* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [1.A. Call to Order - Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence - School Board Chair]
          [00:00:04]
          WELCOME. 
          IF EVERYONE COULD PLEASE STAND AND JOIN ME FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, FOLLOWED BY A MOMENT OF SILENCE, A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FATHER OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. 
          IS THERE A MOTION TO 
          [1.B. Accept or Modify the Agenda - School Board]
ACCEPT OR MODIFY THE AGENDA THIS EVENING? I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OPPOSED? NO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT UP THIS EVENING, WE HAVE COMMUNITY 
          [1.C. Community Participation]
PARTICIPATION. 
          MS. SELTZ, HAS ANYONE SIGNED UP THIS EVENING? REBECCA, THAT WAS ME. 
          ALRIGHT, GOOD EVENING. 
          I'M REBECCA HUDSON. 
          I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT AS THE CO-PRESIDENT OF THE WARREN COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. 
          AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT BUDGET PROCESS, I ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER A FEW THINGS. 
          FIRST, I FEEL THE NEED TO POINT OUT THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY IN A VERY COMPETITIVE MARKET FOR ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TEACHERS. 
          EVERY COUNTY IN OUR AREA IS COMPETING FOR THE SAME POOL OF TEACHERS. 
          THE TEACHERS AND STAFF AT WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE CHOSEN TO BE HERE. 
          CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE THE TEACHERS FEEL VALUED AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO STAY IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE WELLBEING OF OUR SCHOOLS. 
          WHILE THE STAFF IS THE GREATEST EXPENSE OF WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THEY ARE ALSO OUR GREATEST ASSET. 
          KEEPING THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE INVESTED THEIR TIME AND ENERGY INTO OUR SCHOOLS IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR SCHOOLS. 
          SECOND, AS WE MOVE INTO DISCUSSIONS REGARDING HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE DISCUSSIONS GREATLY IMPACT THE LIVELIHOOD OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS. 
          I HAVE HAD MANY DEEPLY EMOTIONAL CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR FUTURE CHOICES. 
          THEY ARE WORRIED CHANGES IN INSURANCE PREMIUMS ARE GOING TO FORCE THEM TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THEIR FAMILY'S WELLBEING AND THEIR JOBS. 
          HERE WE KNOW THE NUMBERS ARE NOT GOOD AND THE CHOICES YOU HAVE TO MAKE ARE HARD, BUT PLEASE KEEP IN MIND DURING YOUR DISCUSSIONS HOW PERSONAL THE EFFECTS OF THESE CHOICES ARE FOR THE WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STAFF. 
          I ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE OFFERING BENEFITS FOR DUAL EMPLOYEES. 
          IT DID NOT, IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO ELIMINATE THE BENEFIT CONTRIBUTION FOR ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES BECAUSE THEY ARE MARRIED TO ANOTHER WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE. 
          DUAL EMPLOYEES ARE COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON THE COUNTY SALARY SCALE FOR THEIR INCOME. 
          AND LET'S BE HONEST, OUR SALARIES DO NOT COMPETE WITH MANY OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES. 
          OFFERING THE DUAL EMPLOYEE PLANS ATTRACTS AND RETAINS IMPORTANT MEMBERS OF OUR STAFF. 
          FINALLY, THE WCEA HAS HAD CONCERNS. 
          STAFF MEMBERS REACHING OUT ABOUT COMMENTS REGARDING STAFF USE OF SICK DAYS THESE DAYS ARE PART OF OUR BENEFIT PACKAGE. 
          ANYTHING THAT MAKES IT HARDER FOR STAFF MEMBERS TO USE THEM, WE'RE SURELY DETRACT FROM THE CLIMATE AT WCPS. 
          WE ALL HAVE LIVES OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL AND WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILIES WHILE BALANCING OUR WORK DUTIES. 
          AGAIN, I NEED TO EMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO CREATE A WORKPLACE ATMOSPHERE. 
          ATMOSPHERE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO WORK, WHERE NEW PEOPLE WANT TO COME, AND OUR CURRENT STAFF WANT TO STAY. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK, TRYING TO FIND THE BEST SOLUTIONS FOR ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN OUR SCHOOLS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT MENTIONING, BUT IT'LL BE THREE MINUTES PER SPEAKER. 
          AND IF YOU COULD JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND, AND WHERE YOU'RE FROM. 
          MEGAN BUD. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          MY NAME IS MEGAN BUD AND I'M A RESIDENT PARENT AND TEACHER OF WARREN COUNTY. 
          I'M HERE TONIGHT TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN ABOUT CHANGES IN INSURANCE, SPECIFICALLY THE ELIMINATION OF DUAL EMPLOYEE PLANS, AS THEY'RE WILL BE PRESENTED TO YOU TONIGHT. 
          I'VE ALREADY EMAILED YOU MY CONCERNS AND SINCERELY APPRECIATE THE RESPONSES THAT I DID RECEIVE. 
          I HOPE THAT YOU'LL ASK QUESTIONS LATER THIS EVENING AND PUSH TO KEEP THOSE PLANS. 
          I ALSO ASKED DR. WRIGHT AND MS. DRAKE ABOUT THIS DIRECTLY TWO MONTHS AGO. 
          FIRST, I WAS TOLD THAT IT WASN'T A CONCERN YET. 
          HERE IT IS AGAIN, CLEARLY STATED ON THEIR COVER SHEET. 
          AND THEN I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS AT THE REQUEST OF THE BOARD, BUT SOME OF YOUR RESPONSES MADE IT SEEM LIKE THIS WAS BRAND NEW INFORMATION. 
          IF THIS IS YOUR REQUEST, THEN I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER. 
          WHILE I CANNOT SPEAK TO THE OTHER FAMILY OR FOR THE OTHER FAMILIES THAT WILL BE IMPACTED, 
          [00:05:01]
I CAN SAY THAT THE REMOVAL OF DUAL EMPLOYEE PLANS WILL EXTREMELY, WILL BE EXTREMELY DETRIMENTAL TO MY OWN FAMILY. 
          THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLANS THAT WE ARE ESSENTIALLY BEING FORCED TO ACCEPT WHILE ALSO NOT BE FINANCIALLY VIABLE. 
          WHY ARE WE BEING GIVEN LESS OPTIONS THAN OUR COLLEAGUES THAT ARE NOT MARRIED TO OTHER SCHOOL EMPLOYEES? WHAT I CANNOT UNDERSTAND IS HOW TARGETING 28 FAMILIES OR 56 EMPLOYEES SIMPLY BECAUSE OF WHO WE'RE MARRIED TO AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY REMOVING INSURANCE BENEFITS FROM ONE OF THOSE EMPLOYEES IS BENEFICIAL TO ANYONE DESTROYING THOSE PLANS, OFFERS NO SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          AND IN FACT, I SHARED NUMBERS WITH YOU TO SHOW THAT THIS CHANGE COULD FORCE US TO TAKE SEPARATE PLANS AND WOULD ACTUALLY COST THE COUNTY MORE MONEY THAN SIMPLY OFFERING AN ADEQUATE DUAL POLICY. 
