Sunnyside Unified board approves 2025–26 employee benefits package with minimal projected increase

The Sunnyside Unified School District governing board on a recorded roll call approved the district's recommended employee benefits package for the 2025'26 plan year, after a presentation by the district's benefits consultant and questions from trustees.

CBIZ account executive Kristen, the consultant presenting the renewal, told the board the district is projecting 'a little over a 2% increase' in total benefits costs for the coming plan year and that estimate 'equates to just under a hundred and $90,000.' She said stop-loss and other market factors remain to be finalized but that trustees had agreed the district would absorb any increase so employees would see no change to their current payroll contributions.

The board heard details on plan design and trust management. Kristen outlined that the district will maintain the $423 per-employee monthly defined contribution put in place last year, continue a $500 annual district contribution to employee health savings accounts (HSAs), and that trust funds boosted employee HSA support to $700 last year for an expected combined total of $1,200 going into the HSA for employees who enroll in that plan. She also described longer-term cost-control measures the plan has used, including a specialty pharmacy carve-out that the consultant said saved the district about $4.3 million over five years and affected 58 members.

Trustees asked about preventive-care use, plan design differences among the district's plan options and a required IRS change for the high-deductible plan. The presenter explained the IRS minimum deductible for the qualified high-deductible account is rising from $3,200 to $3,300 for individuals and said the district would not change the family deductible amount.

Board President Quintero and trustees recorded votes in favor at roll call. The meeting transcript records the roll call responses as: Mister Bustamante ' Aye; Mister Jaramillo ' Aye; Mister Rodriguez ' Aye; Mrs. Quintero ' Aye. With that tally the board approved the benefits package as presented.

The administration confirmed an open-enrollment window will run April 16 through May 1, with virtual and in-person assistance and communications (postcards, online materials and on-site kiosks) planned for employees. The benefits team and trustees said no employee premium increases will be required under the plan as presented and that the trustees agreed to cover the modest projected increase if realized.

Board action was recorded as an information-plus-action item; the board voted to approve the recommendation and move forward to open enrollment and implementation.

The board did not identify any statutory citations or ordinance references during the discussion; the item was presented as a routine benefits renewal and plan-management action.