Welcome and good evening everyone. As I call to order the regular school board meeting of independent school district number 882, it is 5:00 p. p.m. on Monday, August 3rd. We have all board members present which is awesome. Please
stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
>> Thank you. Now we're looking for approval of this evening's tenative agenda. So moved. >> Second >> by Melissa Curtis, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Oppos, please say no. Motion passes. 6.
Had to do the math. All right. We have no citizen comments this evening. So now we're moving right along to our consent agenda. Looking for approval. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by moved by Melissa Curtis, seconded by Casey Root. All those in
favor, please say I. >> Opposed, please say no. Motion passes. 6. On to item number six, safe and healthy culture. First item is Monaceel facility use policies and rights. Please help me to welcome to the podium
director of community education Jeremiah Mack. >> On the screen, just go to the top, please, Kevin. All right. I did highlight in red the changes for the for this coming year. Obviously we have uh the date change of
when we did make the change. So scroll down Gavin. Uh the other change our website changed our registration site changed. So we updated that to the new updated registration site. The old site did link does redirect to our new site but that
is a change. Continue down Gavin. Keep going. Uh 16 is just an update of how we handle concessions um of what the activities with activities department want. So if someone uses our concession stand, they work our currently work with the activities department to run the
concession stand or work with them for the concession stand at the high school and at the middle school. So this just is updated of what the activities department would like to do with the concession stand. Uh can you go down?
Keep going. Oh, so staffing rate, the only change on staffing rate is the hourly rates for that we will bill back for the and the the newest change is the supply fee um which is covers consumable cost that was calculated based on how much
how much groups usually go through like for how much a case of toilet paper costs, garbage, garbage bags, if we have paper towels, what that actually costs because they track they've been tracking how much we go through for events. So based on the number of people in the event, it's basically you're covering for x amount of toilet paper and garbage
bags and that's pretty much what the cost of what those are to replace the consumable goods for the events. Those are the changes that are made from the previous year. All our rates stayed the same because we did add in the supply fee
for this year to offset those expenses. Are there any questions? >> Great. What questions do we have for Director Mack before? Any questions?
All right. This is an action item. >> So moved. >> Moved by Bark Branson, seconded by Jeff Hegley. All those in favor, please say I. I. >> Opposed, please say no. Motion passes 6. Thank you for coming with the update.
>> Yep. Thank you very much. >> All right. Now, we'll move on to the next item, employee insurance report. Please help me welcome to the podium director of business services, Tina Burke Holder. All right. Good evening. We have uh like
chair Steven said, our employee insurance report. And this isn't an action item. It's just a report for to bring to the board. Um it was around 2015 legislative session where the Health Insurance Transparency Act was enacted for Minnesota. And so every two
years we are required to do a RFP on health insurance and we have to send it to at least three carriers and one of them has to be to PEEP. We have to publish this notice 21 days before our bid opening in the paper and then also open it in front of our largest
bargaining group. Uh this slide has our timeline on the process. So May 14th is when we published our uh notification in the paper. Uh the initial bids were due June 9th and we opened them on the 9th and
and the 15th and then our best and final bids were due on July 9th and we reviewed them on the 9th and the 14th. uh and then um decided on July 24th on our selection and then now presenting our decision to the board on August 3rd
and this goes into effect on our plan year starting October 1, 2026. On our insurance committee, this is a voluntary committee and anybody in any employee group is welcome to come. But during this process, we have represented
from the administrative team, our district office, admin assistants and teachers. uh but anybody from any group our technology BIS ESS or custodians they are food service they are all welcome to this voluntary committee
uh the administration making the decision includes the superintendent myself and the director of HR and in this process um we can't have any decrease in our aggregate value of our benefits unless we have approval from all bargaining groups so when we do the
RPS the companies have to match our plans like for like the best they can. Our initial biders were Medicica, which is our current provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Health Partners, and PEEP.
And when we did our best and final, we only had two responses from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicica. With Blue Cross Blue Shield, the overall percent increase was 9.62 with a rate to rate cap of 15%. We have four different
health plans and so there are different increases on the different plans based on the usage. With Medicica, the overall increase was 12.94% with a year 2 cap of 17% and 100,000 wellness credit.
So the bid that was selected was Blue Cross Blue Shield. That was the best offer for our employees. And I show the different plans on here. Um, so you can see different plans went up different rates, but overall, like I said, the
increase was 9.62% and the cap for year two is 15%. The last slide just summarized our rationale that we're required to do. Um, and this already went out to employees
so that they have time to digest and look at the different health plans and see what's best for them. Any questions? This is an item for review. What questions do we have for Director Burke Holder on it? >> Can you tell us what happens to the
$100,000 wellness credit under Medicica? >> Well, we didn't select that plan, right? >> So, it's retained with them like like we don't >> if we would have selected them, we would have got a $100,000 check.
>> They would have just given it to us. But it has to be used for wellness purposes. So we have a wellness day that we can use for speakers, breakfast. >> Have we ever had a wellness credit in the past? >> Yes. >> Are we going to continue to do the activities or the events that that that
paid for in the past? >> Yes. >> So how do we pay for those now? >> So we still like I think last time it was 150,000. So we only made a two-year dent on that. So, we still have a long
ways to go to spend down that credit. >> Okay. >> Contractually, what did we what were we thinking negotiating contractually when we're talking about the first year? >> Um, [clears throat] I think we were hoping around 10%, 8 to
10%. Um, we knew going in with our insurance committee that we deserved a mid 20% but knowing this was a hit a bid round that we get competitive bids in the past and they normally try to buy
our service or participation. >> So on the do so the double gold was 22%. Are are we like phasing that out? the double
>> it's grandfathered um only if you're on it that you can continue to stay on it. So we have some retirees on the double gold plan and active employees on our double gold plan. Yep. So that is a big hit for those that
are on double gold. Um so they'll have to you know make a decision. Is it something that they want to still continue on or look at a different plan? So that's why we wanted to get it out as soon as possible so that people could digest and make a good decision for them
and their families. >> When they say a max second year 15%. Do they automatically go to 15% or do they have to justify the increase to us somehow? >> Our agent does review our activity and
our participation. So if we deserve a 20 and they give us 15, he'll check that. I don't think last time that we got our max in year two with Medicica, but I I'm not positive. >> Can we go back to the selected bid page
of the presentation for just a second? And then can you clarify if these are um premiums per year or premiums per month? >> Those are per month. So, I'm just curious to um I know this is not unique to our school district.