          I ALSO SHARED NUMBERS WITH YOU SHOWING THAT IF YOU CONSIDER THOSE FAMILIES AS THE TWO EMPLOYEES THAT WE ARE, YOUR PER EMPLOYEE PAYMENT, UM, ON INSURANCE IS ACTUALLY LESS THAN WHAT YOU PAY ON ANY OTHER PLAN. 
          THAT INCLUDES A DEPENDENT AND IN SOME CASES SIGNIFICANTLY LESS. 
          WE'VE CHOSEN TO BOTH BUILD OUR CAREERS HERE WHILE KNOWING THAT WE COULD BRING THOUSANDS MORE DOLLARS TO OUR FAMILY EACH YEAR IF WE WENT TO NEIGHBORING COUNTIES. 
          FOR MY FAMILY, OFFERING THESE DUAL PLANS HAS MADE A BIG IMPACT ON OUR ABILITY TO MAKE THE CHOICE AND THAT FINANCIAL SACRIFICE TO BE HERE. 
          WE LOVE THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT THIS ONE DECISION COULD MAKE IT FINANCIALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ONE OR BOTH OF US TO CONTINUE WORKING HERE. 
          I REALIZE THAT INSURANCE RATES WILL LIKELY BE GOING UP FOR EVERYONE BASED ON THE OVER 23% INCREASE FROM TLC AND I DON'T ENVY THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE. 
          WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR MORE THAN THE OTHER EMPLOYEES, BUT WE ARE ASKING TO BE CONSIDERED AS THE TWO EMPLOYEES THAT WE ARE AND RECEIVE BENEFITS THAT REF REFLECT THAT AND ARE FAIR COMPARED TO WHAT EVERY OTHER INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE IS ENTITLED TO. 
          NO MATTER WHAT INSURANCE COMPANY AND PLAN OPTION YOU CHOOSE DURING THIS RFP PROCESS, PLEASE DO NOT PENALIZE US FOR BEING MARRIED TO ANOTHER EMPLOYEE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          CHOOSE NO TO ELIMINATING THE DUAL EMPLOYEE INSURANCE PLANS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MS. DO I HAVE PAPERS? I DON'T LIKE LOOKING AT NUMBERS OR HEARING ABOUT THE NUMBERS WITHOUT BEING ABLE LOOK, UH, I DON'T TALK TO ADULTS OFTEN. 
          UM, MY NAME'S KENZIE KIDWELL. 
          I TEACH PE AT HILDA J BARBER. 
          MY HUSBAND'S A CARPENTRY TEACHER AT BLUE RIDGE TECHNICAL CENTER. 
          UM, I WOULD LIKE TO APPROACH THE DUAL INSURANCE ISSUE FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE. 
          UH, THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT RE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, ALTHOUGH IT CERTAINLY AFFECTS BOTH. 
          I WANNA SPOKE, I'M SORRY. 
          I WANT TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON THE FINANCIAL IMPACTS TO WCPS. 
          THIS IS NOT ABOUT MY PERSONAL PAYCHECK. 
          THIS IS NOT ABOUT HOW THESE CHANGES COULD AFFECT MY OWN FAMILY. 
          THIS IS ABOUT THE NUMBERS AND WHAT THEY SHOW. 
          WHEN DUAL OPTION INSURANCE OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE, WCPS PAYS LESS. 
          OVERALL, ELIMINATING THE DUAL OPTION WILL NOT SAVE THE COUNTY MONEY. 
          IN FACT, IT WILL INCREASE YOUR COSTS AS WELL AS MY OWN. 
          IF DUAL COVERAGE IS REMOVED, EACH SPOUSE WILL NEED TO ENROLL IN SEPARATE INSURANCE PLANS. 
          THIS MEANS THE COUNTY WILL BE REQUIRED TO CONTRIBUTE TO TWO SEPARATE PLANS INSTEAD OF ONE COORDINATED DUAL PLAN BASED ON THE CURRENT. 
          RIGHT NOW, PROVIDED PLAN RATES ON BOARD DOCKS, THE LOWEST ADDITIONAL COST TO THE COUNTY WOULD BE $4,872 PER COUPLE PER YEAR. 
          THE HIGHEST ADDITIONAL COST WOULD BE $7,000 OR $7,032 PER COUPLE PER YEAR. 
          THERE ARE 28 DUAL CONTRIBUTOR COUPLES CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN COMPREHENSIVE PLANS. 
          IF YOU MULTIPLY THOSE INCREASED COSTS BY 28, THE COUNTY IS LOOKING AT A TOTAL BUDGET INCREASE BETWEEN $136,416 AND A HUNDRED NINETY SIX, EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY $6 ANNUALLY. 
          TO BE CLEAR, THIS INCREASE IS NOT ABOUT THE RISE IN RATES. 
          THIS WOULD BE THE ADDITIONAL COST TO THE COUNTY FOR THIS YEAR WITH THE CURRENT RATES. 
          IF DUAL WASN'T AN OPTION, THIS THAT'S NOT A SAVINGS, THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE TO THE COUNTY'S BUDGET. 
          CURRENTLY, 582 EMPLOYEES USE WCPS INSURANCE. 
          OF THOSE 10% ARE DUAL CONTRIBUTORS. 
          ALL THE FIGURES I PROVIDED ARE BASED ON COMPREHENSIVE PLANS AND EXCLUDE HSAS. 
          SINCE NONE OF THOSE DUAL PARTNERSHIPS ARE ENROLLED IN EITHER, BY ELIMINATING DUAL OPTIONS, EMPLOYEES WILL BE PUSHED INTO INSURANCE PLANS THAT ARE NOT ONLY MORE EXPENSIVE FOR US, BUT ALSO AMONG THE MOST EXPENSIVE OPTIONS FOR THE CO COUNTY. 
          CUTTING DUAL OPTIONS DOES THREE THINGS. 
          IT INCREASES THE COST FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, IT INCREASES THE COST FOR THE COUNTY, AND IT RISKS LOSING VALUABLE STAFF. 
          ALL I'M ASKING YOU TO DO IS REMEMBER THAT WHILE WE ARE ONE FAMILY, WE ARE TWO EMPLOYEES AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS SHOULD REFLECT THAT. 
          IF CUTTING DUAL COSTS MORE MONEY AND HARMS EMPLOYEE RETENTION, I AM RESPECTFULLY ASKED 
          [00:10:01]
WHO IS ASKING FOR THIS? WHO IS PUSHING FOR IT? IF IT'S YOU GUYS, RESPECTFULLY, I UNDERSTAND YOU WANNA LOOK AT NUMBERS, BUT I WAS ALSO TOLD BY MS. DRAKE THAT CUTTING DUAL WAS JUST FOR YOU. 
