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Hancock County School District board renews $50 million property insurance plan, approves personnel items
Summary
The Hancock County School District board voted to renew Option 1 of its property insurance—keeping $50 million all-perils and $5 million flood coverage—after a presentation showing the district could save about $134,350 versus the expiring premium; the board also approved multiple personnel additions and resignations on the consent agenda.
Hancock County School District trustees voted at a board meeting to accept the district’s recommended property insurance renewal that maintains $50 million in all-perils coverage and $5 million in flood protection and to approve multiple personnel items on the consent agenda.
Presenter Justin Latt told the board the district’s 10 locations hold more than $170 million in insured assets and outlined four renewal options before recommending Option 1, which keeps the district at $50 million in all-perils coverage and $5 million in flood protection. "I'm recommending renewal option 1," Latt said, adding that the proposal would save the district about $134,350 compared with the expiring premium.
Why it matters: the coverage and deductible structure determine the district’s financial exposure after a major storm or fire. Latt described a main windstorm deductible that remains at 3% per building and noted prior years’ efforts to buy down wind deductibles to flat-dollar amounts when market pricing allowed.
During his presentation, Latt reviewed premium history: the district’s highest recent premiums were in the 2023–24 term when the district paid about $1.38 million, while the expiring premium shown in the packet was about $1.12 million; Latt said that on a premium-comparison basis Option 1 yields the stated savings and that market conditions could allow the district to consider higher limits in a future year once prices normalize. "I’ll never push for something that doesn’t make financial sense," Latt said.
Board discussion focused on short-term affordability and the multi-year strategy for buying higher limits when market conditions improve. When asked about next-year expectations, Latt projected annual premium levels in the $900,000–$1,000,000 range and said the district could aim to add limits in a future renewal cycle.
The board moved to adopt the recommended Option 1 for the renewal. The transcript records a motion and the chair saying the motion carries; no detailed roll-call vote or individual yes/no tallies are recorded in the transcript.
On the consent agenda, the board approved items that included adding Marjorie James to the certified personnel list for the 2026–27 school year, acceptance of the resignation of Victoria Deego as a speech therapist, and acceptance of the resignation of Morgan Ivy from the Department of Transportation. The chair also added a termination item to the agenda; the transcript’s wording for that item is unclear. The chair moved approval of items 1–26 and 28–31 and said the motion carries; the meeting then moved to adjourn until April.
What’s next: the district will proceed with the renewed insurance terms and implement the approved personnel changes; the transcript does not record implementation dates or further administrative steps.
