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Muncie teachers asked to pay back thousands in insurance costs

MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — Some teachers in Muncie will have to pay back thousands of dollars in insurance money.

The plan was outlined in a newsletter from the Muncie Teachers Association on Monday.

Teachers had been working under an old contract from 2015 to 2017, while the Muncie Teachers Association (MTA) and the school district negotiated and finalized a new deal.

Teachers’ insurance premiums increased for those two years, and Monday’s newsletter explained they’d have to pay back the difference.

According to the MTA newsletter, teachers will need to pay back anywhere from $50 to $130 per paycheck for the next 18 paychecks, depending on their insurance plan.

That means some teachers will pay anywhere from $900 to $2,300 over those paychecks.

Teachers who no longer work for Muncie Community Schools will receive a bill for the back payments in the mail.

A district spokesperson says former teachers can contact the finance office to make payment arrangements.

24-Hour News 8 previously reported that the state stepped in during negotiations and decided the district and the MTA would move forward with the union’s best offer.

“It’s amazing the cuts are as minimal, and I’m not trying to downplay the people who are upset, but if they would look at the whole picture, they would be thanking their lucky stars,” said Pat Kennedy, the president of Muncie Teachers Association.

24-Hour News 8 reached out to the school district, and they directed us to the district’s emergency manager, Steve Edwards, with the state-appointed Administrative Assistance.

Edwards said teachers would be paying back “a whole lot more” under the district’s plan.

He also said the district could run out of money by the end of the year, but that schools will not shut down.