Payson Arizona Home Insurance

Funding for schools better than last year

The brightening state budget picture could this year give the Payson Unified School District a break from financial trauma, but probably won’t allow the district to regain lost ground, Superintendent Casey O’Brien told the school board this week.

Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposed budget projects a $672 million surplus, in contrast to the multi-billion-dollar deficits of the past two years.

“Arizona is certainly in a lot better position than a lot of states, but I do not think that we will be restored to the levels before the recession,” said O’Brien.

The district has closed a school, increased class sizes, nearly stopped buying supplies and new textbooks, and laid off teachers and other staff in the past three years.

“My job is to find solutions to get us through these very, very trying times,” said O’Brien, who recently announced he’ll retire at the end of this school year. “Fortunately, our community stepped up and passed an override, otherwise I have no idea where we’d be.”

The district lost 61 students this year, which reduces state funding by $233,000 from its $13.8 million operations and maintenance budget.

“If we’d gained 61 students instead of losing those students, that would have had a half million dollar impact on the budget,” O’Brien told the board at its Monday meeting.

“If a district is growing, the problems are so much easier.”

The district has lost 251 students since the onset of the recession, an 11 percent decline. O’Brien said the decline reflects young families leaving the community for lack of jobs, especially in the once booming construction and tourism sectors.

“Obviously, we know the pain we’ve experienced. But the enrollment decline reflects only a portion of the cuts we’ve experienced.”

O’Brien said Gov. Brewer has proposed a nearly $9 billion state budget that includes some additional funding for K-12 schools.

The budget would include $100 million for “soft capital,” mostly supplies and textbooks. The state provided no money for supplies this year, which had a big impact on schools here.

Long-term Health Care Insurance | Payson Arizona Health Insurance

Carol Gets Declined for Long-term Health Care Insurance

Carol’s daughter is the executive director at an Arizona long-term care facility. Having daily experience with the financial stress families experience when paying for long-term care services, she urged her mother, aged 68, to apply for long-term care insurance.  I met with Carol and her daughter and we compared different plans, from various companies.  They liked a plan that paid 80% of long-term care costs, and completed the application.

After sending for medical records, the insurance company declined to issue a policy for Carol, and refunded her initial premium.  The company cited a chronically sore shoulder, plus a TIA mini-stroke five years earlier.

Surprised and disappointed, Carol and her daughter now wish they would have addressed the issue of  long-term health care  insurance sooner.  The premium would have been lower (because of applying at a younger age) and there would have been less of a chance of being declined.

Financial Crisis Causes James to Rethink Long-term Care

James’ portfolio took a big hit during the financial crisis.  In the past, he thought he had enough to cover the risk of long-term care expenses.  Now, the cost for care, if he or his spouse needed it, could severely impact their portfolio. James and his wife applied for a long-term care policy that insured both of them under one significant pool of money, money that can be used for home care, assisted living, or nursing home expenses.  James also liked the idea that when one of them passes away, the living spouse assumes the entire pool of money left, and only has to pay their half of the premium. The annual premium is affordable for them and helps insure they will have a secure and comfortable retirement, without the potentially devastating hit of having to pay out of pocket for long-term care services.

Home

Returning to Gilead to care for her dying father, Glory Boughton, the daughter of John Ames's closest friend, is joined by her long-absent brother, with whom ...

Home, A Memoir of My Early Years

Featuring over fifty personal photos, many never before seen, this is the personal memoir Julie Andrews' audiences have been waiting for.

Arizona

Describes the history, geography, government, economics, and people of Arizona.

Insurance for Dummies

Explains how to buy and save on every kind of insurance, including life, health, auto and home insurance, and offers tips on how to get the best coverage for ...

At Home, A Short History of Private Life

From the Hardcover edition.