LISBON - Columbiana County Educational Service Center officials plan to start shopping around for health insurance after learning the price of their current policy will increase by 17.59 percent, costing an additional $26,000 per month.

"We definitely are going to look at other options," ESC Superintendent Anna Marie Vaughn said during Monday's board meeting.

She explained they'll have to accept the increase for now, but they'll start talking to other districts and search for a better deal. The ESC belongs to a large consortium, OME-RESA, for health insurance.

Treasurer Penny Kale said last year's increase was 6.54 percent. The monthly insurance bill will increase from $150,000 to $176,000. In January, employees will start paying a co-pay on premiums at a price of $2,280 per year for a family plan and $840 per year for a single plan.

Vaughn said other districts are seeing similar increases. She contacted the consortium and said the ESC budget can't handle the increase. Notice about the increase didn't come until the end of May, with Monday the first meeting of the board since then.

The bad news came at the end of the session, right after governing board members discussed the need to search for a new board member to replace Lynda Dickson, who begins Wednesday as the new high school principal in the Crestview school district. She officially resigned from the board effective Wednesday after about 13 years in the seat.

Unlike the insurance rate, which they had to accept by today, they have 30 days to appoint a new board member to fill Dickson's term, which expires Dec. 31. Board member Adam Booth, who now works as deputy director for the Board of Elections, said he'll be resigning sometime in August, so they'll have a second person to replace then.

Anyone interested in Dickson's seat must send a letter of interest to Kale at 38720 Saltwell Road, Lisbon, Ohio 44432.

To be a board member, a person must reside in one of the five local school districts in the county: Beaver Local, Crestview Local, United Local, Southern Local and Wellsville Local. The pay is $125 per meeting, plus mileage one way.

With the state budget still not completed, some ESC financial matters remain uncertain. Vaughn said state funding represents about 20 percent of their total budget and ESCs absorbed a 10 percent hit last year. The funding was supposed to be restored, but she said it's looking like that's not going to happen. Her concern rests with funding for gifted programs. They've already non-renewed two personnel in the program due to the uncertainty, but they were hoping to be able to renew them in July.

A shortage of students led to the board reducing the teaching staff at the Opportunity School, housed at the Juvenile Court building in Lisbon. The program offers an alternative for students in the county who are at risk of academic failure who may have social and emotional issues. One district had a reduction of 25 students, so the ESC reduced staff. The contracts for teacher Jeffery Stephens and teacher assistant Pamela Sturgeon have been suspended.

In other business, the board renewed contracts for several employees, including a speech and language therapist, occupational therapists and an assistant, a consultant, paraeducators and substitutes, literary coach and math coach, math intervention teacher, special education consultant and an intervention specialist.

Mary Ann Greier can be reached at mgreier@salemnews.net