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WBS Pens bid farewell

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Luzerne County manager says sheriff deputy security at Trump rally was required, not optional

<p>EDWARDSVILLE &#8212; The Northeast Pennsylvania School District Health Trust &#8212; a consortium formed to use the clout of collaboration to keep insurance premiums at bay &#8212; had more good news for members Wednesday. The trust will waive two-thirds of September&#8217;s premiums, leaving that money in district coffers for other use.</p><p>The trust board voted unanimously to grant the waiver to all districts, with one caveat: any district that took advantage of two chances to defer premium payments last fall must pay back the money owed.</p><p>The trust had determined it had enough in reserve to let all districts defer payments twice while they grappled with the lack of state money due to the budget impasse in Harrisburg. With that impasse resolved, the trust has called for repayment by the end of June.</p><p>While the deferment was unusual, waiving part or all of a monthly premium has almost become an annual event. Though the trust had operated in the red for several years after being formed in 1998, it turned a corner and began amassing large surpluses, so much so that two districts &#8212; Dallas and Pittston Area &#8212; withdrew from the trust, believing they could save more money on their own.</p><p>The two sued the trust for what they contended was their share of a surplus that topped $20 million at one point. A Luzerne County judge agreed with the districts, but an appeals court reversed the decision, a ruling that held through the state Supreme Court.</p><p>After that ordeal, the trust board set up a new policy capping the amount of any surplus. Exceeding the amount triggers a partial or complete waiver of a month&#8217;s premium. Even with that policy in place, Lake-Lehman School District withdrew from the trust in 2014, believing it could save money on its own.</p><p>The board also approved the final budget for 2016-17 for a total projected spending of $47 million, about $1 million more than this year. Rate increases for each district were approved as well, ranging from 2.1 percent to 6.2 percent.</p><p>And the board voted to shred old documents. Executive Director Ed Weiss said cabinets are full of yellowing papers that have been held for more than 12 years, and trust solicitors had determined most records made before July 1, 2007, can be safely shredded.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ed Weiss </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Weiss-Ed.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ed Weiss </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

More financial help for Wyoming Valley school districts coming from local health trust