CHESHIRE, Mass. — With the help of a reimbursement from Berkshire Health Group, the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District returned the retiree health insurance split to 75/25.
The School Committee voted last Monday to continue providing 75 percent of the premiums for non-Medex users after receiving nearly $200,000 in Berkshire Health Group Retiree Drug Subsidy Funds. The split for Medex users will go back to 67/33.
Last month, the committee voted to change the retiree health insurance split to 60/40 for non-Medex users and 51/49 for Medex users, by fiscal 2021, to be more in line with active employees.
"The committee then heard from retirees who attended the meeting and decided to phase in the Medex splits over the next three years starting with a 67/33 split in FY19," Superintendent Robert Putnam said. "They did not change the PPO and POS splits."
The switch had an immediate impact on the proposed $19,557,372 the fiscal 2019 budget that with the new split would increase by 1.46 percent. Without the change in the health insurance split, Business Manager Erika Snyder said the budget would see an increase of 2.46 percent. However, the district was able to use funds from excess and deficiency to offset the increase.
Snyder said the district was able to make last-minute budget adjustments through the reimbursement program. This is a program offered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reimburse health plan sponsors for a portion of their eligible expenses for retiree prescription drug benefits.
Snyder said Berkshire Health Group received a series of these reimbursements over the years that created a pool of money used to maintain rates. Because Berkshire Health Group funds are currently strong, and its board voted in February to disburse these reimbursements gathered from fiscal years 2006, 2008 and 2009 to Berkshire Health group members.
Out of the $1.8 million being dispersed, Adams-Cheshire will receive $200,000.
Snyder said this pool of money was not entirely siphoned off to offset unchanged splits and that the School committee voted to add $65,000 to E & D in order to keep the town of Cheshire's assessment under a 3 percent increase.
"We are headed into the second year of a healthy fund balance and the School Committee felt it was appropriate to take this opportunity to give some relief to the towns," she said.
A portion of the town assessments are calculated by the state and out of the district’s control, however, the district can adjust the over minimum assessments.
She added the funds will also be used to extend Project Lead The Way programming to Grades 6 and 9.
"This is a source of income that will not be available in coming years and must be used to support only those items that wouldn’t require a year after year commitment of funds," she said.
"These funds will be used to offset the changes in retiree insurance as well as fund the startup costs and implementation of PLTW for Grades 6 and 9."
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Adams Picks Select Board Candidates; Cheshire Nixes Appointed Assessor
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — Voters chose incumbent John Duval and newcomer Ann Bartlett for the two open seats on the Selectmen.
Bartlett, a co-owner of the former Red Carpet Diner, garnered the most votes at 791, more than 300 above the other three challengers, and Duval was returned for another three-year term with 685.
Incumbent Howard Rosenberg's decision sparked a five-way race for the two seats. Coming in third was Jerome Socolof with 465, Mitchell Wisniowski with 446 and former board member Donald Sommer with 367.
All results are unofficial.
Wisniowski did win a seat on the Parks Commission and Michael Mach outpolled challenger Timothy Kitchell Jr. 887-407 to stay on the Planning Board.
Frederick Lora appears to have bested Jennifer Solak as Adams representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District by 10 votes. The unofficial tally is 814-804, with Lora gaining 674 votes to Solak's 620 in Adams; the voted flipped in Cheshire with Solak winning 184-140 but not enough to overcome the gap. Robert Tetlow Jr., running unopposed, was returned as the Cheshire representative.
Write-ins for Board of Health and Redevelopment Authority, which had no candidates, were still being tallied.
That wasn't all, of course, as she was applauded for her 30 years overseeing the town's elections and vital records. There were plenty of hugs and some tears for a closing out of her long career.
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Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
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Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more