Association of School Business Officials International
March 14, 2004
Rising Health Costs Hit School Maintenance, Tech and Teacher Budgets
School business officials say the cost of employee health insurance has risen so sharply that it has adversely hit their budgets-so much so that they’ve trimmed spending on building maintenance, teaching positions, technology upgrades and professional development for teachers.
The information comes from administrators across the country who belong to the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) in Reston, VA and who replied to a recent on-line survey. A vast majority (95%) agrees that the cost of health insurance in their district is a bigger problem now than ever before. Over 90% place the blame on the basic cost of health insurance.
ASBO President William R. Fellmy, Ph.D.:
“The significant increase in the cost of health insurance over the last few years has been felt nationally. We know about its impact on our own pocketbooks. But the public often doesn’t realize this hits our schools hard economically and affects educational quality.”
http://asbointl.org/WhatsNew/index.asp?bid=5626
Comment: Educational quality is yet another victim of our failure to enact the changes that we know would improve access, coverage and affordability. If we know what to do, why aren’t we doing it?