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Board hears that health and property insurance costs are rising and squeezing district budget
Summary
District staff told the board that health insurance costs and property/casualty premiums have risen substantially over the past decade, contributing to tighter budgets; staff reported a $49,000 annual increase in health insurance and near 50% growth in property insurance since 2015.
District business staff told the Maple School District Board on March 9, 2026 that long-term trends in benefits and property insurance are creating significant budget pressure.
Staff presented a 10-year health-insurance overview and said premiums rose from just over $2 million in 2015 to roughly $2.4 million in 2025 while the number of insured members on the district plan fell by about 49. Staff described changes in plan design (higher deductibles, narrow-network options), a fixed district HSA contribution ($750 single, $1,500 family), and noted that those cost and coverage shifts still produced an approximately $49,000 annual increase in health insurance costs in the current budget year.
On property and casualty insurance, staff reported total premiums (property, liability, workers' compensation, auto) increased from about $176,000 in 2015 to $264,421 in 2025, nearly a 50% rise. Presenters described market-wide difficulty in finding carriers willing to bid, higher deductibles, and limited credits from mitigation investments (for example, sprinkler credits are smaller than in prior years), and they warned that retrofits to reduce risk (sprinkler systems) can be prohibitively expensive.
Board members said these insurance increases, when combined with other rising costs (transportation and other operational areas), create multi-hundred-thousand-dollar pressure on a budget that has been relatively flat. Staff said they will continue to study options and communicate trends to the public and noted that some cost drivers are outside local control.
Next steps: district staff signaled ongoing work to model cost scenarios and will return with further proposals and data for board consideration.
