NL school board to merge insurance, IT with city

New London - The Board of Education Wednesday approved measures that would consolidate health insurance, payroll and information technology services with the city, though the City Council would also need to approve the merger.
In a unanimous vote, the board approved a change to self-insure school employees in the next fiscal year, a move that could save the school district $141,000, according to Superintendent of Schools Nicholas A. Fischer.
If approved by the city, the self-insurance program would also establish a reserve fund in case the original insurance money is spent because of a high number of claims.
Earlier this week, Mayor Rob Pero said the City Council has been exploring a switch to self-insurance for municipal employees since July.
Fischer said that any insurance money not used at the end of the fiscal year should be transferred into the reserve account.
The board also voted to restrict insurance funds from being applied for any other purpose.
The effort to merge payroll, however, could be a tougher sell with the City Council.
The board's plan, which was approved 5-2, with Jason Catala and Ronna Stuller dissenting, calls for the school district to assume the payroll responsibilities for the city, while Pero has proposed the city take over the entire payroll of the 736 public employees in New London.
In another 5-2 vote, the board directed Fischer to meet with City Manager Martin Berliner to explore combining information technology.
But according to school technology director Tim Wheeler, the merger would require additional infrastructure such as fiber optic cables and more training for workers. He also doubted there would be any cost savings.
"I don't think we're holding any fat," Wheeler said.
In other action, the board also affirmed that it does not owe the city $142,368 for a nine-year-old child-nutrition program, refuting a claim made by an independent auditor and the city finance department.
"We've been acting responsibly," Catala said. "We need to move on from this."