NSB Responds to NFT Consortium Concerns

The Neshaminy School District will negotiate a stipulation for the health care consortium that allows the consortium two years to prove its effectiveness, Neshaminy School Board President Ritchie Webb said Thursday.

This stipulation, he said, will guarantee that the school district can withdraw its participation from the consortium if it is not pleased with the results.

The additional verbage is as follows:

The District and the Federation agree that they will mutually reconsider continued membership in the Bucks and Montgomery County School District Health Care Consortium prior to July 1, 2014, and after mutual consideration of the advantages or disadvantages to both parties of withdrawal from or continued membership in the Consortium, and the impact upon other directly affected parties of such withdrawal, the District will withdraw as of July 1, 2014 if it is mutually agreed between the District and the Federation that such withdrawal constitutes the most prudent course of action.

The school district's stipulation comes on the heels of the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers seeking clarification for the option to opt out of the program down the road if they determine that the consortium isn't meeting their needs.

"We do share the NFT's concerns about the effectiveness of the consortium plan because it is our goal to maintain comparable coverage for our employees as we try to reduce our expenses," Webb said as to why the district will negotiate the stipulation.

Webb reiterated his statements from Tuesday's board meeting that if a group as large as the NFT were to opt out, "it could potentially hurt the bargaining power for the entire consortium" and would require the school district to aquire separate insurance coverage for the union members. This, Webb said, would equate to reduced bargaining power for the consortium.

"As the old saying goes, there is strength in numbers," he said.