          IT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS ACTUALLY BEING LOOKED AT. 
          AND SO TO GET SLAPPED IN THE FACE THAT TWO OF THE PLANS OF THE FOUR NOW DO HAVE IT. 
          WELL, WHO'S PUSHING FOR IT? IF IT'S YOU, OKAY, IF IT'S THEM, WE DESERVE TO KNOW. 
          THANK YOU, MS. TEL. 
          JENNY BRYANT. 
          HELLO, JENNY BRYANT FORK DISTRICT. 
          UM, I WANNA START BY SAYING, UH, I DON'T HAVE A DOG IN THIS FIGHT FINANCIALLY BECAUSE I DON'T TAKE THE INSURANCE, SO I'M SAVING YOU ALL MONEY . 
          UM, IT DOES CONCERN ME THE TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET AND THE TALK ABOUT THE FINANCES WITH THE INSURANCE. 
          IT DOES CONCERN ME BECAUSE IT WILL AFFECT OUR COUNTY AS A WHOLE. 
          SCHOOL DYNAMICS REALLY MATTER. 
          UM, THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR CO-TEACHERS AND OUR, OUR ADMIN AND EVERYBODY THAT REALLY DOES MATTER AND IT TAKES TIME. 
          EVERY TIME WE GET NEW TEACHERS, WE HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN. 
          AND HONESTLY, I'M TIRED OF DOING THAT. 
          SO I'M HERE TO SUPPORT MY FRIENDS THAT I'VE WORKED WITH FOR 15 YEARS AND IT IS IMPORTANT. 
          SO PLEASE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. 
          I DON'T ENVY YOU. 
          I KNOW THIS IS A REALLY AWFUL SEASON THAT WE'RE IN. 
          I DON'T ENVY YOU. 
          SO PLEASE CONSIDER THE RETENTION OF OUR TEACHERS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MS. DOL. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          UH, MY NAME IS JIM KENNY. 
          I LIVE IN SOUTH RIVER DISTRICT AND SO I, I TEACH EARTH SCIENCE. 
          I TEACH BIOLOGY. 
          I TEACH DUAL ENROLLED GEOLOGY AT SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL. 
          I'VE BEEN A TEACHER AND A COACH IN THIS COUNTY FOR 30 YEARS. 
          THIS IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER SPOKEN AT A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. 
          UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE TIME AND DEDICATION THAT YOU HAVE, THAT YOU GIVE AND HAVE CHOSEN TO GIVE TO OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          IT IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AND YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 
          AND, AND, AND I DO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU WERE IN A VERY, VERY TOUGH POSITION THIS YEAR. 
          UM, BUT I AGAIN, AM GONNA ALSO SPEAK ABOUT THE INSURANCE PREMIUM INCREASES FOR EMPLOYEES FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          PARTICULARLY THE CHANGES AFFECTING THE DUAL FAMILY EMPLOYEES, WHICH I AM PART OF. 
          EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION IN EDUCATION IS MADE UP OF TWO PRIMARY COMPONENTS, SALARY AND BENEFITS IN MANY SCHOOL DIVISIONS. 
          BENEFITS, ESPECIALLY HEALTH INSURANCE, SERVE AS A CRITICAL FACTOR IN BOTH RECRUITING AND RETAINING, UH, QUALIFIED TEACHERS WHEN EVALUATING EMPLOYMENT DECISIONS, ED EDUCATORS OFTEN CONSIDER THE TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE RATHER THAN SALARY ALONE. 
          SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THOSE BENEFITS THEREFORE HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON OUR WORKFORCE STABILITY, RETAINING TEACHERS. 
          THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE DUAL ENROLLMENT, OR I'M SORRY TO THE DUAL FAMILY INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION WOULD RESULT IN AN ESTIMATED INCREASE OF APPROXIMATELY 500 TO $700 PER MONTH FOR AFFECTED EMPLOYEES OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR. 
          THAT EQUATES TO BETWEEN 6,000 TO ABOUT $8,400 IN ADDITIONAL OUT OF POCKET COSTS FOR FAMILIES. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT. 
          FOR MANY EDUCATORS, THAT INCREASE REPRESENTS A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THEIR ANNUAL TAKE HOME PAY. 
          UM, BECAUSE I'M SURE YOU KNOW AS WELL THAT THERE ARE OTHER DISTRICTS AROUND US THAT PAY SIGNIFICANTLY MORE. 
          THIS PROPOSAL WOULD DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT MARRIED TEACHERS AND EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO BUILD THEIR CAREERS WITHIN WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
          MANY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE DEDICATED YEARS, OFTEN DECADES, TO SERVING THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES OF THIS COMMUNITY. 
          THEY REPRESENT EXPERIENCED EDUCATORS, MENTORS FOR NEW TEACHERS, AND KEY CONTRIBUTORS TO THE CONTINUITY AND THE STRENGTH OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          FROM A WORKFORCE PERSPECTIVE, RETENTION IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN MAINTAINING STRONG SCHOOL SYSTEMS. TEACHER TURNOVER CARRIES REAL COSTS, INCLUDING RECRUITMENT, ONBOARDING, TRAINING, AND THE LOSS OF INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE WITHIN THE SCHOOLS. 
          RESEARCH CONSISTENTLY SHOWS THAT EXPERIENCED TEACHERS CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND SCHOOL STABILITY. 
          THANK YOU, MR. KENNEDY. 
          MY COMPENSATION STRUCTURES AND BENEFITS CHANGE DRASTICALLY. 
          IT INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD 
          [00:15:01]
THAT THOSE PEOPLE WILL LEAVE. 
          IF THIS PROPOSAL MOVES FORWARD, YOU MAY BE SEEING THOSE ISSUES AGAIN. 
          UM, I THANK YOU. 
          I KNOW YOU'RE IN A TOUGH POSITION AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS COUNCIL. 
          HI, GOOD EVENING. 
          MY NAME IS MARY KENNY, AND I'M A DUAL ENROLLMENT AND ADVANCED MATHEMATICS TEACHER AT SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL. 
          I'M HERE TO RESPECTFULLY URGE YOU TO CONSIDER THE IMPACT THAT THE PROPOSED INSURANCE CHANGES MAY HAVE ON TEACHER AND STAFF RETENTION AND HOW WE AS A DIVISION DEMONSTRATE VALUE. 
          MORGAN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS LONG BENEFITED FROM THE DEDICATION OF VETERAN TEACHERS AND PARAPROFESSIONAL SUPPORT STAFF, AND EVEN OUR RETIREES WHO HAVE INVESTED DECADES TO THIS COMMUNITY. 
          AS YOU EVALUATE INSURANCE OPTIONS FOR THE COMING YEAR, I ASK THAT YOU WEIGH NOT ONLY FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS, BUT ALSO THE MESSAGE. 
