Happy times, sad times: School Board pays tribute to Norwood, Lockett

CENTERVILLE -- Thursday's St. Mary School Board meeting was the occasion for both celebration and mourning.

Morgan City High graduate Vernon Norwood, who brought home bronze and gold medals from the Tokyo Olympics, appeared at the meeting and posed for pictures with board members. The board also marked the passing of District 2 School Board member Sylvia Kay Lockett, a longtime educator who died Oct. 8.

Also Thursday, the board voted to name BlueCross/BlueShield of Louisiana as the carrier for its Medicare advantage plan coverage for retirees and for its health coverage for employees, both without an increase in premium contributions by the people who are covered.

And the board changed the school calendar to make up for days lost because of Hurricane Ida.

Olympic medalist

For Norwood, Thursday represented another victory lap after his performance in Tokyo. The Morgan City government presented him with a key to the city at the Sept. 28 council meeting.

Norwood anchored the U.S. 4x400-meter mixed relay team that won the bronze medal in Tokyo. He also ran one leg in the preliminary heat that put the U.S. men's 4x400 team into the Olympic finals, where the Americans won gold.

Norwood, originally from New Orleans, came to Morgan City with his family after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After starring in track and basketball at Morgan City High and moving on to LSU, he became only the seventh athlete to win both the NCAA national indoor and outdoor 400 meters titles in the same year.

Norwood was set to go to the 2016 Olympics before a hamstring injury put him on the sidelines. Then he had to wait a year after COVID-19 forced the postponement of the 2020 games.

"He has represented the city of Morgan City, the parish of St. Mary, the state of Louisiana and the United States of America," board member Dwight Barbier said in introducing Norwood.

The Morgan City High track will be named in Norwood's honor during the homecoming football game with Ellender on Oct. 22.

"Come out," Norwood said as he left the meeting room lectern. "Go Tigers."

Board President Kenneth Alfred called a five-minute recess so board members could have their pictures taken with Norwood.

Norwood was accompanied to the meeting by British Olympic sprinter Ashleigh Nelson, who won a gold medal in the 4x100 meters and a bronze medal in the 100 meters at the 2013 European championships.

Sylvia Lockett

A bouquet of red and white roses rested on the board's table in front of the chair that has been occupied by Lockett, who passed away at Franklin Foundation Hospital.

Lockett qualified without opposition for the board's open District 2 seat in 2018.

A Four Corners native and Southern University graduate, she started teaching in 1978 at Bayou Vista Elementary, and also taught at Thomas Gibbs, Centerville, Julia B. Maitland and G.W. Hamilton elementary schools.

From 1993 to 1996, she was the district’s instructional facilitator/specialist in staff development. Lockett was principal at Thomas Gibbs 1996-99 and at Hernandez Elementary 1999-2014.

The board voted for a resolution of respect in Lockett's honor.

Alfred called a 5 p.m. Oct. 28 meeting to talk about an interim successor for Lockett, whose term would have run until January 2023.

Insurance

BlueCross/BlueShield of Louisiana, which lost out when the board named United Health Care as the insurer for its employees three years ago, came out of Thursday's meeting as the carrier for both the active employees coverage and the Medicare advantage plan for retirees beginning next year.

The board voted to pay the additional cost of the group health premiums itself rather than require a bigger contribution from employees.

Insurance consultant James Perez told the board that the district is experiencing a large amount in claims in relation to the amount paid in premiums.

For the years 2017-2020, claims averaged about $11.7 million per year, while premiums averaged $11.5 million per year. Through June 2021, total claims are running about $800,000 ahead of premiums.

Perez had said in the past that he was expecting a bad time when renewal came due. He was right.

Current carrier United Health Care submitted a proposal for a 23.6% premium increase for its Choice Plus Advanced Plan, and a 16.3% increase for its Select Plus Plan, which has a $2,250 in-network deductible compared to $2,000 under Choice Plus Advanced.

The board voted unanimously to go with the BlueCross/BlueShield plan with its $2,000 in-network deductible. After adjustments, the premium increase will cost the system an additional $1.5 million a year. Next year's budget includes about $1 million for the anticipated increase in premiums, Chief Financial Officer Alton Perry said after the meeting.

The school system pays for about 62% of the cost of coverage for active employees, with the employees paying the rest.

In contrast with the group coverage proposals, the renewal options for Medicare advantage plan coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees were all about premium reductions and added benefits.

The increasingly popular advantage plans supplement Medicare coverage and usually offer inducements for wellness and preventive care, such as health club access and transportation benefits for trips to the physician.

Current carrier United Health Care offered renewal with a 10% reduction in premiums. But the board went with a BlueCross proposal with a 15% reduction, saving the school system $306,000 per year. The BlueCross plans also offered coverage of preventive dental visits without a co-pay and a $130 annual allowance for eyeglasses.

Nearly 1,500 people are enrolled in the School Board's group health coverage, and the board provides coverage to about 500 Medicare retirees.

Coming back early

The board accepted Assistant Superintendent Joseph Stadalis' recommendation for making up for classroom time lost because of Hurricane Ida by bringing students back two days early from the Christmas break.

Classes will resume Jan. 4 rather than the originally scheduled Jan. 6 return date.

The board also agreed to move a teacher in-service day from Jan. 5 to Jan. 3.