Columbus City Schools said the district's union employees will have to pay higher health insurance charges after the union voted against plan changes at a Sept. 23 meeting.
The outcome of the meeting is the latest salvo in an insurance "disaster" dispute caused by a bad deal between CCS and an insurance consultant that cost the district millions
and forced them to dip into their self-insurance fund reserves.In August, the Columbus Education Association (CEA), the district's union representing teachers and other faculty, filed a grievance against the district over the fallout of the deal, saying the district asked the members to "substantially alter their health care coverage for the next year."
According to a statement from the district, the CEA
voted at the Sept. 23 Joint Insurance Committee Meeting to not make plan design changes, which requires a large increase in charges paid by CEA employees under the terms of their collective bargaining agreement.
"We are disappointed that CEA is not addressing the reality that health insurance and health care costs and usage are increasing for everyone nationally, but we remain open to future discussions," the district statement said.
The CEA, which represents around half of CCS employees, holds a majority of votes on the Joint Insurance Committee.
In a letter provided to The Dispatch, district leadership warned that the health insurance premiums would increase between approximately 19% and 25% in 2027, but the district had proposed a solution that would only increase benefits cost by 8%. If the committee did not approve the changes, district employees will pay 100% for everything above 8% as an employee surcharge.
The district told The Dispatch it was working to provide current deductible or premium costs for employees and how they will be impacted.
The deadline to make changes to the employee benefits plan was Sept. 23 because of the open enrollment window and the fact that the 2027 plan begins on Jan. 1, 2027.
The Dispatch previously reported that an internal report found that the district could lose as much as $40 million after deals an employee signed with health insurance consultancy firm Aon led to an underfunding of the district's self-insurance fund. Some board members said they were interested in recouping the money.
CEA President John Coneglio told The Dispatch that the district had presented three unpalatable options to the CEA and has not been transparent or provided the union with a clear picture of the problem.
“Instead of finger-pointing, why don't we sit down together and address real problems and how we can come together and have an agreement,” Coneglio said. “Instead of here's three ways we can screw you – have a good day with it.”
On Sept. 21, the CEA announced three demands to the district, including taking legal action against Aon, implementing auditing and monitoring measures and working with district employees to resolve the crisis. Coneglio said members were "tired of incompetence."
"Every single time something comes up stupid from the district, that derails anybody's confidence in Columbus City Schools," Coneglio said.
The union is scheduled to hold a press event at 5 p.m.
Bad deal with Aon cost district millions
The Dispatch reported on July 27 that CCS was considering firing a human resources administrator after it found she had improperly signed contracts and failed to maintain records regarding her dealings with Aon. The health insurance consultant helped the district navigate its employee health insurance benefits package in 2024.
An external forensic audit of the dealings with Aon found the district overspent as much as $40 million more than expected for the benefits plan produced by Aon during 2025 and 2026, and that Aon "generally treated the district as a taxpayer-funded cash cow."
Aon was paid more than $300,00 in 2024 and 2025, in addition to commissions. It was expected to be paid $180,000 in 2026 for consulting services before the district ended the contract early. The benefits plan, according to the audit, forced the district to pay for cost overruns based on bad projections. Aon refused to disclose the dollar amounts of any commissions it received, the audit said.
However, at an Aug. 4 meeting, Board President Antoinette Miranda said the cost overrun was detected by human resources personnel, and no money has come from the district's general fund in the past two years. She said to describe the underfunding "as a district failure is inaccurate."
Although the district lost $22.5 million to the underfunding problem, Miranda said that it was only underfunded by $1 million in the first six months of 2026, meaning the actual loss to the district has been $23.5 million, and said it is not likely the cost will reach $40 million. The district, she said, will not have to pay out of the general fund to compensate for the cost overrun.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CCS teacher unions reject insurance changes following 'disaster' deal
