By Crystal Hayduk
With an audience of about a dozen members of the community, the Chelsea School District Board of Education met on Jan. 26.
During the first opportunity for public input, 21-year veteran high school teacher Chris Orlandi urged the board to reconsider the health insurance company offered to employees following a detailed story about the “horrific ordeal” that his family has experienced. He said nearly six months into successful treatment for his wife’s migraines, the family was notified that insurance would not pay for medication she was taking, leaving them with a bill of over $15,000.
With ongoing medication no longer an option, he said, the next choice was a surgical procedure, which was also denied by the insurance company. However, Orlandi chose to take on an additional out-of-pocket debt of $16,000 to permit his wife to lead a life free of pain.
He thanked district administration for their support while their family went through the trauma, but “… the cost has been extreme,” said Orlandi. “Our insurance company’s determination to not insure what other insurance groups apparently do, and its inability to act in a timely manner cost us over $30,000 and hours upon hours of stress and frustration. The district-provided health insurance wasn’t there for us when we needed them the most.”
Teacher Ann Valle asked the board about member liaisons to specific buildings. Board President Steve Olsen explained that although committee assignments change each calendar year, building assignments remain the same throughout the school year.
Building liaisons are as follows: Chelsea High School – Laurel McDevitt; Beach Middle School – Tammy Lehman; South Meadows Elementary – Steve Olsen; North Creek Elementary – Laura Bush.
Jason Eyster reiterated pleas expressed at previous meetings for the board to come to an agreement to offer good health insurance to the district staff.
Julie Deppner, assistant superintendent, provided a short sample of the new M-STEP, which stands for Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress. The M-STEP will replace the MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) for students in grades three through eight this spring, following legislation last year that changed the requirements for testing.
The M-STEP requires that teachers provide a scripted lesson, called a “classroom activity.” One to three days later, students will be tested online about that activity, called a “performance task.”
Deppner said that one of the challenges the district will face is how the test will look and function with iPads. Another challenge will be how the internet and servers function with the increased demand of so many students around the state taking the test at approximately the same time.
In other board news:
Chelsea High School’s One Act team received the highest overall score at the district competition in Novi last weekend. The regional competition is Feb. 7; Chelsea School District will host the state finals on Feb. 13-14.
According to Superintendent Andy Ingall, the state’s School Aid Fund is “doing well.” “However, with the General Fund showing a deficit there is significant risk,” said Ingall. With the requirement that “… the General Fund be balanced at year end, there may be programs cut or they will supplement funding from someplace else.” At this point, Ingall said that experts suggest not expecting any increase in funding to schools.
Ingall reported that Senate Bill 423 passed, which will require a study to discover the cost of educating a student in the State of Michigan.
- Upcoming dates:
- The next board meeting will be on Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at South Meadows Elementary School, 335 Pierce St.
- Feb. 13-16 – No school in honor of Presidents’ Day.
