Teachers know very well that they continually trade off higher wages for keeping good insurance. Some choose to trade in their good insurance for a few more dollars, which is their right. Others choose to keep the good insurance, knowing that once it is given up, it will never come back. When a patient comes into the office with WEA, I can tell you that the office knows that payment will be swift and hassle-free. Other providers...not so much.

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The irony may be that these switches are great publicity, but actually cost the district money. When the district pays the money in wages, there are all sorts of taxes that come out of the employee's pocket and the employer's pocket. No so when the money is paid in benefits. So, essentially, this is a PR move, not a real savings. The total cost of compensation for the teacher is not reduced.

It took a brainstorm for teachers to realize that health care costs money?

It is ironic that Janesville is meeting with other districts about health insurance. They have been saving millions of dollars every year. How can they save anymore? Other districts may be interested in helping its staff, thus the close relationship with administration. This sense of closeness does not exist in Janesville. To build that closeness the JSD needed to share the savings instead of padding the Fund 10 account.