It's everywhere that's seeing increases in um medical coverage, but I'm curious how this compares to other districts coverage. Is it similar? Do you talk to your peers about what they're
experiencing or how much costs are? I mean, I've always heard that we have phenomenal insurance um and the prices were good compared to other plans that were around us. Is that still the case? I'm not sure about how
our premiums per month compare to other districts, but I know our increase is lower than what others have seen. I mean to still see a singledigit percent depending on what plan you're on
is a good thing where people have seen tens 20s 30% increases >> how do we have >> I [laughter] have >> but I I mean, this this would be an
opportunity to possibly get rid of our double a little sooner. >> So, currently right now, we have 65 on the single plan and 28 on the family plan. Our largest uh groups are either on the
HSA high deductible plan or our VIA, the 1,200 uh plan. So the Viva plan the top two lines are the where the majority of our employees land. So majority of probably I mean majority of employees will be
feeling good about the increase that they have consider >> right? >> Yeah >> that's good. >> And then so just for clarity you did get bids from the other two locations. They just didn't do a best and final or you got zero bids from those other ones?
>> Yep. the for the best and final we only got um from Medicica and Blue Cross Blue Shield. The other two weren't willing to sharpen their pencils more. >> Okay. >> Did they give you any kind of an uh Did Blue Cross give you any kind of an idea
of uh the likelihood of the 15% increase for next year? I'm concerned that they're giving us a low bid this year because they've got that in there and are preparing to do it for us next year. >> I No, I mean it's going to depend on our usage.
>> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other questions or thoughts? >> All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. Now we are moving on to the next item. First reading of policies. Please help me welcome to the podium
director of human resources Rob Danaker, Chair Steven, members of the board, Superintendent Swenson. Uh so coming forward tonight with um the first read for two policies. Um, just a reminder for our public that every month our
policy committee meets uh for upwards of two hours to uh review and discuss and um contemplate changes to our schoolboard policies. Um, often times our policy changes that are recommended are uh due to state legislative action
um changes in um state law, federal law, anything like that. Uh tonight these two policies uh are going to first read really because of uh timely um conversations that have been occurring within the district. And so the first one is 533 uh wellness. The purpose of
this policy is to set forth methods that promote student wellness, prevent and reduce childhood obesity, and assure that school meals and other food and beverages sold and otherwise made available on the school campus during school day are consistent and applicable uh minimum local, state, and federal
standards. Um and so what gives rise to the proposed change? Um and there is one minor change. It's found on uh page six of the policy. And the change uh is proposing to instead of referencing a generic school district official. Uh the
proposed change is to articulate that this director of uh nutrition services uh will oversee the school district's wellness related activities um and serve as wellness coordinator. This is no functional change in district operations. However, an audit um that we participated in with the Minnesota
Department of Education for our nutrition services department recommended that we articulate that it was the director of nutrition service uh identified in policy itself. So, fairly minor, but um that's the rationale for the small amendment for 533 if there's
any questions on that. Okay. And the second and final for first read tonight is policy 707, transportation of public school students. Um, and so this uh this policy was brought forward uh by some concerned
community members who identified that um the radius identified in policy 707 did not match the radius identified policy 709. Um so we're looking at 707 tonight. Um, on page two, it articulates there's a a clause that reads, "Upon the request
of a parent or guardian, the school district shall provide transportation to and from school at the expense of the school district for all resident students who reside uh currently it states two miles or more from school." Um, the proposed change that language is who reside one mile radius or more from
the school. Um, there's no functional change here. Uh, this is template language um that MSBA provides. Um the fact that it said two was not necessarily problematic because the following paragraph articulated that the school district could uh establish um
whatever distance uh they deemed appropriate and we have identified that in 709 as one mile and so uh no functional change here it and actually this is clarifies uh what the district is doing and also how Hoglands operates our transportation services under contract with the district. Any
questions on 707? >> Sorry, Rob. Just quick question because as we've gone through this, is it up to a mile or at a mile? I'm now questioning that myself. >> Uh what it states here is um the proposed change would say for all
resident students who reside one mile radius or more from the school, >> we will provide transportation >> uh one mile or more from the school. Yes. So just as a as a matter of operation, we'd go to first read tonight. Uh the board is not taking action. If there's
further amendments that need to be made, uh we certainly have time before the next meeting and share that information with the board for consideration prior to our meeting two weeks from now. >> I will double check with H just to determine is at one mile people are still responsible for walking and
anything above that. I'll follow up on that >> minor clarification, but we'll make sure we're on the same page as Hulkland. Yep. >> Any other questions on 707 at all? >> All right. Again, no action needed tonight. Sher Steven, thank you.
>> Thank you. All right. And that brings us to adjournment at 5:19 p.m. on this August 3rd. and we're going to move right into uh we'll take a little 5m minute break and then we'll move into our work
session. >> Nice.