More on the cost to students of healthy teachers

EdWeek follows up on this story in this week's issue. Key quote from the exec. director of the group that did the study:

“What strikes me is that our findings are almost perfectly aligned with what manufacturers are telling the public is such a problem,” she said. “I think it’s important that the public and policymakers know that education is being likewise impacted.”

And even scarier is how administrators wish they could handle the problem if they didn't have unions to negotiate with:

Pressed for their views on possible solutions, 70 percent said they considered shifting insurance costs to employees to be “promising.” Fifty-three percent saw merit in “wellness” programs aimed at encouraging healthier lifestyles. About half saw value in “educating employees about benefits.”

Finally, the scariest thing of all: This chart --
















A total of 68% of respondents agree that the cost of health care negatively affects student learning.