School board approves switch to Dean insurance plan and 3% across‑the‑board pay increase

The River Valley School Board voted to approve shifting the district’s 2026–27 health insurance to Dean’s alternate plan one and to provide a 3% pay increase for staff.

The decisions came after the budget committee reviewed renewal quotes for the coming year. Budget presenter Brian Cry told the board the district had received a 26.9% renewal from Courtz but an alternative bid from Dean came in at 18.1%, and the committee recommended Dean’s alternate plan one to reduce the projected increase. The board moved to accept that recommendation and carried the motion.

Why it matters: administrators said the change was a response to sharp market increases in health‑insurance renewals and limited competitive bids. The board also debated how plan design would affect employees who see specialists and discussed providing a Dean customer‑service contact for affected staff.

On compensation, the board approved a 3% increase to staff compensation for 2026–27. For teachers, the package was presented as a 2.63% base adjustment (CPI-based) plus a 0.37% supplemental payment to reach 3% total across the district.

Board members asked about the budget impacts and whether the insurance choice would disrupt care for employees with ongoing specialist relationships. Administration said they would work with Dean to help transition those employees and to connect them with a customer service liaison.

Next steps: administrators will implement the Dean plan and finalize payroll changes for the 2026–27 fiscal year; details about individual employee impacts and specific employee lists were not provided at the meeting.