          THESE DECISIONS SEND THOSE WHO HAVE BUILT THEIR CAREERS HERE. 
          RETENTION OF EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS OF MAINTAINING STRONG SCHOOLS. 
          AS I STATED IN MY EMAILS TO YOU ALL, MY HUSBAND AND I ARE BOTH GRADUATES OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND OUR DECISION TO RETURN HERE WAS INTENTIONAL. 
          WE NOW HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DEDICATED 30 YEARS OF SERVICE EACH. 
          IN THIS DIVISION, WE ARE FULLY AWARE THAT WE COULD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE OUR HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY AS MUCH AS $80,000 BY COMMUTING TO NEIGHBORING DI DISTRICTS. 
          THAT REALITY IS NOT, IS WELL KNOWN AMONG EDUCATORS IN OUR REGION. 
          HOWEVER, WE HAVE CHOSEN TO REMAIN HERE BECAUSE WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, THE STUDENTS WE SERVE, STRONG, DUAL EMPLOYED FAMILY INSURANCE OPTIONS HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN MAKING THE COM COMMITMENT SUSTAINABLE FOR US. 
          I'M ALSO THE SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE TO, FOR THE WCEA AND HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR 30 YEARS. 
          IN ALL THIS TIME, THIS IS THE FIRST OCCASION I HAVE HEARD SERIOUS DISCUSSION OF THE DIVISION, EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATING THIS DUAL EMPLOYMENT FAMILY OPTION FOR UPPER TIER INSURANCE EXCEPT FOR THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE AVAILABILITY. 
          THIS IS SIMPLY NOT A SIGNIFICANT, OR THIS IS SIMPLY NOT A GOOD, UM, WAY TO RETAIN OUR TEACHERS. 
          AS I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU, MANY FAMILIES, INCLUDING OURS, IT IS NOT A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE. 
          WHEN EXPERIENCED TEACHERS WEIGH WHETHER TO REMAIN IN THE DIVISION, THEY CONSIDER MORE THAN SALARY ALONE. 
          THEY CONSIDER STABILITY, SECURITY, AND WHETHER THEY FEEL VALUED FOR THEIR YEARS OF SERVICE. 
          MAINTAINING THESE STRONG INSURANCE OPTIONS FOR DUAL EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES IS A MEANINGFUL RETENTION TOOL AND A TANGIBLE DEMONSTRATION THAT THE DIVISION VALUES THE EDUCATORS AND STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE DEDICATED THEIR CAREERS HERE. 
          I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER HOW THESE DECISIONS WILL AFFECT NOT ONLY RECRUITMENT, BUT THE RETENTION OF SEASONED EDUCATORS WHO ARE ALREADY HERE AND ALREADY COMMITTED AND ALREADY INVESTED, SUPPORTING EXPERIENCED TEACHERS, STRENGTHENS OUR SCHOOLS, OUR STUDENTS, AND OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN THIS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT DECISION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE ANYONE ELSE HERE THIS EVENING WHO DIDN'T SIGN UP BUT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? NOBODY. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'RE GONNA MOVE 
          [2. Consent Agenda]
ON TO OUR CONSENT AGENDA THIS EVENING. 
          IS THERE A MOTION? MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND? ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OPPOSED? NO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT UP THIS EVENING, 
          [3.A. Superintendent]
WE HAVE REPORTS STARTING WITH DR. WRIGHT. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          UM, MY COMMENTS TONIGHT. 
          UH, AS FAR AS REPORTS, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UH, THANKS TO ALL THE EMPLOYEES WHO CAME OUT TONIGHT AND, UH, SHARED FEEDBACK. 
          UM, THE, THE FEEDBACK WAS DEFINITELY WELL RECEIVED, AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PROCESS TO SHARE WITH OUR BOARD, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, OUR STAFF THAT IS HERE. 
          UH, I ALSO WANNA SHARE WE'RE VERY EARLY IN THE PROCESS, SO THIS IS, UH, IF YOU STAY AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY AROUND TONIGHT, YOU'LL GET TO SEE FOUR OPTIONS AND HAVE US TALK THROUGH THOSE. 
          UH, AND THAT MIGHT OPEN SOME MORE, SOME MORE QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE REGARDING THAT. 
          BUT, UH, WE ALSO, AS MS. DRAKE SAID, UH, WE HAVE AN RFP OUT. 
          UM, WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO, UH, REACH OUT TO OTHER VENDORS AND SEE WHAT POSSIBILITIES ARE THERE IN TERMS OF OUR HEALTHCARE OPTIONS. 
          SO WE HAVE REALLY JUST BEGUN, AND WE'RE PROBABLY IN THIS FOR, UH, A LITTLE OVER 
          [00:20:01]
A MONTH TO SIX WEEKS, UH, DETERMINED BEFORE WE WILL HAVE AN ANSWER. 
          WE'RE CERTAINLY TRYING TO GET THE BEST THAT WE CAN, UH, UH, AND THE MOST AFFORDABLE OPTIONS FOR, FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT. 
          UH, SOME OTHER THINGS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE TONIGHT. 
          I'M ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH MY, MY ALL DAY SCHOOL VISITS THAT I, I STARTED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. 
          I SPENT TODAY AT HILDE JAY AND PLANNED TO BE AT WARREN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ALL DAY ON FRIDAY. 
          UH, THESE VISITS HAVE BEEN BOTH ENERGIZING AND EXHAUSTING, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN A GREAT REMINDER OF HOW MUCH ENERGY OUR TEACHERS ARE EXPENDING INTO OUR CHILDREN ON A DAILY BASIS. 
          UH, I WAS EXHAUSTED FROM JUST WATCHING OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF, UH, AND I REALLY WASN'T DOING ANYTHING BUT WATCHING, ALTHOUGH THEY DID PUT ME TO WORK TODAY AT HILDE J AND I WAS HAPPY TO, UH, TO GET INVOLVED. 
          AND IF YOU'VE EVER, UH, TAKEN A CHILD ALONG IN A BOOK FAIR AND TRIED TO SPEND $29, UH, WITH A SECOND GRADER, IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST STRESSFUL THINGS I'VE EVER DONE. 
          UM, AND WAS HAVING A HARD TIME. 
          SO AT SOME POINT, I SAID, JUST PICK A BOOK ALREADY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO, BUT I DIDN'T DO THAT, BUT THAT WAS IN MY MIND. 
          BUT OH MY GOODNESS. 
          SO HATS OFF TO EVERYBODY THAT HAS EVER DONE THAT. 
          SO, BUT IT'S BEEN GREAT FOR ME AND, AND QUITE A PERSPECTIVE, UH, AND A GREAT REMINDER OF, OF WHAT OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING ON, ON A DAILY BASIS. 
          UH, SO, UH, I CAN SHARE THAT I AM SEEING, UH, AMONG FIVE OUT OF 11 VISITS, I HAVE SEEN GREAT TEAMWORK AMONG OUR STAFF. 
