Waukesha School District Benefit Changes Save Money

The Waukesha School Board approved Wednesday night benefit changes for dental and vision insurance that will save the district about $100,000.

Despite the decreased costs, the changes are improvements, according to the administrators.

“By being able to offer better plans and benefits to employees, we’re actually saving money,” Superintendent Todd Gray said.

One change was in the dental insurance for district employees. Currently, the district offers dental coverage through the Wisconsin Education Association Trust. As allowed under recent state legislative changes, the district asked providers to bid on the services.

After receiving proposals from five different providers, the district recommended choosing Delta Dental, not only because of its competitive price but also because it offers two “attractive” voluntary plans, according to the district. After the bidding, the WEA Trust revised their proposal to match Delta’s; however the trust doesn’t offer a voluntary plan.

The change to Delta will provide an annual savings of $41,067. The plan is effective Oct. 1 for district employees.

Another change the school board approved was in offering employees vision coverage. Currently, the district doesn’t offer vision insurance.

However, for employees participating in United Health Care, vision insurance could be another component of their service. UHC is offering the district an incentive of $5 per health insured per month for one year for offering the vision plan to its employees. The potential savings is $60,000, according to the district.

“This is a classic win-win," School Board President Dan Warren said. "It saves the district an additional $60,000 this year and it’s an additional opportunity and voluntary plan for our employees."

The cost of the voluntary program is paid solely by the employee, should they chose to participate. The vision plan would be effective Nov. 1.