Board committee recommends continuing dental and vision plans and offering voluntary accident and critical‑illness plans

The committee recommended continuing dental and vision benefits through Delta Dental for the 2025–26 plan year without rate changes and approved offering two new voluntary products — accident insurance and critical‑illness coverage — for employees.

Administration reported no rate change for dental and vision: “0% change in rates,” the presenter said, and noted these are voluntary, employee‑paid benefits with no district cost.

On voluntary products, the committee described an accident policy and a critical‑illness policy that employees could elect. The accident plan provides fixed benefit payments for covered events (ambulance, hospitalizations, fractures, therapy) and premiums were described as roughly $12 per month for an individual up to about $40 for family coverage. The critical‑illness option provides lump‑sum payments on covered diagnoses (examples cited: heart conditions, cancer, organ failure) with benefit amounts that can range from $5,000 to $50,000 and premiums that vary by age and coverage level (presenters said roughly $5 to over $100 per month depending on choices).

The committee described modest wellness incentives in the products (for example, a $50 wellness payment per covered member for an annual exam under one plan). Administration said the plans would be administered through payroll withholding and would carry no budgetary impact for the district.

A motion to forward the recommendation to the full board to continue dental and vision plans and to offer the voluntary accident and critical‑illness plans was moved by Mr. Wells and seconded; the committee recorded the motion forwarded to the full board 4–0 with three absent.

The committee advised administration to communicate plan details, costs and enrollment processes to employees during open enrollment.