By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Teacher health was in the spotlight at this month’s School Board meeting on Wednesday night (April 9).
More specifically, board members wrestled with how the district pays for teacher health.
Like many districts, Fluvanna County Public Schools (FCPS) maintains a “sick bank.” Staff members who participate in the program donate one or more of their unused sick days to the bank, which can then be drawn on by those facing catastrophic illness for up to 40 days.
The system was changed in 2023 to remove a redundant program where teachers could directly donate their sick time to a colleague in need.
Part of the policy change was a 10-day waiting period between the exhaustion of their sick leave and application to the sick bank.
Before the discussion, teacher Shery Esch told board members that she had received needed support from the sick bank in 2021-2022 as she battled breast cancer. She argued that the 10-day waiting period would have imposed financial hardship on her family at a time when they could least afford it.
“Anyone accessing the sick leave bank is already facing a prolonged illness or injury,” Esch told the board. “A 10-day gap in pay isn’t just difficult—it’s punitive.”
Superintendent Peter Gretz said the question in 2023 that could be revisited is whether the 10-day waiting period could run concurrently with the final days of a teacher’s accrued paid leave or whether there had to be a 10-day period of unpaid leave before the sick bank time could begin.
“We already pay our teachers peanuts,” said James Kelley (Palmyra). “Taking away said peanuts for 10 days to get what should be short-term disability coverage is insane.”
There was no specific policy change on the agenda, but the board members signaled they were open to further discussion on how to help teachers facing health crises.
The same types of catastrophic diagnoses that lead people to the sick bank can also drive up health care costs for the district.
Executive Director of Finance Brenda Grasser said that some of the 10 percent increase in health care costs in the coming year was due to a surge in catastrophic cases, including one that cost almost $1 million.
The impact of these high-dollar cases is mitigated through FCPS’s participation in the Jefferson Health Plan, a collaborative insurance pool that allows everyone to spread out their costs.
Under the plan, FCPS directly pays claims up to $125,000, Jefferson Health Plan pays claims between $125,000 and $550,000, and a secondary reinsurer pays anything over $550,000.
Board members discussed the numbers and further cost-mitigating measures like expanding wellness programs to encourage preventative care.
