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District workers' compensation 'mod rate' rises to 1.3; officials plan insurer and broker review
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Summary
The Oshkosh Area School District reported an increase in its workers' compensation modification rate to 1.3 at the April 23 board meeting and announced plans to change insurance brokers and carriers and to pursue a 90-day and one-year plan to reduce the rate.
District officials told the board April 23 that the district’s workers’ compensation mod rate had risen to 1.3, driven largely by a small number of high-cost claims tied to slips, falls and physical-activity injuries.
Conrad Peters, who presented the quarterly workers' compensation update, said the rate increase reflects a three-year rolling calculation that includes high-cost claims from 2022–24. He said the district will review its current insurance broker and workers’ compensation carrier and is preparing a 90-day and one-year plan aimed at lowering the mod rate to below 1.0 within three years.
Why it matters: A higher mod rate increases the district’s insurance costs and signals higher-than-average claim expense relative to peers; trustees said staff and student safety and prevention remain priorities.
Analysis and next steps: Peters said the district identified the high-cost claims as primarily slips and falls rather than incidents tied solely to student-staff behavioral incidents. The district plans to engage a new broker and propose a new workers’ comp carrier to achieve rapid change, develop a 90-day action plan, and present a 1-year plan to the Facilities and Finance Committee.
Trustee response: Board members including Barb Herzog urged more rapid action and said three years to reduce the mod rate was too long; trustees requested additional, more timely incident-level data and leading indicators to detect emerging risks. Peters said the district already reports near-miss and incident data and will pursue better reporting and targeted expert assistance.
Ending: The board asked for the Facilities and Finance Committee to review the plan and for staff to return with a timeline and measurable steps to reduce staff injury risk and insurance costs.