          UH, SOME SUPPORTIVE, WONDERFUL, SUPPORTIVE PARENTS COMING INTO OUR SCHOOLS AS WELL, AS WELL AS VOLUNTEERS, UH, JUST AMAZING STUDENTS AT EVERY, EVERY LEVEL, UH, AND SOME EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES, MS. BRAGG, THAT I KNOW YOU WOULD, UH, BE VERY PROUD, UH, TO SEE. 
          SO, UH, UH, IT'S ALL BEEN VERY GREAT TO SEE. 
          UH, WE ARE ALL IN WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AS MANY OF YOU HAVE SAID AND STATED IN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT, TRULY BLESSED TO HAVE THE CALIBER OF TEACHERS THAT WE DO HAVE. 
          WE CERTAINLY WANT TO RETAIN THEM, AND WE'LL MAKE EVERY EFFORT, UH, TO DO THAT. 
          UH, OUR STAFF AND TEACHERS ARE JUST, ARE JUST WONDERFUL. 
          UH, AND WITH EACH VISIT THAT I TAKE, I AM MORE AND MORE REMINDED OF HOW, HOW FORTUNATE I AM TO BE THE SUPERINTENDENT OF WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT. 
          UH, IT'S BEEN, UH, TRULY, UM, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN, IN THE SCHOOLS FOR, UH, FOR A DAY. 
          UH, IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT TO BE AWAY FOR A DAY, BUT IT'S GREAT TO BE AWAY FOR A DAY, UH, FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD OF OFFICE AND TO BE IN THE SCHOOL. 
          SO, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SHARE, I HAD MY FIRST TEACHER ADVISORY AND PARENT ADVISORY, UH, MEETINGS LAST WEEK, AND THEN THE WEEK BEFORE, I APPRECIATED ALL THE FEEDBACK FROM BOTH GROUPS, UH, AND BOTH GROUPS WANTED TO BRAG ON THEIR SCHOOLS. 
          SO THAT'S, I SAID, WE NEED MORE OF THAT. 
          SO IT'S, UH, HOW THE MEETING STARTED. 
          AND, UH, AND, UH, THE PARENTS REALLY JUST WENT ON AND ON AND ON ABOUT ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN, IN THEIR CHILDREN'S SCHOOLS. 
          AND HONESTLY, BY THE TIME THEY WERE DONE, WE WERE, THE MEETING WAS ALMOST OVER. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF HAPPENING. 
          IT'S NOT JUST ME, OUR PARENTS, OUR STAFF AND OUR COMMUNITY RECOGNIZES IT. 
          UM, WE WILL HAVE ONE MORE MEETING FOR EACH GROUP, UH, BEFORE, BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          AND IF YOU HAVE, UH, PARENTS THAT YOU KNOW ARE ON THAT, OR TEACHERS THAT ARE ON THOSE, UH, GROUPS, PLEASE, UH, SPEAK TO THEM AND, AND GET ANY INFORMATION YOU NEED TO TO THEM. 
          UH, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR INFORMATION REGARDING OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. 
          AS WE ARE COMING STILL HEAVY IN OUR BUDGET PROCESS, WE WILL BE BEGINNING OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS ALSO. 
          UM, WE HAVE MANY COMPETING INTERESTS IN OUR SCHOOL DIVISION, AND THAT'S COMING UP AS PART OF OUR BUDGET PROCESS. 
          EVERYBODY WANTS A PROGRAM OR A, A PART OF A KID, AND THERE'S ONLY SO MANY KIDS TO GO AROUND. 
          SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS BEGINS SOON, SO THAT, THAT WILL GUIDE US, AND WE CAN REALLY LEAN ON THAT AS WE DETERMINE OUR PRIORITIES FOR OUR SCHOOL DIVISION MOVING FORWARD INTO THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. 
          SO, UH, WE WILL BE ASKING FOR COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, UH, AS WELL AS SOME OF THESE ADVISORIES. 
          AND, AND OF COURSE, OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF AND STUDENTS WILL BE AN ACTIVE PART OF THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. 
          LASTLY, I WANNA THANK ALL THE MANY COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS. 
          THIS IS VERY NEW TO ME, TO EVERY DAY HAVE SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO MEET WITH ME TO SAY, HOW CAN I HELP THE SCHOOLS? SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN OVERWHELMING TO, TO, TO A CERTAIN DEGREE BECAUSE I'M USED TO FOLKS WANTING TO SELL ME THINGS AND COME IN AND TRY TO SELL ME THE LATEST FAD AND INSTRUCTIONAL, BUT I'M NOT REALLY GETTING THAT. 
          I'M JUST GETTING FOLKS THAT WANT TO HELP. 
          HOW CAN WE HELP YOU? AND, AND IT'S INDIVIDUALS AND IT'S GROUPS, AND IT'S ORGANIZATIONS THAT WARREN COUNTY, UH, AND FRONT ROYAL IS REALLY, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. 
          SO IT'S BEEN, 
          [00:25:01]
IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL THING FOR ME TO JUST SOAK IN. 
          SO, UH, I WANT TO THANK ALL THOSE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT ARE, THAT ARE SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOL. 
          SO THOSE ARE MY MY COMMENTS FOR TONIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, DR. WRIGHT. 
          NEXT UP WE HAVE, UM, 
          [3.B. School Board]
SCHOOL BOARD REPORTS. 
          AND FIRST THIS EVENING WE HAVE MS. JONES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, SO FIRST I WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR, UH, BOYS AND GIRLS, UH, SKYLINE BASKETBALL TEAMS. UM, THEY HAVE REACHED NEW HEIGHTS. 
          THEY'VE MADE THE COMMUNITY PROUD, AND I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE WORKED HARD FOR THAT. 
          UM, SO JUST KNOW THAT WE SEE YOU AND YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS ARE PRETTY AMAZING. 
          I WANNA CONGRATULATE THE TWO COACHES, UH, WITH SKYLINE WHO MADE COACH OF THE YEAR THAT SHOWS THEIR DEDICATION TO THEIR TEAMS. UM, AND SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM FOR THAT. 
          UH, LET'S SEE. 
          I WANT TO, UH, LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT MARCH IS YOUTH ARTS MONTH. 
          AND SO TOMORROW NIGHT, BLUE RIDGE ARTS COUNCIL WILL BE HAVING A SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENTS EVENT AT THEIR LOCATION ON MAIN STREET. 
          AND THAT IS FROM FOUR TO SIX. 
          AND LET'S SEE, SO I HOPE EVERYBODY CAN COME OUT TO SEE THAT. 
          I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE PUT TOGETHER, UM, AND THEIR TALENTS. 
          I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO CAME OUT TONIGHT TO SPEAK ABOUT THE INSURANCE. 
