The meeting was called to order by Molly Ringo at 4:05 p.m.

 

A motion was made by Mike Gunn and seconded by Jared Kink to approve the agenda as written. The motion passed unanimously.  

 

A correction is needed on the December 11, 2013 minutes in two places where Kelly Shepherd’s name is misspelled. A motion was made by Susan Lindsay and seconded by Jared Kink to approve the minutes from the December 11, 2013 meeting with the correction to the spelling of Kelly Shepherd’s name. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Darla reviewed with the group the financial highlights from November, December and January. She shared that the district’s financials are currently being audited by the state, and as part of that audit the Trust’s financials are also under review. Darla will keep the Trustees informed if any concerns are expressed by the auditors The Trustees commented on how nice it is to have rates established at a point where they have leveled off with no huge monthly spikes or declines.

 

Darla reminded the Trustees of the multiple renewal extensions the Trust has received while changes were being made. The new renewal date is April 1. She said documents sent to Howard Bye and herself were not received which has caused some delays. Chubb closed their satellite office in Seattle, so she has been working with an account manager in the Iowa office. Darla said things are still going in the right direction and she hopes to have the data by March 7 for the March 12 meeting. The Trustees thanked Darla for keeping track of everything during this extended renewal process.

 

Gail reviewed the Wellness Program report with the group. She said she is pleasantly surprised with the participation in the Wellness Challenge. There has been more than 350 lbs of collective weight loss with the Weight Watchers at Work program. While this program is successful, Gail noted she has had some struggles with the Weight Watchers Company because they don’t have enough leaders to accommodate the district’s needs. The group talked about the possibility of training district employees to become Weight Watcher leaders. Concerns were expressed regarding conflicts for employees being paid by another company while on district time. Molly shared that there might be a way that could work. Gail thanked the group for their input and said she will continue to explore this possibility.

 



Gail noted that for the third year in a row the Wellness Program has won the Fit Friendly Award. The group discussed ways to publicize the award and thanked Gail for her efforts in completing the application each year. The group talked about what Wellness Challenge data is being seen year-to-year with the participants. Gail noted the vendor is not always forthcoming in providing data. The group talked about Gail’s impact and what they are seeing at schools and how wellness is carrying over into parent activities.

 

Randi shared Magellan’s year in review EAP Report for 2013 and reviewed it with the group. She said usage remains about the same with roughly the same number of employees or dependents using the counseling and consulting services. Magellan has been very responsive during recent crisis events at schools with the deaths of staff and a student. She said they have kept notes of what worked well in past events and can duplicate that for future events. Randi has been sending Magellan’s brochures to principals. The group discussed doing more promotion reminders for this service. Some staff may not be aware of this service. There is also a misperception by some that the information will not be confidential and because of a perceived confidentiality breach, they are hesitant to use the service. Randi will add information about the service to the next districtwide monthly email message. Jared said he can also include the information in an issue of Shortwaves. The Trustees thanked Randi for her work and support for staff.

 

Open Enrollment Update

Randi provided an open enrollment update on employee count comparisons for October, November and December 2013 and reviewed the information with the group. As expected there was an exodus out of WEA plans 2 and 5 which are the most expensive plans. WEA Plan 3 gained 10 and Easy Choice A Plan increased by 27. Easy Choice Plan B increased by 12 and Easy Choice Plan C decreased by 2. Randi noted Easy Choice Plan C is also one of the more expensive plans. The WEA High Deductible Plan increased; new employees seemed most interested in this plan. Group Health had a slight increase; Randi noted this was a surprise as they expected to see more. The dental plan numbers remained about the same; however, new employees chose Willamette Dental over Washington Dental because they felt they get more for their money with Willamette.

 

At the last meeting Randi shared with the group significant problems with Aon Hewitt, the broker for WEA plans. The Trustees asked if the issues have been resolved. Randi said the issue has not been resolved. The WEA has organized some problem solving events and have been very supportive. Premera has also been very supportive. Aon is taking the issues seriously and has gotten better. Randi noted there were concerns about the issues with Aon during open enrollment but it turned out better than expected. She said the problem with Aon is not unique to the district and some districts have opted out of the WEA Plans because of the issues with Aon. Jared shared that the WEA has put Aon on notice that they may be looking at other options. This topic and what other districts are doing may be discussed during plan renewal conversations with Sean White.

 

There are no scheduled topics for the March 12, 2014 meeting. However, Darla said the Trustees would need to approve the Fiduciary Liability Insurance renewal prior to April 1, 2014. Molly noted she is also trying to connect with Sean regarding any pertinent legislative items. The group reviewed past practice regarding renewals needed prior to Trust meetings. A motion was made by Kelly Shepherd and seconded by Susan Lindsay that Darla be provided a ceiling of $10,000 to secure and continue the Fiduciary Liability Insurance. If the quote exceeds the ceiling Darla will notify the Trustees for further review. The motion passed unanimously.

 

A decision on whether the March meeting is needed will be determined in a couple of weeks and communicated to the Trustees.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:58 p.m.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Molly Ringo

Chairperson

 

kn

Back to top