The state’s recently announced health insurance increases could mean changes to the number of days that Rockdale County Public Schools need to cut from the school calendar, officials reported Thursday.

RCPS Chief Financial Officer Lee Davis told the Board of Education’s Finance Committee that the state recently increased the health insurance contribution for certified employees to $912.34 per person per month – about $112 more than what was projected earlier. The school system has about 1,200 certified employees.

Davis had planned for the contribution to be about $800 monthly per certified employee and made adjustments to the budget to cover that amount. But as Davis put it, he was “thrown a curveball” this afternoon when he was sent an email from the Georgia Department of Community Health that the state requested an increase in insurance contributions due to the new federal health care law.

It was determined before Thursday’s committee meeting that the school system would cut three days from the teacher work calendar to curb budget shortfalls. Now the committee will have to wait for Davis’s adjustments based on the new information in order to make a definitive vote on the tentative budget by next week’s May 17 regular session.

Check back as Rockdale News posts updates on the latest developments in the Rockdale County Schools budget.