The Cooperative Shared Maintenance Program offers highly skilled mechanics such as boiler maintenance and pneumatic specialists, electricians and plumbers to districts who on their own cannot afford such specialty personnel. Programs that originate with the Administrative Division are devised, therefore, with a critical eye on fiscal viability and maximization of state aid. These programs save substantial amounts of money for component districts. The Worker's Compensation Cooperative, for instance, coordinates a variety of activities and handles the school worker's compensation self-insured program, saving some two and a half million real dollars to date. It has obtained quality health insurance coverage for some 14,000 individuals, including teachers, administrators, support staff, retirees and dependents.
Programs succeed because of cooperation.
A Cooperative Recruitment Program is another example of this principle at work. It provides advertising and coordination services and maintains a database of applicants for positions throughout the area. Safety and risk management, staff training, service delivery systems, and cooperative school food management are areas that have been addressed with an eye to saving money and eliminating the duplication of efforts among the school districts. Millions of dollars have been saved to date. Millions more will be saved in the future as new collaborative efforts are considered and implemented.