Dear RVF Members and RVF Retirees,
I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the end of the winter season with your students at school and your families at home. I have an important update to share with you all.
As you may know, health care premiums are skyrocketing nationally. In addition, as presented at the February 2026 Board of Education meeting, our own MVP plan here in Rondout is set to rise approximately 16% next year. I have been working with the District on making minor changes to our plan in order to bring next year’s rise down to 9.1%.
Current RVF retirees pay 0% to their health care, and they always will. For active working members, teachers currently contribute 19% to their health care premiums, secretaries contribute 15%, and paraprofessionals contribute 8%. A rise in premiums means we pay those percentages of higher and higher rates.
When we negotiate future contracts, future retirees in all units will likely need to contribute a percentage toward their health care in retirement; this can no longer be avoided. Current retirees will be grandfathered into paying 0%. Currently, the RVF has about 310 active employees, but the district pays full health insurance for over 400 living retirees, known as “legacy costs.” Covering so many retirees creates a significant financial burden, especially as insurance premiums continue to rise. The paraprofessionals are currently in negotiations with the district, as their current contract is set to expire at the end of June 2026. The Teacher Contract expires in June 2027, and the Clerical Contract expires in June 2028. The many years of past negotiations where the district wanted help with those legacy costs, has frankly now become a need. Action is necessary.
Rising insurance premiums hurt both us and the district. We pay our percentage of the premium depending on what unit we are in, and the district pays the rest. Next year, a 16% increase will raise the family MVP plan to about $40,000, up from $30,000 just a few years ago. As an example, teachers currently pay 19% and the district pays 81%, so as premiums go up, both sides will pay more. We need to find a way to lower these costs.
The district and I have been meeting to discuss ways to modify the current health plan and reduce premiums. Any changes would affect all active members and current retirees on the MVP plan. Because the district works with five separate units (and the RVF represents only three), all five units must agree before any changes can happen. I have told the district I am ready to move forward with a modified health care plan, but we need full agreement from all units.
To be clear, the plan’s coverage will stay the same; everything covered now will still be covered. However, deductibles and copays for certain services will increase. For example, some medications and emergency room visits may cost more, but your overall care and coverage won’t change. These modifications aim to reduce next year’s premium increase from 16% to about 9.1%. While some out-of-pocket costs will rise, everyone will benefit from lower premiums. This change would also save the district over $600,000, helping to protect RVF jobs by freeing up funds that support our positions. With less of a rise in our premiums, families can use this extra money for the increased co-pays and medication expenses. The new plan will also include hearing aides and acupuncture, two things the current plan does not provide. And while co-pays and medication costs will rise slightly, children ages 0-19 will pay a $0 co-pay for doctors’ visits, and their medication will also be $0.
I know this information may be upsetting to some of you. Please feel free to contact me or any RVF Officer with any questions or concerns. This is a necessary change we must make, so that we can stay on our current plan, tackle our rising premiums, and ultimately save jobs. Saving jobs helps us all, as every colleague who is cut, means the remaining class sizes will rise.
On a final note, the statewide Fix Tier 6 Rally organized by NYSUT is coming up on March 8th at the MVP Arena in Albany. If you registered to attend, please RSVP to the email NYSUT sent a few weeks ago. Thank you to the 40 RVF members who signed up to join more than 14,000 NYSUT members from across New York to advocate for tier equity. Please wear Rondout Valley apparel to the rally if you have it.
In solidarity,
Robert McDonough
RVF President
