In the absence of Trust Chair Gregg Elder, the meeting was called to order by Kelly Shepherd at 4:05 p.m.

 

Kelly announced that Molly would be late because she was coming from a meeting in Seattle. Sean also asked to add an item to the agenda that Molly would need to be included in. Kelly suggested the agenda order should be modified to accommodate Molly’s absence. A motion was made by Jeff Moore and seconded by Susan Lindsey to approve the modified agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Kelly shared that Arlene Vollema-Rich was leaving the district to pursue opportunities in another school district. To celebrate Arlene’s fourteen years of service with Everett Public Schools, the group paused the meeting for a few minutes to enjoy some refreshment’s in Arlene’s honor.

 

A motion was made by Jared Kink and seconded by Jeff Moore to approve the minutes from the October 15, 2014 meeting as written. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Darla provided the financials for July, August, September and October. She reviewed the highlights with the group.

 

Darla noted this report is received quarterly and is provided for the Trustees information.

 

Molly reported on a meeting she had that morning with members of JLARC and explained what they have been tasked with in follow up to Senate Bill 5931. She shared with the JLARC members information about the Trust including its history, the nature of the Trust and how it differs from others. JLARC is just beginning their research proc ess and were very appreciative of the information provided. Molly said they were intrigued on how the Trust works and its longevity. Sean, Jared, Darla and Gail also attended the meeting.

 

Sean has been in communication with Molly and Darla regarding Mercer invoices for services through October and some unexpected costs. As a result of the carve out from the WEA’s medical plans, there is need to revise the budget to accommodate charges for additional work. The extra charges for the year are anticipated to be approximately $35,000. Sean will provide a revised budget for the December 10, 2014 meeting for action by the Trustees.

The group discussed the additional charges. Sean said Mercer will have a better sense of the needs for the 2015-16 budget. Molly said this is an unusual situation that has not happened in the past, but feels it would be best practice to revise the budget accordingly.

 

Randi shared information regarding this year’s open enrollment. She said it has been very busy and staff are in the process of verifying the 2,500 to 3,000 changes. She explained that they offered several information sessions that included representatives from the insurance providers for staff who need extra help with the change. She said the biggest problem encountered was with the lockouts in employee online stemming from the change in network log-in. She will follow up with the Information and Technology department regarding this issue. The Trustees thanked the Human Resources staff for their work during open enrollment.

 

Randi shared a graph provided by Gayla Jenner depicting staff daily activity related to open enrollment. There was a definite uptick toward the end of the open enrollment period. New insurance cards will likely be issued during winter break. A contact phone number will be provided in the emailed payroll message that staff can call if they do not receive their insurance card. With Arlene leaving, Human Resources is in the process of interviewing a replacement. Cris will move into Arlene’s position and someone will be hired for Cris’ position.

 

In follow-up to the request from Human Resources for contributions from the Trust toward the cost of the open enrollment information packets, Randi commented on the communications for open enrollment. In addition to email communications, they provided a paper document with information on the all of the plan changes and options for staff. Randi talked about the costs for the printed document this year vs. past years. She said the intention going forward is not to provide printed information but she said some staff will still need paper copies. Human Resources is requesting that the Trustees consider offsetting the printing costs that were incurred. Darla shared that the Trust paid for half of the printing costs in 2011 when the Trust went from self-insured to the WEA. The group discussed the request. With two Trustees absent, the group did not feel they could take action today. This item will be added to the December 10, 2014 agenda for action.

 

Gail shared information with the group regarding October Wellness activities. She will have three interns from the Bastyr University nutrition program for three weeks helping her with projects. Gail talked about the book Eat, Move, Sleep that she provided to principals and encouraged them to read, adopt and share with staff. As a result, Peter Scott is using the book during Superintendent’s Leadership Team (SLT) meetings and would like all SLT members to have it. Gail said she can take the $800 to $900 cost for purchase of the books out of the Wellness budget if the Trustees agree. The group discussed the request and agreed that purchases made within the Wellness budget were at Gail’s discretion and did not need their approval.

 

Gail provided information to the group on the current Wellness program mission and vision statements and asked them to complete some preliminary work before the December meeting. She asked that they come to the December meeting with suggestions. She asked them to first think about the meaning of wellness for them personally. Second she asked them to think about the meaning of wellness for where they work and the district at large. Sean said it will be helpful to be specific with the goals for the organization. Gail talked about how wellness is valued in the organization and creating policies and procedures that honor that. She asked the group to come to the December meeting prepared to work on this. Her goal is to have a clear vision and mission statement for the January meeting.

 

Randi shared that she and Molly met to talk about Gail’s departure from the district and when to post for the position. Gail will be leaving the district at the end of the school year. They want to be thoughtful in the posting and advertising process and would like some overlap time with Gail. They are looking at posting the position in February or March, interviewing in April and having someone in place by May. They will work with Gail and Sean on where to advertise for a replacement; the posting will not be on the regular job posting board.

 

·   Approval of revised Mercer Statement of Work

·   Decision on HR’s request for assistance in paying the copying costs for open enrollment materials.

·   Wellness program goals, mission and vision statement, and KPIs.

Jared announced that he will soon be leaving the Trust. He will be appointing a replacement and is hoping they will be able to attend the next meeting.

 

The meeting was adjourned by Kelly Shepherd at 5:46 p.m.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Kelly Shepherd

Secretary

 

kn

 

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