Taylor ISD details employee benefits package, pilots WageStream and explores debt‑navigator service

Julie Porter, payroll manager, presented an update on Taylor ISD benefits and voluntary services at the June 23 meeting, outlining medical plan choices, the district’s monthly contribution and a set of voluntary and district‑paid benefits intended to support staff recruitment and retention.

Porter said Taylor ISD offers three TRS ActiveCare options (Primary, Primary Plus and a high‑deductible plan) through Blue Cross Blue Shield; the district currently contributes $460 per month toward employee insurance and said the contribution for 2025–26 could increase to as much as $500, pending final decisions. Porter summarized plan differences: Primary/Primary Plus operate like in‑state network plans with primary‑care designation and lower copays under Primary Plus, while the high‑deductible plan is nationwide and does not require a designated primary care physician.

Porter described several district‑provided no‑cost benefits for most employees (employees working 20+ hours weekly): $10,000 basic term life insurance, $5,000 critical‑illness coverage (with a $75 wellness benefit), a 24/7 employee‑assistance program (EAP) offering up to six counseling visits per topic, MDLive virtual doctor visits and an employee‑accessible WorkNumber service for automated employment verifications.

The district highlighted WageStream (launched for the district in December and earlier piloted by Taylor ISD), a payroll‑adjacent service that allows employees to access up to 50 percent of already‑earned pay before payday; Porter said the district incurs no financial risk under the program. The presentation also described a proposed “my debt navigator” partnership (still under review) intended to confidentially negotiate employees’ unsecured debt and potentially lower balances at no cost to employees or the district.

Porter reviewed district leave programs: an extended‑leave offering that matches local leave days under specified rules (and provides partial pay replacement after local and state leave are exhausted) and a sick‑leave bank that employees may join by donating one day and that can reimburse up to 30 unpaid days under catastrophic circumstances. Porter also updated trustees on the Child Development Center (CDC): current licensed capacity roughly 40 children, plans to expand capacity (staff said licensing work is underway to take the center to higher capacity and to accept older children for before/after‑school care), and a plan to offer full‑day pre‑K3 next year.

Trustees asked process questions about extended leave, FMLA interactions and the CDC; payroll staff said HR initiates FMLA and that extended‑leave awards are administered after employees exhaust local and state leave. No board action was taken.