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Board backs new district health-insurance carrier and bargaining to add plan options
Summary
The Poplar School District board voted to move toward contracting with a new insurance carrier (referred to in the meeting as Bridger/Bridge) and directed administrators to bargain with employee groups to offer plan options rather than a single districtwide plan.
The Poplar School District board voted to pursue a new health-insurance carrier and asked district leaders to negotiate bargaining language that would let employee groups choose among plan tiers. The superintendent told trustees that switching carriers would unify certified and classified employees under one carrier and could reduce classified-group costs while preserving options for employees who want lower deductibles.
The superintendent said the district would bargain terms with unions and illustrated district costs for the recommended high-deductible tier, telling the board, "and, so that's $151,518 dollars for next year." He said he favored giving employees choices rather than "boxing" everybody into the same plan. Trustees discussed timing, a short state-linked enrollment window and a potential state reimbursement pool referenced by the superintendent. Board members asked for two trustees to support follow-up bargaining work over coming weeks.
The board motion approved moving forward with the recommended carrier proposal and with next steps to bargain plan details with employee groups; the transcript records support from multiple trustees, and the superintendent said the district would return with specific bargaining proposals.