          UM, I KNOW THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY A STRESSFUL SITUATION FOR YOU. 
          UM, SO WE, I DON'T THINK REMOVING THE DUAL PLANS WAS ANYTHING THAT WE DISCUSSED YET. 
          I THINK IT'S JUST AN IDEA THAT WE HAVE TO MAYBE BRING DOWN COSTS OR IT'S, IT'S AN, IT'S SOMETHING THEY'RE EXPLORING. 
          BUT I DON'T, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY, I HOPE THAT THE RFP PROCESS WILL BRING US SOMETHING MORE COMPETITIVE FOR EVERYONE SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS, THAT THIS IS AFFORDABLE GOING FORWARD. 
          UM, SO THOUGH THAT'S BEING PRESENTED TONIGHT, REMEMBER THAT IT'S JUST A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. 
          WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING FINITE, AND I AM REALLY HOPING THAT, UH, THE RFP PROCESS BRINGS US SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND SOME OTHER OPTIONS, UH, THAT WILL BE MORE AFFORDABLE, BUT STILL KEEPING THE QUALITY HEALTH INSURANCE THAT OUR STAFF DESERVE. 
          AND THAT IS ALL I HAVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT OF THIS EVENING, MR. KLEIN. 
          UH, GOOD EVENING. 
          UM, COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          THE, UH, I, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE, UH, DECA PROGRAM WHERE THEY WENT OFF TO COMPETITION. 
          I GOT TO DO THE JUDGING ON THAT. 
          UM, THAT WAS AN EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE TIME. 
          UH, THESE KIDS ARE, ARE SUPER, SUPER GOOD. 
          THEY'RE VERY TALENTED. 
          UM, IN FACT, I'D LIKE TO, I'M, I'M HOPING AT SOME GIVEN TIME, A COUPLE OF THOSE GROUPS CAN GIVE A PRESENTATION HERE. 
          SO MS. BRAGG, IF YOU WANNA WORK ON THAT, UM, THEY, UH, THEY WERE REALLY IMPRESSIVE. 
          UM, AND I THINK THEY DID VERY WELL AT THE, UH, COMPETITION. 
          UH, I'D LIKE TO THANK, UH, OR CONGRATULATE THE BASKETBALL TEAMS AS WELL AS THE WRESTLING TEAM. 
          UM, I DID ATTEND THE SENDOFF FOR THE WRESTLERS, WHICH WAS PRETTY COOL. 
          UM, I ATTENDED A, UH, ONE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES, AND WE HAD OUR FIRST BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING ON FEBRUARY 25TH. 
          IT WAS AN EXCELLENT MEETING. 
          UM, THERE WERE SOME THINGS PROPOSED. 
          WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO OVER 'EM TONIGHT, BUT, UM, HOPING IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WE'LL HAVE SOME PRETTY COOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ON SOME STUFF COMING FORWARD. 
          BUT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A, JUST A FEW MINUTES TO TELL YOU THAT I UNDERSTAND FOR THOSE HERE AND THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING, THIS INSURANCE THING IS A REAL PAIN IN THE BUTT. 
          I, FROM MY SEAT, IT'S EVEN WORSE. 
          BUT, UM, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THERE'S NOBODY SITTING UP HERE AT THIS DICE THAT DOES NOT HAVE YOU ALL IN MIND. 
          UM, WE ARE, WE WILL, WE WILL EVENTUALLY GET IT. 
          WILL IT BE THE OUTCOME? MAYBE WE ALL WANT? I, I, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT, UM, JUST YET. 
          UH, I WILL TELL YOU, IN, IN UP UNTIL 2008, I FELT THE PAIN OF THE INSURANCE AS WELL AS BEING SELF-EMPLOYED. 
          I USED TO WRITE ANTHEM A CHECK FOR $2,600 A MONTH FOR MYSELF AND, UH, THREE KIDS. 
          SO I FEEL THAT PAIN, I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE. 
          AND, UM, BUT WHAT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO ASK IS THAT YOU EXERCISE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF PATIENCE WITH US. 
          UM, WE HAVE A 7 2, 7 $0.2 MILLION. 
          ASK 
          [00:30:01]
FOR THE BUDGET. 
          A LOT OF OUR DECISIONS ARE GONNA BE BASED OFF, BASED OFF WHAT THE COUNTY'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE US. 
          UM, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE STATE'S GONNA GIVE US YET. 
          UH, WE HAVE, UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE 11.7% INCREASE IN THE INSURANCE, WE'VE GOTTA WORK WITH. 
          WE HAVE THE 11, 11% INCREASE IN ELECTRIC. 
          AND, UM, AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE REALLY DIFFICULT, UM, THESE DECISIONS. 
          SO JUST BE PATIENT. 
          AND THE OTHER THING I WANNA LET YOU KNOW IS, UH, OUR CENTRAL OFFICE HAS AN HR DEPARTMENT, AND I PROMISE YOU, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL OR CONCERNS AND NEED TO GET DIRECT ANSWERS, PICK UP THE PHONE OR SEND AN EMAIL AND ASK MS. DRAKE, I PROMISE YOU SHE'S GONNA ANSWER THE QUESTION THE BEST THAT SHE CAN AT THIS TIME. 
          UM, IF YOU WOULD JUST DO THAT, IT, UH, AGAIN, I LOVE THE, UH, I LOVE ALL THE ATTENDANCE TONIGHT. 
          I, ALL THE SPEAKERS. 
          IT WAS GREAT. 
          UM, I'D EVEN LIKE TO SEE IT GO A LITTLE FURTHER IF YOU COULD SHOOT SOME IDEAS TO ME. 
          HUH? WE TRY TO GET PEOPLE TO COME, I PROMISE. 
          GOOD. 
          BUT, UH, AGAIN, BUT SERIOUSLY, IF THREE MORE MINUTES, , BUT, BUT SERIOUSLY, SOMETHING ELSE THAT I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE IDEA OR A SUGGESTION. 
          UH, YOU'RE, YOU HAVE SAME AVAILABILITY TO THESE DOCKS THAT I DO. 
          IF YOU CAN SHOOT US AN SHOOT ME A SUGGESTION AS WHAT WE CAN DO OR HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENT, I'M WIDE OPEN TO THAT BECAUSE HONESTLY, I NEED AS MUCH HELP AS ANYBODY ELSE SITTING UP HERE. 
          UM, BUT, UM, I JUST, THE MORE PEOPLE THAT'S INVOLVED WITH THIS, THIS IS NOT OUR BUDGET. 
          THIS IS YOUR ALL'S BUDGET, AND WE WERE ELECTED TO, TO TRY TO ANSWER FOR IT AND, AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS. 
          BUT, UM, THE MORE HELP WE CAN GET, THE EASIER IT'LL BE. 
          AND THEN WE'LL ALL BE ON THE SAME PLAYING FIELD. 
          BUT PLEASE VOICE YOUR OPINION ALL THE TIME. 
