Employee benefit study in the works

by Judy Stringer

Oct. 14 school board meeting

The Hudson City School District Board of Education voted in favor of a contract with the James B. Oswald Company in which Oswald will evaluate and make recommendations related to the benefits offered to school district employees.

The cost of the contract is not to exceed $11 per employee per month for a period of one year. Based on the district’s 2023-2024 quality profile, it has 648 employees, pegging the value of the contract at approximately $85,000.

Board President Steve DiMauro said the purpose of the Oswald study is to “evaluate where we’re at and how we can continue to look for ways to enhance the services being provided to our entire staff, while being as efficient and effective as we can possibly be.”

Board member Tom Tobin called the contract “a good investment,” saying that he is “very happy that we’re giving this the attention that it needs, so that we’re properly compensating our team.”

In other decisions, the board approved a resolution that will increase the insurance premium paid by employees by 4% in 2025. The district currently has a balance of $4.1 million in its self-insurance fund, slightly above a $3.9 million target, according to background materials provided to the board. The premiums boost is expected to help maintain the targeted fund balance in the face of increasing costs.

It also passed the sixth addendum to a contract with student transportation services provider Petermann LTD that extends services to June 30, 2027. The agreement calls for a 10% increase in contract prices in year one, followed by 3% increases in year two and three. ∞