PARIS — The SAD 17 Board of Directors were told Monday night that the Oxford Hills School District is positioned well to meet the challenges of the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act put in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that are intended to improve access, affordability, and quality in health care for Americans. It was signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.

“The takeaway is that we’re positioned pretty well,” said Assistant Superintendent Patrick Hartnett as he walked the directors through the major components that will affect the district’s 900 employees. They include substitutes, part-time coaches, staff paid through grant money and others outside of the 600 regular staff.

Hartnett said he and Business Manager Cathy Coffey have determined that the district complies with the Affordable Care Act’s requirements to offer health care to its full-time employees; that it be affordable (not exceed 9.5 percent of the employee’s household income); and that the employee cover a minimal value of at least 60 percent of the cost of health care.

“The real work was to define who is a full-time employee,” Hartnett said.

He said the district used the “look back” method to verify for the past year who would qualify as a full timer and who would not. For example, they found substitutes, even long-term substitutes, did not meet the criteria and therefore the district was not at risk for failing to provide affordable insurance, he said.

In terms of the minimum value penalty, Hartnett said the employees’ health plans are “well beyond” the minimum 60 percent requirement.

Penalties range from $2,000 to $3,000 per employee for noncompliance.

Letters will be spent to all employees explaining the process.

In other business, the board approved schoolwide plans for all district schools.

Director Don Ware, a member of the Curriculum Committee, said the committee reviewed all the plans.

The board also unanimously agreed to name the baseball field at Gouin Athletic Complex in memory of Timothy Bryant.

The 59-year-old Paris resident and longtime SAD 17 employee lost his short battle with cancer on Dec. 12. He served as coach and caretaker of the Don Gouin Athletic Complex since 2002.

The board approved  the superintendent’s  nomination of new employees, including Donna Davis as district van driver, Philip Landry as district bus driver, Lisa Castonguay as ed tech 1 at the Paris Elementary School, Kaitlyn Mann as ed tech 1 at Oxford Elementary School and Jodi Swasey as food service manager at Paris Elementary School.

ldixon@sunmediagroup.net

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