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“We need to become competitive with someone," stated Don Bomberger, chairman of the RCEA benefits committee, in asking the Rappahannock board to consider providing at least some fringe benefits to county teachers.
As of the 1979-80 school year, 128 school divisions out of 135 in Virginia paid all or part of the premium for some insurance program for 98.06 per cent of the state’s teachers, according to Bomberger. Rappahannock's faculty falls into the two per cent who receive no benefits.
Premiums on the mandatory life insurance are paid by 102 school divisions. The state requires all teachers to carry this policy no matter what other life insurance protection they may already have.
Bomberger said he’d heard that Rappahannock's school board will consider paying premiums on the mandatory policy only if teachers make the school board the beneficiary of the policy.
The RCEA ranked benefits in order of priority as mandatory life insurance first, full premiums for health insurance second, paid local retirement plan third and dental insurance fourth.
Bomberger noted that 119 out of 135 Virginia school divisions pay part or all of health insurance premiums for teachers While seven divisions provide paid local retirement in addition to the state’s supplemental retirement.
Provision of benefits will make teacher recruitment easier, Bomberger maintained. Rappahannock currently ranks 84th out of 135 divisions in starting salary, 116th when benefits are included as a part of toal salary and 124rd if the maximum salaries in the divisions with lower starting salaries are taken into account.
90.6%