PSERS Crisis

School districts across Pennsylvania are bracing for the projected massive increases in their payments to the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). PSERS is a defined benefit retirement system that all school employees in Pennsylvania belong to. Currently, PSERS has 272,000 active school employees making contributions to the system and 157,000 retired school employees receiving defined benefits from the system. Upon retirement, a retiree receives a defined retirement pension regardless of the conditions in the economy. To fund such a system, PSERS relies on contributions from school employees and school districts, with the state reimbursing the districts one-half of their cost. Given the very poor economic period over the last few years, PSERS’ investments have not grown at a rate necessary to fund the defined benefits being paid to all of the current retirees without a change in the contribution rate. Unfortunately for school districts, the contribution rate from school employees is fixed at 7.5%. Therefore, to handle poor market conditions and low or negative returns on investments, the only sources of additional income for PSERS are the school districts. Currently, the school district pays PSERS at a rate of 4.78% of each employee’s salary. Based upon a -2.82% investment return for Fiscal Year 2008, PSERS is estimating that the rate for the school districts to be 27.73% for the 2012-2013 school year. If this is allowed to occur, a financial crisis would occur in every school district in the Commonwealth. I urge all taxpayers of the school district and the Commonwealth to contact their state legislators and urge them to take immediate action to prevent the massive increases in the PSERS contribution rate for school districts.

The district will be finishing up first round H1N1 vaccinations this week. All remaining vaccines, excluding the amount needed for the second doses for students nine and under, will be transferred under the authorization of the PA Dept. of Health to The Family Health Clinic of Barnes Kasson Hospital by the end of the week. Approximately 400 students participated in the voluntary H1N1 vaccination program conducted by the school district.

The district began the H1N1 vaccinations on Wednesday and will most likely finish on Monday. Student attendance was substantially better this week.

The district was informed today that the H1N1 vaccine is in the process of being shipped to the district. An exact arrival date was not given. The district was informed that it will be receiving 1000 doses of the injectable vaccine. Even though the district only ordered the injectable vaccine, the district will also be receiving 200 doses of the nasal spray vaccine.

Thank you for your support! I hope that this meeting will provide accurate information to parents and community members alike!

I held a meeting today with Elizabeth Matis (SCSD School Nurse), David Passetti (representative from The Family Health Clinic of Barnes Kasson Hospital) and Terese McIntyre-Delaplaine, JD (representative from NEPA Community Health Care) related to the H1N1 virus. The proactive approaches of the different health care providers and the school district were discussed as was the misinformation circulating in the community related to the confirmed incidences of H1N1. The meeting resulted in the decision to hold a panel discussion on the issue of H1N1. The panel discussion will be held in the high school auditorium on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7 PM. The contents of the letter that will be sent home tomorrow with students are as follows:

October 22, 2009


Parents/Guardians,

Greetings! The Susquehanna Community School District in conjunction with NEPA Community Health Care and The Family Health Clinic of Barnes Kasson Hospital will be sponsoring a panel discussion related to the novel H1N1 virus. The panel discussion will be held on Thursday, October 29th at 7 PM in the high school auditorium.

The panel will include individuals from the local medical community and school district personnel. The discussion will hope to address the following questions:

- What is the H1N1 virus? How is it different from the regular flu virus?
- What are the pros and cons of the H1N1 vaccine?
- What can parents/caregivers do to prevent the spread of the virus?
- What are the issues facing our local health care providers?
- How is the school district responding to the H1N1 virus and the seasonal flu virus?

If you have questions or concerns about the H1N1 virus, please attend this panel discussion.

Sincerely,



Bronson Stone
Superintendent

The district placed its official order for the H1N1 vaccine on Tuesday. The district ordered only the injectable form of the vaccine. We are awaiting to hear the shipment date from the PA Department of Health.

