McAllen ISD trustees pause vote on proposed 2025–26 self‑funded health plan changes

Trustees of McAllen ISD on Sept. 2 discussed proposed changes to the district’s self‑funded medical and pharmacy plan for the 2025–26 plan year but voted unanimously to take no action and asked staff to return with other options by the end of September.

The administration, represented by Andy Silva, the district’s director for employee benefits and safety risk management, presented seven strategies intended to reduce a projected deficit and sustain the plan. Silva said the district had already increased the employer contribution by $55 per employee per month (a step included in the budget) and described proposals that would move the district to a single plan, adjust deductibles and specialist copays, add an inpatient hospital copay, and create a fourth pharmacy tier specifically for GLP‑1 medications.

The proposals were framed as a response to the fund’s losses: Silva told trustees the plan would end the just‑ended fiscal year with an approximately $850,000 deficit and that, without changes, the next plan year could show a…