Early-Retirement Plan Could Shave $150,000 from School Budget

Next year’s school budget could shrink by about $150,000 if the Meriden Board of Education adopts the early-retirement plan for teachers proposed by the board’s Finance Committee at tonight’s meeting. The full board is scheduled to vote on the plan at its next meeting on March 1.

As part of the incentive plan, retiring teachers would get $5,000 toward their health insurance costs the first year of retirement and $10,000 the second year if they opt back into the district’s health plan. Assistant Superintendent Michael Grove said that 10 teachers would be retiring anyway this year. An additional nine will retire with the incentive plan in place.

“We went through the numbers for year one, and there is definitely a savings,” Grove told the Finance Committee.

The move would cut next year’s school budget in several ways:

• Money will be saved in salaries by hiring younger, less-experienced teachers to replace the retirees.
• Two of the retirees will not be replaced.
• Five of the retirees will not qualify for severance pay, resulting in a savings of $100,000. Teachers must work in the Meriden school system for 20 years to be eligible for severance pay.
• Two of the retirees will not be opting into the district health plan because they will qualify for Medicare.

Heating Costs Up, Cafeteria Profits Down

In other budget-related news, the Finance Committee revealed that heating costs were higher than projected in January due to the spate of cold days in this unusually bitter winter. At the same time, school cafeteria profits were down because of the number of snow days. As students make up those days later in the year, they will also likely make up for the shortfall in the cafeteria budget, Grove explained.

Voluntary Health Screenings for School Employees

Thomas Girard, director of personnel for the Meriden school system, told the Finance Committee that Interactive Health Solutions will be offering a voluntary health screening program for all school employees. The 10-minute blood test will screen for 35 key health factors such as cholesterol and blood sugar. Anyone wishing to participate will receive a $150 gift card. The screenings will be held during the school day. Employees can sign up for a time slot that fits into their schedules.

The program will be paid for by the health savings account run by the city. It will not come out of the school budget. And according to Superintendent Mark Benigni, such preventive measures often save money in the long run. “These screenings can prevent serious health complications that could turn out to be very costly,” he said.

Walk-In Clinics for Maloney and Platt

In other health-related school news, plans for the new walk-in clinics at Maloney and Platt are inching closer to completion. Community Health Centers will set up the clinics in the existing school nurses’ areas at both schools. The initial cost will be $950 for both schools combined, which will include new phone lines and installation of electrical outlets and cabinets. After that, the cost will be just $240 per year for both schools for the phone lines.

When asked when the final agreement will be inked with Community Health Centers, Benigni said, “I would think a matter of weeks at this point.” The clinics should be up and running within a month of final approval, Grove said.