Time to end health benefits for trustees

This week The Recorder ran a two-part series on the practice by Porterville Unified School District that provides health care coverage to elected board members and their families. It is a practice that has become too costly to continue.

Based on the work of John Hardin, it was learned that providing health care coverage to current and past board members and their families cost more than $440,000 a year over the past five years. Now, Hardin has been at odds with the district for quite some time, but that should not take away from what he has found.

Providing health coverage to trustees 25 or more years ago was maybe not such a bad idea. But, over the past 20 years those costs have skyrocketed. Where the cost was not that significant then, today it is the possible difference between hiring five more teachers, adding programs or covering travel costs for bands and athletic teams.

The City of Visalia has found itself in a pickle as well over health coverage promised to employees. At some time years ago, it was implied that Visalia would offer lifetime health coverage to its employees even after they retire. Those employees took it that their premium would never increase as well. Today, the practice is costing that city in excess of $2 million a year.

In 1995, the Porterville board ended the practice of providing lifetime benefits to any trustee who served three terms or more. Today, there are still eight former board members receiving the benefits for themselves and their families.

We do stop short of calling on the district to end that coverage. A promise is a promise. We are glad the board took action to end that perk 17 years ago, but it should honor its commitment to those former board members.

Now, the board needs to do the right thing and end offering health coverage to current board members. Getting elected to serve on a school board should not be a paid position. We do not feel that is the reason those board members ran, so losing the perk should not have any bearing on their serving or discourage anyone else from seeking office to the school board.

We know there has been some finger-pointing here, but we are not finding fault for any present or past board member for getting the perk. But, in light of tightening budgets and cutbacks, the benefits should end now and the money saved should go directly to the classroom.