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Ansonia Board reviews 20% projected rise in insurance costs; finance staff point to accounting, grant and plan-mix factors
Summary
At a May 27 special meeting, Ansonia Board members and staff examined a budget line showing a 20% increase in 2026–27 insurance costs. Finance Director Erich Marriott and Superintendent DiBacco said the figure reflects new itemization, stagnant grant funding and differences between Anthem and Teamsters plans; staff will prepare transfers and staffing actions before summer.
Dr. Steven Adamowski, chair of the Ansonia Board of Education, on May 27 called a special personnel and finance meeting to examine a projected 20% increase in the district’s 2026–27 insurance budget. Finance Director Erich Marriott presented a Brown & Brown worksheet that itemized insurance and payroll by employee and explained the line-by-line entries used to build the budget.
Marriott said the worksheet reflects the exact data entered into the system and noted that administrators are included in the figures. "I included detailed explanatory footnotes in my public documents," Marriott said, citing those notes as the basis for the public-facing numbers. He told the board the district’s projected baseline increase of about 12% remains competitive with neighboring districts.
Superintendent DiBacco and board member Rich Bshara described how plan selection and grant timing affected the apparent spike. DiBacco identified himself, Bob Evans and Assistant Superintendent Steve Bergin as enrolled in the Teamsters plan and said the Teamsters family plan runs roughly $21,000 compared with about $45,100 for an Anthem family plan. "The plan saves the district over $20,000 annually," DiBacco said, and he clarified that the Teamsters plan uses a low deductible with co-pays, not a $6,000 deductible.
Bshara said the district’s recent move to a high-deductible health plan produced substantial cost savings for many employees and that the 20% figure is partly an artifact of prior budgeting practices. He told the board the mid‑year departure of the prior finance director, stagnant Alliance Grant funding, rising wages and an unadjusted baseline combined to produce a visible overage on paper.
Board members asked for more precise comparisons. Marriott walked through county-level payouts, cost-share calculations and the mechanics of participating in an insurance collaboration rather than operating independently. The board asked that staff prepare regular transfers as needed to keep the budget current; Marriott agreed to implement the requested adjustments.
The board also discussed summer hiring authority because the Board traditionally does not meet in July or August; DiBacco said he typically requests such authority so staffing decisions can proceed during the summer.
The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.
