WCS Hourly Workers Hours Changed due to ACA
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
During the Warsaw School Board public work session Tuesday afternoon, board member Deb Wiggins said when the board approved for wage increases for hourly employees, it also said the board didn’t want reductions in the number of hours employees were getting.
However, she said it was brought to her attention that some employees have seen a reduction in their hours, which was not the board’s intent.
“The intent was to pay these individuals what they are worth,” Wiggins emphasized.
Dan Metzger, board secretary, asked Wiggins what hours have been cut.
She responded that she could only report what she heard, not what was necessarily fact. Her suggestion was that maybe the board have someone look into if employees’ hours were being reduced.
Dan Robinson, board member, said he also heard separately that teacher aides’ hours were being cut and that was not the intent of the wage increase.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz explained that when the board approved the increases, the administration went forward with allocating the hours of hourly employees for each school building.
In working toward Obamacare by 2014, Hintz said hourly employees can not have more than 30 hours a week. If the school corporation allows more than that, it could cost the school corporation $2 million to $3 million because of Obamacare, Hintz said.
Instead of giving one hourly employee 32 hours and another 27 hours, each would get 29.5 hours to keep them under 30 hours.
Kevin Scott, chief financial officer, said the change has been awhile coming. The board has previously discussed it. Warsaw Schools has about 200 employees with about 30 to 39 hours. If all of them selected family care under Obamacare, Scott said that could be a $3 million cost to the school corporation.
Wiggins said she wanted to make sure the public knows the hours then were because of the government’s and not the intent of the school board.
The board also heard information from Greg Schroeder, director of maintenance, about a five-year agreement with Veolia Environmental Services for waste removal and recycling services, and a five-year agreement for a waste compactor and services.
The board will consider approving the contracts at its regular meeting Monday at 7 p.m.
Schroeder said Veolia has the only landfill in Kosciusko County. It generates more than $250,000 a year to the local Solid Waste Management District, which reduces costs for the community to dispose of hazardous waste.
Veolia is the only company in the county that provides front-load trash removal, which is a safer process than rear-load, and co-mingled recycling, he said. Co-mingled recycling is already taught and practiced in Warsaw schools. Co-mingling recycling helps reduce the impact to landfills.
Schroeder also said Veolia is a local company with 30 employees who live here.
By going with Veolia, Schroeder said WCS would reduce its annual costs by approximately $1,000.
Currently, WCS pays $46,066 a year for waste removal and $7,585 for recycling, a total of $53,649.
Under the proposed agreement with Veolia, Schroeder said waste removal would cost $39,240 annually; $6,960 for recycling services; and $6,600 for compactor services. Total cost would be $52,800.
Metzger asked Schroeder if he solicited bids from Stafford’s. Schroeder responded he did not because Stafford’s could not supply everything WCS needed and wanted.
Schroeder also said Veolia would lock the price in for the five-year term of the contract.
Would Veolia charge for its fuel costs? Robinson asked. Schroeder said he hasn’t seen the contract yet. Wiggins told Schroeder the board wants to see a copy of the contract before Monday’s meeting so they could read it.
Hintz said they would secure one so they could look at the fine print.
Another expenditure brought before the board was for 270 iPads for teachers at a cost of $102,709.
Chief Technology Officer Brad Hagg said over the years, Warsaw has purchased iPads at different rates and times. Some teachers now have them, some don’t.
The 270 iPads will be paid for through federal E-rate E-bate monies. Those funds come from a tax everyone pays on their phone bills.
Later, after the first reading of board policy updates, Metzger proposed the board look at drug testing in the future.
He asked why aren’t all WCS employees randomly tested for drugs, and why aren’t parents notified of their students’ drug test results. They were questions he wanted the board to discuss in the future.
[[In-content Ad]]
During the Warsaw School Board public work session Tuesday afternoon, board member Deb Wiggins said when the board approved for wage increases for hourly employees, it also said the board didn’t want reductions in the number of hours employees were getting.
However, she said it was brought to her attention that some employees have seen a reduction in their hours, which was not the board’s intent.
“The intent was to pay these individuals what they are worth,” Wiggins emphasized.
Dan Metzger, board secretary, asked Wiggins what hours have been cut.
She responded that she could only report what she heard, not what was necessarily fact. Her suggestion was that maybe the board have someone look into if employees’ hours were being reduced.
Dan Robinson, board member, said he also heard separately that teacher aides’ hours were being cut and that was not the intent of the wage increase.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz explained that when the board approved the increases, the administration went forward with allocating the hours of hourly employees for each school building.
In working toward Obamacare by 2014, Hintz said hourly employees can not have more than 30 hours a week. If the school corporation allows more than that, it could cost the school corporation $2 million to $3 million because of Obamacare, Hintz said.
Instead of giving one hourly employee 32 hours and another 27 hours, each would get 29.5 hours to keep them under 30 hours.
Kevin Scott, chief financial officer, said the change has been awhile coming. The board has previously discussed it. Warsaw Schools has about 200 employees with about 30 to 39 hours. If all of them selected family care under Obamacare, Scott said that could be a $3 million cost to the school corporation.
Wiggins said she wanted to make sure the public knows the hours then were because of the government’s and not the intent of the school board.
The board also heard information from Greg Schroeder, director of maintenance, about a five-year agreement with Veolia Environmental Services for waste removal and recycling services, and a five-year agreement for a waste compactor and services.
The board will consider approving the contracts at its regular meeting Monday at 7 p.m.
Schroeder said Veolia has the only landfill in Kosciusko County. It generates more than $250,000 a year to the local Solid Waste Management District, which reduces costs for the community to dispose of hazardous waste.
Veolia is the only company in the county that provides front-load trash removal, which is a safer process than rear-load, and co-mingled recycling, he said. Co-mingled recycling is already taught and practiced in Warsaw schools. Co-mingling recycling helps reduce the impact to landfills.
Schroeder also said Veolia is a local company with 30 employees who live here.
By going with Veolia, Schroeder said WCS would reduce its annual costs by approximately $1,000.
Currently, WCS pays $46,066 a year for waste removal and $7,585 for recycling, a total of $53,649.
Under the proposed agreement with Veolia, Schroeder said waste removal would cost $39,240 annually; $6,960 for recycling services; and $6,600 for compactor services. Total cost would be $52,800.
Metzger asked Schroeder if he solicited bids from Stafford’s. Schroeder responded he did not because Stafford’s could not supply everything WCS needed and wanted.
Schroeder also said Veolia would lock the price in for the five-year term of the contract.
Would Veolia charge for its fuel costs? Robinson asked. Schroeder said he hasn’t seen the contract yet. Wiggins told Schroeder the board wants to see a copy of the contract before Monday’s meeting so they could read it.
Hintz said they would secure one so they could look at the fine print.
Another expenditure brought before the board was for 270 iPads for teachers at a cost of $102,709.
Chief Technology Officer Brad Hagg said over the years, Warsaw has purchased iPads at different rates and times. Some teachers now have them, some don’t.
The 270 iPads will be paid for through federal E-rate E-bate monies. Those funds come from a tax everyone pays on their phone bills.
Later, after the first reading of board policy updates, Metzger proposed the board look at drug testing in the future.
He asked why aren’t all WCS employees randomly tested for drugs, and why aren’t parents notified of their students’ drug test results. They were questions he wanted the board to discuss in the future.
[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092