The meeting was called to order by Jeff Moore at 4:06 p.m.

 

A motion was made by Gregg Elder and seconded by Kelly Shepherd to adopt the agenda as written. The motion passed unanimously.

 

A motion was made by Kelly Shepherd and seconded by Susan Lindsey to approve the minutes from the September 13, 2017 meeting as written. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Darla noted financials are on hold pending approval of the annual audit report.

 

The draft Annual Audit Report was previously provided to the Trustees electronically. Darla reviewed the information with the group. The independent auditors report found that the financial statements of the Trust as of June 30, 2017 were presented fairly, and the financial position of the Trust, the changes in its net assets, and its cash flows for the year then ended were in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Darla talked about this year’s audit being identical to last year’s. She reviewed with the group a loss that was expected and intentional. She has been communicating with Jayson and Becker regarding needed cash flow on a monthly basis and has no concerns regarding their handling of the Trust’s investments.

Jeff asked about the fees for the investment consultant and managers. Darla explained how Becker’s fees are a percentage of the CDs and noted the fee that Jayson charges has not changed since his inception with the Trust. Jeff asked about when the Trust should pull out and manage its resources (in relation to EHB 2242). Darla said she felt Becker would come to the Trust when it was necessary. She reminded the Trustees that Jayson is scheduled to attend next month’s meeting and this topic could be discussed with him at that time. She also noted that she, Melanie and Jayson are scheduled to discuss revisions to the investment policy which should be available for the Trustees review at the November meeting.

Darla asked about the possibility of Jayson being able to call in to the meeting (as Sean and Melanie have recently done) rather than flying here from Portland. The Trustees agreed that was a good idea. A suggestion was made to look into the possibility of video conferencing. Darla will look into this option and communicate with Jayson about it. The Trustees thanked Darla for her efforts in ensuring another clean audit.

A motion was made by Kelly Shepherd and seconded by Susan Lindsey to approve the annual audit for the year ended June 30, 2017. The motion passed unanimously.

Shelley shared highlights of Wellness Program happenings with the group. There has been some feedback from staff regarding the switch from Walktober to Feel Like a Million. Feel Like a Million is much more complex and not as popular as Walktober was.

 

Brian Sachse, President of the Coach’s Association, stopped by the meeting to ask the group about the $40 increase for benefits approved by the legislature. He said he saw that amount included on his pay stub but did not see the decrease on his medical amount. He said he was curious about that and wondered if it would be corrected. He said he came from a district that did not have a Trust and was not sure how that worked.

Kelly explained that because the state does not provide enough funding to cover all the benefits offered, the Trust subsidizes the rates employees pay. Since it is not a straight “flow through” system, the $40 allocation goes to the Trust. Brian said he appreciates the streamlined communication regarding benefits and how helpful the benefits team is.

 

Randi shared that Open Enrollment starts October 20 and runs to November 15. Staff who are making no changes to their current medical plans will not have to go on Employee Online. The exception is for staff who have flexible spending accounts (FSA). This exception will be communicated to staff in the informational emails. The Trustees asked if the benefits team could identify which staff have a FSA and reach out to them personally with the instruction that they must go on Employee Online if they which to continue it. Randi and Darla will look into that possibility.

Support events have been scheduled to assist staff in making decisions regarding their plans. The first event will be held October 26 at Evergreen Middle School. Randi shared the dates of the other events, and that special support events are scheduled for staff in food services, maintenance and transportation that are designed for their specific work hours.

Staff will begin receiving emails this Friday and then weekly on Wednesdays after that. Topics will vary. One will be on navigating employee online. Information will also be published in the weekly Communication to Principals packet and the HR monthly payroll message provided on payday. Staff on leave or who are eligible for Cobra will be mailed information through the US Mail.

Randi talked about the late news from Mercer regarding an increase to a Kaiser Permanente plan that was not communicated at the August meeting, and how that omission has impacted the benefits team. It was disheartening that Sean and his team had this information in August but forgot to share it with the Trust. While this isn’t a huge consequence, it is still hard for the benefits team to clarify that information in the benefits package. Thankfully, no employees received misinformation. Randi said there was a similar issue last year but Kaiser Permanente agreed to honor that plan. However, they will not be offering that plan in 2018. The group asked about other incidents such as this with Mercer. While there has been some confusion lately, Randi said Mercer is very responsive and provides the data they need.

Randi also mentioned that twelve staff members who are enrolled in the Aetna Core Plan had their benefits processed incorrectly. This was not the fault of Mercer. As soon as Sean became aware of the issue, he contacted the benefits team. The group discussed the impact to staff. Some claims were paid more generously and some were under paid. Aetna will reprocess those claims and will contact staff directly by phone or personalized letter. Randi said she wanted to bring this to the Trustees’ attention in case they hear anything from staff members. The Presidents Council will also be notified of the issue.

The Trustees reviewed agenda items for the November 15, 2017 meeting. Discussion of investment practices was added to the next meeting agenda.

 

The meeting was adjourned by Jeff Moore at 4:53 p.m.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Susan Lindsey

Secretary

 

kn

 

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