Winehole23
10-08-2012, 01:30 PM
The Pflugerville school district will be the first in Central Texas — and probably the first in the state — to offer insurance benefits to same-sex and heterosexual domestic partners.
While nearly 200 cities, counties and other municipalities nationwide offer domestic partner benefits, only a few school districts sprinkled across the country offer such benefits.
“It’s a strong statement of anti-discrimination,” Pflugerville Superintendent Charles Dupre said. “We’re going to advocate for equity and social justice and set expectations for valuing our employees. We went into this knowing with our eyes open that there’d be people who weren’t supportive of the idea, but we’d been having hard discussions about social justice.
“You have to make decisions that are not popular but are in the best interest of the organization and the people of the organization,” Dupre said.
National and Texas education groups, as well as civil liberty groups, did not know of any other school districts in Texas that offer domestic partner benefits.
The 23,262-student Pflugerville district, which touts its collaborative decision-making on employee matters, moved forward with the idea after it was recommended by an insurance benefits advisory committee of school workers.
School district employees can begin enrolling the week of Oct. 15; the benefits go into effect Jan. 1. The school board did not need to vote on the issue.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/pflugerville-district-first-in-texas-to-offer-bene/nSWRX/
While nearly 200 cities, counties and other municipalities nationwide offer domestic partner benefits, only a few school districts sprinkled across the country offer such benefits.
“It’s a strong statement of anti-discrimination,” Pflugerville Superintendent Charles Dupre said. “We’re going to advocate for equity and social justice and set expectations for valuing our employees. We went into this knowing with our eyes open that there’d be people who weren’t supportive of the idea, but we’d been having hard discussions about social justice.
“You have to make decisions that are not popular but are in the best interest of the organization and the people of the organization,” Dupre said.
National and Texas education groups, as well as civil liberty groups, did not know of any other school districts in Texas that offer domestic partner benefits.
The 23,262-student Pflugerville district, which touts its collaborative decision-making on employee matters, moved forward with the idea after it was recommended by an insurance benefits advisory committee of school workers.
School district employees can begin enrolling the week of Oct. 15; the benefits go into effect Jan. 1. The school board did not need to vote on the issue.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/pflugerville-district-first-in-texas-to-offer-bene/nSWRX/