The Decatur County Board of Education received a bit of good news Thursday night during the regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

At the March meeting, School Superintendent Fred Rayfield speculated that health insurance premiums would increase, for the system and for the teachers, by as much as 20 percent.

However, Rayfield was informed this week that the system would not see increases in health insurance premiums, but costs for the teachers would increase by 10 percent next year.

However, the state had previously informed the school system that premiums for non-certified employees, those who do not teach, would increase by 51.3 percent, or $1,000 per employee annually.

Currently, the system’s portion of the cost for certified employees, classroom teachers, is 18.5 percent of each employee’s salary, a total of $3.6 million annually.

In anticipation of writing a budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, a budget workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10, at 6 p.m.

Sealed bids were opened for purchase of system-owned property at 709 Boulevard Avenue.

Two bids were received—Joseph Bright bid $8,500 and Gary Braswell bid $27,699 for the 0.43-acre lot and house.

The appraised value of the property is $68,000 and the board unanimously voted to reject both bids.