We Transportation, the transportation provider for Bridgeport Public Schools, about changes.
“We will be reducing the bus routes, the buses that are there. … I’ve been talking to We Transportation for almost a year. We’re going to renegotiate the contract at a lower level,” he said.