          UH, THERE ARE NO REPERCUSSIONS FOR THAT. 
          ONLY GOOD THINGS. 
          SO I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MS. LINS. 
          I THINK GEORGE COVERED MOST EVERYTHING THAT, UH, AMAZING HOW MUCH WE AGREE, GEORGE. 
          IT REALLY IS KIND OF UNCANNY . 
          UM, I TOO ATTENDED THE FACILITIES COMMITTEE, UH, MEETING. 
          UM, WE, THE, THE MAJOR CONCERN WAS THE ROOF AT, AT HILDA. 
          UM, WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THESE, THESE BUILDINGS AND THESE ROOFS, IT, IT, OR ELSE THEY'RE JUST GONNA DETERIORATE AND THE PROBLEM'S GONNA GET WORSE. 
          UM, BUT HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING AT OUR WORK SESSION THAT I WILL PROMISE NOT TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT. 
          AND, UM, WE WILL DISCUSS IT THEN. 
          UM, THE HEALTH INSURANCE DISCUSSION, I WILL HOLD FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THAT UNTIL WE HAVE THAT PRESENTATION. 
          THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL. 
          I'VE CRUNCHED ADDITIONAL NUMBERS AND I'VE ADDED NOTES, BUT AGAIN, WE'LL DISCUSS THAT WHEN THAT TIME OF THE MEETING COMES. 
          SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. MCFADDEN. 
          WHAT ELSE IS IT TO SAY? UM, I DO, I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE, THE COMMENTARY THAT DIDN'T JUST TELL ABOUT THE, UH, ABOUT THE INSURANCE. 
          WE HAD DISCUSSIONS EARLIER. 
          IT'S BEEN ABOUT A MONTH SINCE WE'VE HAD OUR, OUR DISCUSSIONS HERE, OUR REPORTS, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET IN GENERAL. 
          WE'VE HAD PEOPLE COME AND TALK TO, TO US ABOUT THAT. 
          PEOPLE SEND EMAILS ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTE SITUATION. 
          SO IT'S GOOD WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF GO THROUGH CYCLES OF IT, BUT IT'S ALWAYS GOOD FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          AS GEORGE SAID, IF YOU HAVE IDEA, IDEAS ARE THE BEST PART. 
          I MEAN, WE CAN, WE CAN ALL SEE A PROBLEM WITH SOMETHING. 
          IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, OKAY, THERE'S A RAIN COMING THROUGH A ROOF. 
          WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? WHAT IS IT? WHAT, WHAT CAN WE DO? LOOK, I'M MARRIED WITH 11 KIDS. 
          I UNDERSTAND HEALTH INSURANCE. 
          I UNDERSTAND. 
          I GOTTA, I KNOW IT ALL. 
          AND IT'S, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THING. 
          AND THE FAMILY HAS TO LOOK AT IT. 
          AND HOW, HOW DO YOU WORK WITH IT ALL? AND THIS IS ALL NEW, NEW TO US. 
          WE HAVE, WE HAVE, UH, NEW PEOPLE LOOKING AT IT. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL. 
          AND, UM, A LOT OF IT'S DEPENDENT ON, ON THE COUNTY. 
          AND THE COUNTY HAS LIMITED FUNDS AS WELL. 
          SO WE, WE, I MEAN, THE GOOD, THE GOOD PART ABOUT ALL OF IT IS THE LAST TIME WE HAD OUR MEETING, IT WAS A FIVE OH VOTE THAT WE APPROVED THE BUDGET. 
          THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN, IN OUR, OUR WORLD THAT I'VE BEEN IN, THAT THAT'S BEEN THE CASE. 
          SO WE'RE, WE'RE UNITED IN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. 
          AND I THINK THAT WE'RE UNITED TO SAYING WE WANT TO, WE DON'T WANT TO SADDLE THE, THE EMPLOYEES WITH, WITH MORE MONEY, WITH MORE DEBT TO US OR, OR TO PAYING MORE FOR IT. 
          WE WANT OUR LONG-TERM TEACHERS. 
          THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE. 
          THAT'S HOW YOU RETAIN STUDENTS BY KEEPING THE PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, NOT, WE DON'T WANT SUBS IN THERE EVERY MINUTE. 
          WE LOVE THE SUBS, BUT WE'D RATHER HAVE THE QUALIFIED TEACHERS WHO ARE THERE. 
          SO IT IS, IT IS A BIG THING WE'RE WORKING ON. 
          AND THERE'S, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT ARE TOTALLY OUT OF OUR CONTROL. 
          SOME THINGS ARE JUST THE STATE OF THE UNION, SO TO SPEAK. 
          SO WE, 
          [00:35:01]
WE DO WANT OUR TEACHERS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR, OUR BIGGEST ASSET IS SOMEONE SAID, YES, OUR BIG EXPENSE, BUT OUR BIGGEST ASSET FOR SURE, AND WE WANNA PROTECT THEM AND DO ALL WE CAN. 
          SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO COME OUT. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THINK OF OTHER THINGS YOU WANT TO, YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE, IT, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE IT GOES IN, UH, CYCLES, BUT, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE OPEN TO HEAR ANYTHING AND, AND WE'LL RESPOND TO THINGS AND, AND GO BACK AND FORTH. 
          SO ANYONE WATCHING, IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS AT ALL, PLEASE COMMUNICATE WITH US. 
          WE CAN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEMS AND FREQUENTLY THEY GET BROUGHT TO THE SURFACE HERE AT THESE MEETINGS, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE HERE TO DO. 
          SO LISTEN TO THE, THE CRIES OF THE PEOPLE, SO TO SPEAK AND TRY TO REPRESENT THEM. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WRESTLING TEAMS, OUR WRESTLING STUDENTS, OUR BASKETBALL TEAMS, FFA STUDENTS, DECA STUDENTS. 
          LIKE MY SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES HAVE JUST BEEN FULL OF GOOD NEWS FROM WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THESE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH JUST LOTS OF BIG WINS. 
          AND I'M SURE I'VE MISSED, UM, GROUPS, SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. 
          BUT IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY JUST SHOWING A LOT OF POSITIVE THINGS THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING. 
          AND I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HIGHLIGHT ALL OF THAT AT A FUTURE BOARD MEETING, WHICH, UM, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO. 
          I WANT TO ALSO THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME TO SPEAK THIS EVENING. 
          AND ALSO FOR ALL THE EMAILS WE'VE RECEIVED, UM, THE INSURANCE IS A LOT TO WADE THROUGH, AND I KNOW WE HAVE A LONG ROAD, AS THE REST OF MY BOARD HAS ALREADY MENTIONED, UM, TO SORT OF LOOK THROUGH WHAT'S GONNA BE THE BEST OPTIONS FOR EVERYBODY AND WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO, UM, TO HOPEFULLY SERVE ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES AS BEST WE CAN. 
