"We have to go ahead and compute the July and August payroll. Those payrolls are created based on insurance rates we're provided," Hooper said.
Hooper said premiums on certified staff would increase from 18 percent of the employee's base pay to 24 percent of their base pay. The board will be faced with an additional $450 a year per classified employee in October due to a $50 increase per employee.
"That's a pretty staggering amount considering we didn't budget for that," Hooper said.
Hooper gave an example of how insurance premiums will increase for employees.
"A little over a year ago we were paying about $165 a month for each classified employee's health insurance, and that's not counting what they paid," Hooper said. "It's now $296 a month beginning in October. ...It's unfortunate because as we try to budget in a tough and tight economy, I do not see how they cannot foresee these types of shortfalls."
Read The Daily Tribune News for updates on this issue as they develop.
In other school news, Superintendent John Harper announced a new policy which will not allow any outdoor extracurricular activities to begin before 6:30 p.m. until weather permits cooler temperatures.
Harper said he understood the inconvenience parents may face due to the change in schedule, but said he would communicate any changes with principals as they occur.
"I felt with regard to the weather as I had seen it, that it was in our children' best interest that we protect them," Harper said. "There is no magic temperature, it's temperature and humidity, and what I'm doing is looking at the long-term forecast ... and I'll review it as we go through the week and make some decisions about next week on Friday."