To the editor:, In its March 24 article about HVESPA collective bargaining, Hopewell Valley News offers a single quote from the HVESPA president suggesting that “the board of education continues to hold HVESPA members to the same financial burden in its financial offer as those [employees] in the district who make three to four times [HVESPA member] salaries.”, The Board of Education has no control over deductions for taxes, pension costs, union dues and other mandated payments, so I can only assume this quote on “financial burden” refers to employee contributions to their health insurance costs., Let me state unequivocally that under the current system, lower-paid employees, including HVESPA members, pay a much lower share of their healthcare premiums than higher paid employees, with the Board of Education subsidizing the balance. Further, the Board of Education has never proposed changing that calculation., Currently, the “average” HVESPA member earns about $36,000/yr and pays 11 percent of the annual premium contribution for individual coverage or six percent of the annual premium for family coverage. This equates to roughly $900 to $1,300 per year., By contrast, the “average” district teacher earns about $76,000/yr and pays 33 percent of the annual premium for individual coverage or 23 percent of the annual premium for family coverage, equating to payments of $2,700 to $5,000 per year, or 3-4 times the premium contribution paid by an “average” HVESPA member for the same insurance coverage., The Board’s premium contribution of around 90 percent is significant and is a direct employee benefit. We continue to negotiate in good faith and have only gone to the press with specifics in direct response to HVESPA public comments. We are hopeful that we can reach an agreeable resolution with HVESPA as we did with our four other bargaining units., Leigh Ann Peterson, Chair, HVRSD Board of Education Negotiations Committee
