Health Insurance Increases Have Huge Impact on Madison Schools Budget

The Madison Board of Education proposed budget for fiscal 2016-17 is all about the issue of health insurance.

The $55.78 million spending plan includes a $1.96 million or a 3.65 percent hike over this year’s approved budget, which runs through June 30.

But of the 3.65 percent increase, a whopping 2.47 percent of that figure is solely due to staggering health insurance increases, the Madison Source reports.

If the increases were flat from this year to the next, the spending increase would be just 1.17 percent.

School and town officials say the likely increase is attributable in part to the changing demographics of the staff, which has been younger in recent years, and many of the new hires are now having children, the Source reports.

The school board’s vote was unanimous.

Read the full Madison Source story here.