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Board authorizes switching to Guardian private plan for Maine paid family medical leave, citing near‑term savings
Summary
The RSU 06/MSAD 06 board authorized the superintendent to enroll the district in a private paid family medical leave plan offered by Guardian after the business manager presented a cost comparison showing estimated employer and employee savings if application is submitted by May 31.
The RSU 06/MSAD 06 Board of Directors authorized the superintendent to enroll the district in a private paid family medical leave plan with Guardian, a decision the board’s business manager said would produce near‑term savings if the application is filed by the end of May.
Don Pooler, the district business manager, told the board Guardian offered a 0.95 percent premium instead of the state program’s 1.0 percent rate; under the Guardian quote the employer and employee would each pay 0.475 percent beginning May 1, 2026 if the district completes the private plan application by May 31. Pooler said that, by choosing Guardian, the district would avoid paying the State of Maine the employer portion for the April–June window and estimated total savings of about $405,000 across employer and employee shares for the district’s fiscal year accounting.
Nut graf: The board voted 10‑0 to authorize the superintendent to enter a private plan with Guardian. The district’s business manager said the private option locks a rate for two years and avoids some vendor‑imposed changes other bidders requested, such as moving voluntary benefits. He also advised the board the district could not switch back to the state program for three years after choosing a private plan.
Pooler provided a breakdown: he said MSAD 6 would avoid approximately $90,000 in April–June FY25 payments and an additional $315,000 for July–April FY26 under the Guardian plan, with employer savings of about $247,500 and employee savings of about $157,500. Board members asked whether the state would challenge the private plan; Pooler said the state has authorized approved private providers and that the district would not expect a challenge if it uses an approved provider.
Directors also asked timing questions about when employees could access benefits and whether the state bucket of funds would have been available sooner; Pooler said even if the district remained with the state program, availability of state benefits could be delayed and that private carriers maintain their own reserves and processes.
Ending: The board approved the superintendent’s authority to enter the private plan by a 10‑0 vote; administrators will file the application by May 31 to realize the near‑term savings described in the presentation.
