Pflugerville ISD recently became the first Texas school district to offer domestic partner benefits to its employees, both gay and straight.
But after vocal support and opposition was brought before the PSID Board of Trustees, the matter was placed on the agenda for reconsideration in December.
The board’s decision to reconsider DP benefits has prompted the Pflugerville Educators Association to launch a Change.org petition to encourage the board to keep the benefits.
The petition entitled, “Pflugerville ISD Board of Trustees: Keep insurance benefits for all PISD employees and their families” mentions that the decision to reconsider the benefits is targeting gay employees unfairly when the recommendation to add DP benefits came from “a group of dedicated district employees who were tasked with evaluating benefits in the best interest of the entire PISD family.”
“Now, a small but vocal group of Pflugerville residents is attempting to turn this decision into something it is not,” the petition reads in part. “They claim PISD is ‘pushing an agenda,’ and they are attempting to equate the benefits change to taking a stand on gay marriage. These political allegations are not true.”
The change was a result from a recommendation from the district employees’ insurance commission to add insurance coverage for opposite- and same-sex couples. PISD’s superintendent later voiced support for the decision.
Supporters and opponents of the decision showed up in force at the October PISD board meeting. Earlier this month, board members said they were unaware of the changes they agreed to in the coverage change because they had always followed previous recommendations. They agreed to reconsider the benefits at the Dec. 13 meeting.
“I want to have our board revisit the insurance issue,” PISD trustee Jimmy Don Havins told Community Impact Newspaper. “I want the board to have an up or down vote. The motion I will make is to revert to the coverage we previously had.”