October 20, 2009

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Greetings! More confirmed cases of Influenza A and strongly suspected cases of H1N1 influenza are being reported to the school district. These students, ill with Influenza Type A and/or novel H1N1 influenza, are being treated and are being recommended by health care professionals to stay home for at least seven days. As the number of suspected cases continues to increase in our district and in other neighboring districts, some parents/guardians believe that the schools should close. This belief is contrary to the recommendations of the PA Department of Health (PADOH). According to the PADOH, school district policy related to H1N1 under the current conditions should be as follows:

- Recommending that students and staff stay home when sick for at least 24 hours after the fever ends naturally (without the aid of fever-reducing medication). The local medical community is recommending students/staff stay home for seven days after the onset of the symptoms.
- Separate sick students and staff. Once ill students and staff are identified by district personnel, they are sent home.
- Promote good prevention techniques. District faculty and staff are promoting cough etiquette and hand washing and encouraging students to stay home when they are ill.
- Clean routinely with the schools regular cleaning supplies. The district is focusing greater efforts than ever before on cleaning desks, tables and computer equipment.
- Treat vulnerable students and staff early. As soon as the vaccine is supplied to the school district, priority will be given to the district’s most at-risk students and staff.

Concern among parents/guardians about their child’s safety is only natural and completely respected by the school district. However, the district will not close its schools unless the incidence of the novel H1N1 becomes rampant with the schools and the district is advised to do so by Pennsylvania Department of Health officials.

Please continue to recommend hand washing and cough etiquette with your child. Should your child have a fever and/or flu-like symptoms, please seek medical attention and do not send your child to school. I look forward to your continued cooperation as we work together to address the novel H1N1 influenza.

The message sent on Sunday stated specially the following: "I am calling to inform you that a district student was seen by health care professionals yesterday and is strongly suspected of having the H1N1 virus." The district has not been notified by the PA Dept. of Health as to when we will be receiving the vaccine.

I have not been notified of any confirmed cases of H1N1 among our students as of the time of this writing. There is one highly suspected case. Are students safe at school? Students are as safe at school as they are in any public place. The view that keeping a child home will prevent the child from acquiring the regular flu or the H1N1 virus is flawed unless no one in the home ventures out to a public place, including parents. Viruses can be "brought home" by adults as easily as they can by children.

The school district's intent is to have enough vaccines to give children under nine years of age both of the recommended doses. The district has not been given the approval to place its official order yet.

Related to the H1N1 vaccine, school district nurses would administer the vaccine. As for the choice between the nasal spray or the injection-based vaccine, if the choice is made available to the district, then we will ask parents which one they would prefer for their child.

The school district will be sending home H1N1 vaccine consent forms and additional information on the vaccine on Thursday with students. The district's goal is to have the consent forms on file before the vaccine arrives so that the vaccine can be administered as quickly as possible to eligible students. Again, the choice to vaccinate against the H1N1 virus is purely a parent decision. Additional measures were instituted last week to ensure that computer keyboards are cleaned after each student uses them.

The Susquehanna Community School District is hoping to be selected as a voluntary vaccination site by the PA Dept. of Health. An official order for the H1N1 vaccine has not been placed. If the district is able to order and administer the vaccine, it would be completely voluntary for students and faculty members. PA's Dept. of Health does not have a mandate for either the H1N1 vaccine or the seasonal flu vaccine for school aged children and/or educational providers.

Good suggestion! There are multiple hand sanitizing stations in each school. However, the recommendation of placing hand sanitizers in each classroom will be discussed at our October Safety Committee meeting.

H1N1

The Susquehanna Community School District is taking proactive measures to be prepared for the possibility of an H1N1 outbreak in our school community. The school district is in the process of applying to become a vaccination site for our students and high risk employees when the antivirus becomes available. The district has a pandemic preparedness plan and is monitoring attendance weekly to determine if there are absences associated with flu-like symptoms. The district will also continue to update its website with information related to the
H1N1 virus as it becomes available.

• What additional informational resources do you as a parent feel you need to be adequately informed about the H1N1 virus? Have you talked with your child about the H1N1 virus and the precautions that he/she can take to help prevent the spread of this virus?