The four unions representing over 6,000 employees in the Rochester City School District recently participated on a Health Care Committee that unanimously selected Excellus Blue Cross and Blue Shield as the exclusive provider of health insurance benefits. The committee - made up of two representatives from each union, as well as District staff - agreed to the change after months of deliberation. The new plan will provide the same level of benefits that members received under the current plans (Blue Choice Value and Preferred Care Opportunity), with a few added enhancements.

"We view this as a great accomplishment in this day and age where more and more Americans are losing benefits or are not insured at all," said Dan DiClemente, President of BENTE. "We are actually enhancing benefits while controlling the cost for our members paying 15%, and in the process, saving New York State taxpayers millions of dollars."

DiClemente said that the savings to the District will most certainly help to alleviate layoffs that would otherwise be needed in order to make up for the lack of aid the District is likely to receive from the state. New York State is facing a multi-billion dollar budget deficit and the Governor is threatening mid-year cuts to education.