More than 100 employees of Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) are suing the school superintendent, alleging that he withheld critical information about a significant increase in health insurance premiums until after contracts for the 2025-2026 school year were signed.
In a complaint filed Wednesday in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, 112 anonymous plaintiffs are seeking damages and an injunction to prevent the school division from implementing the double-digit premium hikes set to take effect on January 1, 2026. The plaintiffs argue that these increases will “irreversibly reduce” their wages and benefits.
The insurance premium hikes were announced earlier this month to the VBCPS workforce, which includes more than 10,000 employees. Some affected staff members claim that their 4.5% salary increase and $650 bonus will be completely offset by the new health insurance payments.
The lawsuit accuses Superintendent Dr. Don Robertson of intentionally concealing the upcoming premium hikes to prevent a mass departure of employees seeking jobs elsewhere, thereby securing employee commitments for the 2025-2026 school year. The plaintiffs argue that had the employees known about the hikes, many would have reconsidered their decision to stay with VBCPS.
Dr. Robertson, however, defended the delay in announcing the rate increase, stating that it was hoped a solution could be found to avoid the hike.
A letter from Virginia Beach’s Consolidated Benefits Office explained that the premium increases stemmed from a reduction in healthcare insurance premiums. In 2022, former Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence had recommended allocating $8.5 million to reduce premiums by more than 110%. The effort was intended to make VBCPS more competitive in recruitment and retention by lowering healthcare costs.
Over the past two years, the school division spent $19 million to continue subsidizing these lower rates. However, this year, rising medical and pharmacy costs made it impossible for the school division to continue absorbing the increased expenses.
Tim Anderson, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, argued that employees should have been informed of the impending increase when they agreed to work for Virginia Beach. “That kind of bad faith dealing is low-hanging fruit, and I think we can do a lot of good for a lot of people,” Anderson stated.
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