Clay County board votes to return to state insurance plan, approves contribution changes and MOU amendments

The Clay County School Board voted Oct. 10 to reenroll the district in the Tennessee state insurance plan and to approve the defined contribution amounts negotiated in the MOU with teachers.

A district staff member told the board 164 employees were eligible to vote on the insurance decision; 115 voted and 114 favored returning to the state plan. "We had 115 votes, and a 114 out of the 115 that voted voted to go back to the state," the staff member said, and noted the move requires the district to stay on the state plan for two years.

Board discussion centered on cost comparisons. The chair said the district had saved roughly $700,000 when it previously left the state plan, but rising costs from external providers have narrowed those savings and made the state plan more favorable this year.

The board also approved proposed defined-contribution amounts that will go into the MOU. Officials said the MOU includes an agreement in which the board will absorb roughly 75% of the premium increase and that the teachers representatives agreed to a specified split of the remaining increase. The amended MOU also includes an increase in coaching supplements, clarifications on sick-leave and FMLA usage, and a professional-development addendum.

Motions to approve reenrollment, the contribution schedule and the amended 2023—2026 MOU passed by voice votes. District staff said nearly all funds from a small addition to the ASA/Title budget (about $35,000) will be applied to a K8 cafeteria project and that roughly $20,000 of the amount was directed to learning-loss activities.

Next step: the MOU-approved contribution amounts will be incorporated into board and teacher agreements; staff will implement plan reenrollment and report on transitions required by the state.