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Tupper
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Scott Mellott, Joseph Moore and Scott Currie.
The board appointed Lori Pfalzgraf and Susan Henry as high school English teachers. Roger Flinchum will teach social studies and reading next year. Also appointed were Melinda Russell for vocal music at both schools, Tim Corder for technology education at the high school and Louis Reasonover for high school math.
These actions leave two elementary teaching positions and a high school special education position still open.
The School Board also dealt once more with health insurance for employees. This year, for the first time school system employees were eligible for a state sponsored program with Blue Cross/Blue Shield. However, when the rates were proposed, they were much higher than current rates.
The School Board decided to explore other options and found a less expensive policy with Travelers Insurance through the Virginia School Board Association. The teachers approved this choice and the issue appeared settled.
Rappahannock must not have been the only school system that decided to go with the Travelers plan, however, because Superintendent David Gangel notified employees that he subsequently received rates on another plan offered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
Dr. Gangel said that he had previously asked Blue Cross/Blue Shield if they could set rates for Rappahannock school employees based on their experience with Rappahannock employees, because for years Rappahannock employees have paid more for premiums than they had received in benefits. According to Dr. Gangel Blue Cross/Blue Shield claimed that the county’s school employees were too small a group to rate based on experience. However, faced with defection to Travelers Insurance, Blue Cross/Blue Shield offered to rate Rappahannock separately.
Dr. Gangel told the board that the employees had selected one of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield options which offers some dental coverage and will cost less than $50 more than this year’s rates for an individual and less than $200 more for family coverage.
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