Teachers who have health insurance through the school system offered by the state will soon be paying higher premiums and that has many of them concerned because the extra out of pocket expense will affect their take home pay.
The board of education last Thursday night voted to approve a seven percent hike as mandated by the state. But since the school system is not absorbing the increase, the higher costs will be passed on to teachers.
About 40 educators met Tuesday evening at the Smithville First Assembly of God church to share their concerns. The teachers would like the school board to reconsider its decision and come up with the funds to cover the increase. The school system already pays up to 60% toward a certified employee’s single or family plan.
The teachers will ask Board Chairman W.J. (Dub) Evins, III to convene a workshop and or special meeting of the board soon before the rate hike takes effect.
“We are talking unbelievable increases. My family plan will increase 79%. Not seven percent. That means my net pay is going to be $3,060 less this year. An individual plan will increase 109%. Teachers just can’t take that hit. We need help,” said one teacher who asked not to be identified.
“We are concerned that our school board or county is not putting forth any extra money this year to cover that increase. We feel the school board did not understand when they voted last week how this will affect us and we just want this revisited. We are afraid that many teachers will be leaving this county because they cannot live on what this county is paying us with all the things that come out of our check. That is the basic concern,” said the teacher.
“It needs to be revisited soon because we have to make our decisions by October 30 as to what health plans we get and they will start taking that amount of money out of our checks December 5th. That’s when the big hit comes and we are stuck with that for an entire year. It would be a major financial blow to every educator in this county,” the teacher added.
In response, Board Chairman Evins released the following statement to WJLE in a text message:
“I have been in touch with at least one of the members of the school system who has called me out on Facebook and I have ensured her that we were looking at any options that we could come up with. She has contacted past State Senator Mae Beavers, who explained to her that until Obama Care is repealed that the one issue that makes the Affordable Care Act not so affordable is the fact that the state cannot cross state lines to get competitive quotes for better insurance rates. We were told it (rate hike) would be an average of 7% and that is what we had to work with. As I stated, we have been working on a solution since this matter was revealed but some find fault with the board and we are not the funding body. We are continuing to work for the entire staff to come up with a solution as best we can,” said Board Chairman Evins.

The race to fill the unexpired term of State Senator Mae Beavers will be contested .
State Representative Mark Pody and conservative Army veteran Steve Wilson both of Lebanon have announced plans to seek the Republican nomination in the special election primary on November 7. The General Election will be December 19. No Democrat has yet announced.
According to the Lebanon Democrat, Wilson said he is a longtime member of Immanuel Baptist Church and cites his military experience as a good qualification for the job. He spent more than 40 years in the U.S. Army and the Tennessee National Guard and retired as a colonel of field artillery.
Wilson’s wife, Rita, currently serves in the Tennessee National Guard. The couple has two sons, Cory and Clint, who both serve in the National Guard and three grandchildren. Wilson also has relatives in DeKalb County.
Pody and his wife of 41 years, Barbara, moved to Wilson County more than 30 years ago to raise a family. They have two daughters and twelve grandchildren.
He and his family are very active in their local church.
Mark, an owner of a small business which specializes in financial planning and insurance solutions, has multiple business locations throughout Tennessee. He is also a member of Gideon, Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce, Cannon County Chamber of Commerce, Private Pilot and the Rotary.
Pody has served the 46th district in the Tennessee House of Representatives since first being elected in 2010. He will be completing his fourth term in 2018. He currently represents Cannon and a portion of Wilson and DeKalb Counties.
Tennessee’s 17th Senate District includes Wilson, Cannon, DeKalb, Clay, Smith and Macon counties. State Senator Beavers, who recently announced her bid for governor, represented District 17 until her resignation September 1.

Two DCHS golfers will compete in the Region 3 Tournament starting Monday, September 25 at Bear Trace Cumberland Mountain Golf Course in Crossville.
Isaac Walker and Anna Chew qualified to advance for their performance in the District 6 Tournament also at Bear Trace on Monday, September 18. Both Walker and Chew earned 1st Team All-District honors.
In boys action, Walker, a junior shot 73, which tied for 2nd out of 48 golfers.
On the girls side, Chew, a sophomore carded a 99, which was the 5th best score out of 19 golfers.
The Tiger boys team finished 4th out of 9 teams. They lost to White County by one stroke preventing the Tiger team from advancing to the Region.
For the boys, Marshal Evins shot 87. Jadyn Young, 94. Ethan Jennings, 95 and Lance Davis, 100.
The Tigers finished the season 20-11-1.
Chew was the medalist girl in all the dual matches except one.

