RSU 4 approves private paid family medical leave plan with Guardian

Regional School Unit 4 voted unanimously Wednesday to pursue a private paid family medical leave (PFML) plan under an insurance contract with Guardian Life Insurance Company of America as offered through Maine school-management purchasing efforts.

The motion directs the district to provide PFML coverage through the private plan in substitution of participating in the state plan under 26 M.R.S. section 850-h, pending final approval and enrollment by the private administrator.

District administrators told the board the state initially set a total premium of 1% of wages and the district and employees were splitting that 50/50 (0.5% each). The private option offered by Guardian was described in the meeting materials at 0.88% total, with the district and employees each contributing 0.44%. Administrators said the private plan means the district and employees would not remit further payments to the state once the private plan is active. The private plan, if accepted, would delay further employer/employee payroll contributions for about 13 months; the rate would then be locked for three years at 0.88%.

A district presenter summarized tradeoffs for the board: the private plan can be less expensive, uses an insurer experienced in administering similar programs in other states, and includes a small one-time implementation fee (the district cited about $250). Administrators said the board must take action now to meet an enrollment deadline; if the board delayed, the district would continue paying into the state plan for May and June and could choose the private option later.

Board members asked procedural and legal questions about exemption from state collection if the district adopts a private plan and requested confirmation of statutory authority; the districtattorney and staff said they had reviewed the motion and that enrollment in an approved private plan relieves districts from remitting to the state plan while the private plan is in effect. One administrator said, "we would be delayed in participation 13 months" and that the district qualifies for the lower Guardian rate. Another administrator summarized the premium split: "The employee would pay 0.44 and we pay 0.44."

The motion passed unanimously. District staff will submit the board's vote to the private-plan administrator and return to the board with final enrollment confirmation and any contract terms. Administrators cautioned that the district would not recoup payroll contributions already remitted to the state for January-April 2025.

The board also discussed that the private plan must meet the state's leave-eligibility and coverage requirements; administrators said Guardian's offering is structured to comply with state-specified leave purposes and durations.