District HR previews no‑cost American Fidelity benefits services to aid recruitment and retention

Dr. McJunkins, director of human resources for the School City of East Chicago, introduced a presentation from American Fidelity during a May work session outlining voluntary benefits and an electronic open‑enrollment platform the vendor said it provides to K‑12 districts at no cost.

Megan Garten, American Fidelity account representative, said the firm works with K‑12 public schools nationwide and offers one‑on‑one employee education during open enrollment, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and a mobile app that consolidates benefit balances and claims information. Garten said American Fidelity assists districts by providing electronic feeds to benefit carriers to reduce manual enrollment work.

Dr. McJunkins framed the presentation as part of a strategy to improve recruitment and retention: “If we can offer better benefits to our staff and our incoming staff, we can recruit those that are more qualified,” she said. American Fidelity representatives said the services are provided at no cost to the district; staff asked questions about which employee groups would be eligible, how the vendor supports near‑site or on‑site services and whether retirees or non‑medical‑eligible employees could access voluntary plans.

Trustees asked about company experience and local presence; American Fidelity said it works with roughly 70% of Indiana districts and that local account managers support implementation and one‑on‑one education. The vendor offered follow‑up materials and noted a “value pack” report summarizing enrollment and claim data that it can deliver periodically to partner districts.

No formal decision or contract was recorded during the work session; American Fidelity left informational materials and offered to meet with district staff to scope implementation.