Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Insurance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Insurance agent warns of rising rates as district continues to settle gym water claim
Summary
An insurance representative told the Teton School District board that premiums are likely to rise and described an open gymnasium water claim that could leave the district with a roughly 20% deductible bill; the board asked staff to pursue loss-control help from its insurer pool.
Insurance agent Craig Chandler told the Teton School District Board on Monday that the district should expect upward pressure on property and liability rates and consider loss‑control steps after a recent gymnasium water claim.
Chandler, a long‑time agent who said he works with the ICRIMP (the Idaho public‑entity insurance pool), described how the pool calculates premiums and explained the district’s current claims load. “I wish I had a crystal ball. You're gonna find out I'm very valuable and very worthless, but let me tell you what a little bit I do know,” Chandler told the board, adding that reinsurer losses from wildfires and other catastrophes are pushing rates higher.
The agent described the district’s gymnasium loss as a large water claim. “Water losses on gyms … have a 20% deductible,” Chandler said. He gave the board an approximate current payment total on the gym of about $200,000 and noted that a 20% deductible on that amount would leave the district about $40,000 liable unless independent review reduces the claim amount.
Chandler summarized the district’s other policy deductibles as stated by the pool: a $5,000 deductible for vehicles and a $10,000 deductible for buildings and contents. He said liability claims carry no deductible. He also said most of the district’s past claims are closed but that there were still “four that are still open.”
The board and staff discussed steps to reduce future losses. Chandler recommended a claims review and proactive loss‑control inspection by the pool. He said ICRIMP previously employed loss‑control representatives who physically inspected facilities and offered simple, low‑cost fixes that reduced claim frequency; both of those positions have recently retired and the pool is reorganizing its services. Chandler urged the board to permit a site visit and to schedule a meeting with Tim Osborne, an ICRIMP director who can brief districts on rates, pool exposure and mitigation strategies.
Superintendent Megan Christensen confirmed the district would ask the pool for the same loss‑control support Chandler described. Board members asked whether alternative gym surfaces (composite or rubberized floors) could lower future loss exposure; Chandler said such changes might reduce the size of a future claim but he could not guarantee a corresponding premium reduction without a formal underwriting review.
Chandler also recommended that the board consider whether to retain or raise deductibles for small, frequent claims so the pool’s pooled premium is not driven upward by many minor payouts. “If you’ve got a $10,000 claim and you’ve got a $10,000 deductible, you might decide do we want to turn this in or just eat it,” he said.
Board members asked Chandler to coordinate a follow‑up briefing timed after the pool’s renewal notices, which are expected May 1. Chandler said he and the pool are available for a Zoom or in‑person presentation and left his contact information with the district.
Nut graf: The district’s insurance agent warned that reinsurer losses and recent local claims will likely push premiums higher; the board directed staff to ask the insurer pool for loss‑control help and a fuller briefing after renewal rates are released.
Ending: The board did not take formal action at Monday’s meeting but requested that staff schedule an ICRIMP briefing and pursue loss‑control inspections and recommendations. Chandler left his phone number with district staff for urgent claims.