Fatalities related to the synthetic opioid fentanyl—a drug 10 times more powerful than heroin–are soaring in many parts of the country.
Law enforcement and health workers now face an unprecedented situation, with a burgeoning street trade in both the legitimate and illicitly manufactured fentanyl—often sold in pill form and made to look like OxyContin, a far less powerful narcotic. The drug, also available in liquid and powder form, is increasingly being used laced with cocaine and heroin, dramatically boosting their potency, often with fatal consequences. In many cases, authorities say it’s killing both inexperienced users and hardened addicts.
Prescribed by doctors for cancer treatments, “Fentanyl is an opioid medication and the most potent pain killer on the market,” said Sheriff Patrick Ray. “Although it has been around since the 1960’s, it is now being made illegally and sold on the streets mixed with other drugs. It delivers a super high and far too often causes many deaths.”
“Drug dealers are lacing oxycodone, ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, and cocaine with fentanyl. It can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 10 times more potent than heroin,” he said. “Drug users generally don’t know when their heroin is laced with fentanyl so when they inject their usual quantity of heroin, they can mistakenly take a deadly dose substance. Also, while dealers try to include fentanyl to improve potency in heroin and other drugs, the dealers’ measuring equipment usually isn’t fined tuned enough to ensure that they will stay below the levels that could cause the user to overdose.”
He went on to explain that “Heroin and fentanyl look identical and when these drugs are purchased on the streets you don’t know what you’re taking. Its like playing Russian Roulette with a gun with one shell missing out of the gun’s cylinder.”
What does fentanyl look like?
“It can come as a small piece of film that can be dissolved under the tongue or a pill meant to be lodged inside the cheek. It can be ingested, snorted, smoked or injected into the body when abused. It is lethal in small doses and can be absorbed through the skin,” Ray said. “Fentanyl is highly addictive and often requires medical detox and opioid replacement medications to safely process the drug out of the body.”
Fentanyl also will affect the users’ breathing, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and other vital signs.
“Some of the signs to look for in someone using fentanyl are dizziness, dry mouth, difficulty breathing, severe constipation, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, headache, difficulty seeing, depression, hallucination, difficulty sleeping, sweating, and shaking,”he continued.
According to authorities, the drug is so powerful, the general public along with safety and medical personnel, also face health dangers.
“It is so potent, people might accidentally touch or breathe a tiny amount of it and overdose,” the sheriff said. “People like law enforcement, EMTs, forensic lab technicians, and even funeral directors can die from an accidental overdose. A puff of fentanyl dust from closing a plastic bag is enough to send a full grown man to the emergency room. Fentanyl can also be absorbed through the skin and be lethal in very small doses as little as 0.25 milligrams, which isn’t very much,” he added.
Narcan Nasal Spray is recommended for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose.
“Narcan is a medication used to block the affects of opioids, especially in overdoses. It can be sprayed into the nose of a person who has overdosed and it usually takes about two minutes to work,” sheriff Ray said. “After administering Narcan to someone who has overdosed, the person will regain consciousness and at times might be aggressive. We have been told that it may take two or more times of administering Narcan to someone who has overdosed on fentanyl before we can revive them.”
The sheriff hopes to soon have the medication made available free of charge for use by his office.
“I have applied for a grant for the purchase of Narcan for the sheriff’s department and jail. We hope to have at least two units of Narcan per patrol car and two units of Narcan in every first aid kit in the jail. This grant will provide Narcan to us for free,” he explained. “This is not only for the people we come in contact with who has overdosed on fentanyl but for my employees and people out in the public who might accidentally touch a bag or breathe the contents of a bag that contains any drug, especially fentanyl.”
Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors National Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and to celebrate the people who recover. The annual theme is Join the Voices for Recovery: Strengthen Families and Communities.

A former DCHS football standout will be remembered when the Class of 1977 holds its 40 year reunion next month.
Tommy Pugh, a member of the class, played linebacker at DeKalb County High School from 1974 to 1977. During his years as a Tiger, Pugh received several honors including Weekly All Mid-State, 1st Team All-Mid State Class AA, and 2nd Team All State Class AA. He passed away in 2010.
A plaque with a photo of Pugh is being presented in his memory by the Class of 1977 to be hung in the field house built 40 years ago. The recognition will be held during halftime of the DeKalb County-Smith County Football Game on Friday night, October 6 in Smithville.
Members of the DCHS Class of 1977 are encouraged to attend the game as part of the reunion weekend and then be at the Craft Center the following night, Saturday, October 7 at 4 p.m. for a dinner at the Blue Water Grille On The Hill and a time of reminiscing. The cost is $50 per person.
Make your check to Kim Luton and send it to Dewain Hendrixson at 702 South Congress Boulevard. Please respond by Saturday, September 30.
For more information contact Luton at 615-597-5615 or Hendrixson at Ace Hardware 615-597- 4154 . Also, visit facebook: DCHS Class of ’77 TN or email dchsclassof77@gmail.com