Teachers Want Say in Health Premium Changes, Lawmakers Told in Wheeling
WHEELING — Teachers told West Virginia lawmakers Tuesday they want a seat at the table as the state looks to make changes in the health insurance premiums they pay.
Superintendents and board of education members, meanwhile, want more control over who is certified to teach in their classrooms.
Ohio County Schools on Tuesday hosted a legislative forum with legislators from the Northern Panhandle taking questions from school officials. Lawmakers present included Senate Majority Leader Ryan Ferns, R-Ohio; Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld, R-Brooke; Delegate David Pethtel, D-Wetzel; Mike Ferro and Joe Canestraro, both D-Marshall; Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio; and Erikka Storch, R-Ohio.
Legislators listened to concerns but provided little comment throughout the forum.
Jenny Craig, president of the Ohio County Education Association, and Jerry Ames, vice-president of the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, both told the legislators the teachers and school employees’ unions need to be included on the Public Employees Insurance Agency board.
The representatives to the board from education and labor were removed from the board in 2017 after the Legislature passed a measure reducing the number of members on the board from eight to 10.
Teachers have expressed concern over the increasing health care premiums they pay, and how their rates grow as their wages are increased.
“As legislators, I would love to hear your commitment to pressure our governor to reinstate those positions so that we do have a seat at the table to help remedy those problems,” Craig said. “We don’t have a seat at that table, so we can’t negotiate.”
She said the West Virginia Education Association is pushing legislation to help fund PEIA that would increase the amount of severance tax paid by the oil and gas industry from 5 percent to 7.5 percent. This is projected to generate $69 million in its first year for the state, rising to $115 million annually by 2023, according to statistics read off by Craig.
She said the teachers are wanting a “fixed PEIA” system that would stabilize the amount of health care premiums and co-payments they are required to pay.
Ferns repeatedly asked her to give examples of what could be done to achieve a “fixed PEIA” system. Craig said it was different for each person, and it wasn’t the teachers’ job to provide numbers or answers.
“I just know how it affects me, and I know how it affects my mother (Wheeling Park High School teacher Jackie Shriner) who is a Type 1 diabetic,” she said.
“I can’t come up with those numbers for you,” Craig said. “But if we get a seat at the table and work collaboratively — yes, we can come up with a solution.”
Wetzel County Board of Education President Warren Grace spoke to the legislators about the issue of teacher certification, explaining it has become difficult for school districts to fill some teaching positions because of certifications imposed at the state level.
The problem is especially prevalent at the middle school level, where a school may need an educator who is certified to teach classes to all grades 5-8, but a job candidate is only certified for grades 1-6.
Teaching certifications also vary based on what college or university the prospective teacher graduated, he said. There is no uniformity.
“I may have a wonderful math teacher who is certified to teach grades 9-12, and we would like her to teach some sections of eighth grade math — but we can’t,” he said.
Craig said providing more flexibility to school districts in matters pertaining to teacher certification could result in uncertified teachers being placed in classrooms where they shouldn’t be.
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