Spring ISD board votes to rejoin TRS ActiveCare for 2026 amid trustee concern about risk
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Summary
Trustees approved administration's recommendation to rejoin TRS ActiveCare for the 2026 plan year; several trustees warned the board is taking on trade-offs between statewide fully funded coverage and district self-funded risk, and the motion passed with dissent noted in the transcript.
The Spring ISD Board of Trustees voted Nov. 11 to accept administration's recommendation to rejoin TRS ActiveCare for the 2026 plan year, a decision trustees debated publicly.
Deputy Superintendent/Chief Financial Officer Anne Westbrooks explained the procedural steps and consequences of joining TRS ActiveCare, including submission of a letter of intent that commits the district to the plan year and triggers claims-data submission for TRS to calculate risk fees. "We would be committed," Westbrooks said when trustees asked whether the district could withdraw after the letter of intent is filed.
Trustee McDaniel moved to approve rejoining TRS ActiveCare and Trustee Newhouse seconded. Several trustees voiced reservations about the financial trade-offs: Trustee Adams and others said moving from a self-funded plan to the statewide, fully funded model shifts risk away from the district but leaves fewer local controls. "When you're dealing with health care, you're talking about self-funded versus fully funded," President Durant observed, noting the board has had previous experience with carry-forward risk.
After discussion, President Durant called the vote and announced, "That motion carries 64 and 1 abstention," as recorded in the transcript. The administration was directed to request TRS's risk-fee formulas and to proceed with required paperwork to effect the plan change.
Trustees noted they would continue to monitor the district's health-plan performance and asked staff to provide additional financial details when available.