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Elko County School District board approves insurance changes, budget augmentation and athletics fee
Summary
The board approved multiple revisions to the district's self-funded insurance plan projected to save about $3.88 million next year, a roughly $500,000 budget augmentation for Buildings and Sites, and a pay-to-participate athletics fee; most changes take effect July 1 or Aug. 1.
Superintendent CJ Anderson said the Elko County School District Board of Trustees approved a package of financial and policy changes at its May 5 meeting that the district projects will yield about $3.88 million in savings for the self-funded insurance plan next year.
Anderson described the insurance changes as a mix of rate and cost-sharing adjustments: a $20 proportional monthly increase to active dependent tiers effective July 1; increases to annual deductibles and annual out-of-pocket maximums for both the district's PPO and high-deductible plans effective Aug. 1; higher cost-sharing for emergency-room and rehabilitation services on the PPO plan effective Aug. 1; increases to individual and family prescription deductibles and a $10 increase to prescription co-pays, with RX items staggered into effect as vendor negotiations permit. "The end result is about $3.88 million in savings to our insurance plan for next year," Anderson said, calling the figure a projection.
Anderson said the board also approved a resolution to augment the budget by shifting roughly $500,000 to the Buildings and Sites Fund to support the general fund amid continuing budget discussions. He described the augmentation as part of routine budget adjustments the board has discussed in recent meetings.
On extracurriculars, the board approved revisions to policy IDFB to add a pay-to-participate fee for interscholastic athletics beginning next school year. Anderson framed the fee as a modest revenue supplement: "We're not talking about a ton of money that this is going to generate. It's not really meant to be a massive cost savings, but something that can help a little bit with our general fund that supplements so much to support athletics in our district."
Anderson said the board approved proposed revisions to policy JDFH to revise discipline procedures for homeless and foster students to conform with new state legislation; those changes will be incorporated into next year's discipline matrix. He said the board also accepted minor edits to a draft letter to legislators and approved the proposed 2026-27 board meeting calendar.
Anderson urged staff, site representatives and union leadership to review the insurance changes and noted the district's human-resources office and its insurance oversight committee will provide additional information. He also said the district is negotiating program details with an "Optimus" vendor to implement some plan components.
The board took no vote counts on the record in the recap; Anderson reported the items described were approved at the meeting and provided the effective dates and next steps for communications with staff and families.