          I WANTED TO LET THE REST OF MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS KNOW MOUNTAIN VISTA GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL BOARD GOVERNING BOARD MET ON FEBRUARY 19TH. 
          UH, WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS HAD 24 SEATS. 
          UM, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO FILL TO THIS PAST YEAR. 
          SO I PUT TWO OF OUR SEATS UP FOR SALE AT OUR BOARD MEETING ON THE 19TH. 
          AND SO FOR THE FY 27 YEAR, WE'LL HAVE 22 SEATS AVAILABLE. 
          UM, IT LOOKS LIKE THE OVERALL COST TO OUR BUDGET IS STILL GONNA BE ABOUT A $2,700 INCREASE, EVEN WITH THE TWO LESS SEATS. 
          UM, BECAUSE JUST LIKE OUR BUDGET, THE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL BUDGET IS ALSO INCREASING. 
          UM, BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU GUYS KIND OF AN UPDATE ON HOW MANY STUDENTS WE HAVE, UM, ATTENDING THERE, THAT WAS AT THE RECOMMENDATION, UM, OF DR. WRIGHT AND HIS STAFF. 
          WE WANT TO HAVE STUDENTS IN OUR SEATS AND WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BE HAVING STUDENTS IN THE SEATS WE'RE PAYING FOR, UM, EACH YEAR. 
          AND, UM, I THINK LAST, UH, SUPERVISOR COLORS AND I ARE GONNA BE HAVING, UM, JUST KIND OF AN INFORMAL FORUM ON MARCH 15TH FROM TWO TO 4:00 PM AT SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA. 
          WE'VE DONE IT A FEW TIMES IN THE PAST. 
          WE'VE HAD ANYWHERE FROM TWO PEOPLE ATTEND TO 50 OR 70 PLUS PEOPLE. 
          SO YOU NEVER KNOW, UM, WHAT WE'RE GONNA GET. 
          BUT WE'LL BE THERE AVAILABLE. 
          WE'LL HAVE SOME DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY HOUSE OF HOPE, WARREN COALITION, UM, PIKE KIDS FOUNDATION, JUST, JUST WHOEVER WANTS TO KIND OF COME AS SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY TO JUST SO PEOPLE CAN INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND SEE ALL OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT DR. WRIGHT ALREADY MENTIONED THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS TO PROVIDE FOR OUR STUDENTS, OUR PARENTS, UM, REALLY ANYONE WHO WANTS TO GET INVOLVED. 
          SO THAT'S ON MARCH 15TH FROM TWO TO 4:00 PM AT SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL. 
          AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE THIS EVENING. 
          MOVING INTO OUR ACTION AGENDA, 
          [4.A. Direction on ESS Substitute Staffing Contract Renewal - Mrs. Drake]
NEXT UP WE HAVE THE DIRECTION ON ESS SUBSTITUTE STAFFING CONTRACT RENEWAL WITH MS. DRAKE. 
          GOOD EVENING, ON FEBRUARY 18TH, THE BOARD DID VOTE, UM, TO ADOPT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S BUDGETS, WHICH DID INCREASE THE SUBSTITUTE LINE AND MANAGING SUBSTITUTES BACK IN HOUSE. 
          UM, HOWEVER, TO PER, TO ASSIST IN PROVIDING SOME CLARITY ON THE RENEWAL OR NON-RENEWAL OF ESS, IT IS, UH, BEING REQUESTED OF THE BOARD TO VOTE TO EITHER REQUEST TO RENEW ESS, UM, OR TO DISSOLVE THE RELATIONSHIP. 
          AND SO FOR THIS EVENING, PUT TOGETHER, UM, TWO QUICK SLIDES JUST TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT THE COST SAVINGS, UH, THE PLAN MOVING FORWARD, AND TO PROVIDE SOME, UM, ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION FROM WHEN WE HAD MET ON THE 18TH. 
          SO, UM, I HAVE THE, THERE WE GO. 
          UM, SO JUST SOME HISTORICAL DATA TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE PAID ESS. 
          AND I KNOW THAT WAS BROUGHT UP JUST RECENTLY, UH, FROM OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. 
          SO FROM FY 2324, WE HAD BUDGETED $728,000 AND WE ENDED UP SPENDING $989,000, UH, FY 24 25. 
          WE DID INCREASE THAT 
          [00:40:01]
BUDGET LINE TO $887,000. 
          AND WE SPENT $966,000 THIS YEAR. 
          UH, WE HAD BUDGETED A LITTLE BIT MORE OF $888,000 IN YEAR TO DATE, UM, FOR THIS MONTH. 
          AND THE BILLING THAT WE HAVE WE'RE AT $722,000 AND PROJECTED TO SPEND 1.1 MILLION, UM, THAT CAN FLUCTUATE. 
          UM, FROM THE PROJECTIONS IN JANUARY, WE ACTUALLY SPENT A LITTLE BIT LESS, UH, BUT IN FEBRUARY WE SPENT A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          UM, SO THAT IS, AGAIN, JUST A PROJECTION. 
          SO WE DID ASK IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET BUDGET TO REQUEST IT TO 1.1 MILLION. 
          SO THE CURRENT CONTRACT WITH ESS INCLUDES A 30.9% COMMISSION ON THE MARKUP FOR EACH OF THE SUBSTITUTE PLACEMENT. 
          SO WHEN WE LOOK AT MANAGING THESE BACK IN HOUSE AND WE TALK ABOUT A COST SAVINGS, THAT'S ABOUT $220,000 DEPENDING ON THE YEAR THAT WE'VE HAD WITH ESS. 
          SO IN 2324, IT WAS ABOUT $228,000. 
          WE PAID THEM 24, 25 WAS 223,000. 
          UM, AND THIS YEAR, AS OF RIGHT NOW, IT WOULD BE 153,000. 
          BUT OBVIOUSLY GOING TO GO UP AS, AS WE CONTINUE TO USE THEIR SERVICES. 
          UM, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE SUBSTITUTES, SO WE HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY IN THE CLASSROOM. 
          AND SO, UM, AS WE LOOK AT MANAGING THAT BACK IN-HOUSE, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA FIND THAT SAVINGS. 
          UM, FROM, FROM BRINGING IT BACK IN HOUSE. 
          UM, FOR THE TRANSITION AND OPERATIONAL CHANGES, WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGE THE SUBSTITUTE BUDGET DIVISION WIDE, ALLOWING SCHOOLS TO FOCUS ON ENSURING THE CLASSROOM COVERAGE RATHER THAN THE SUBSTITUTE COSTS. 
          WE DID HAVE A PRINCIPALS MEETING. 
          UM, WE HAD, I WAS NOT HERE, BUT LAST YEAR THE SUBLINE WAS GIVEN TO EACH SCHOOL TO MANAGE. 
          UM, SO WHEN I ASKED THEM HOW THAT'S GOING, THEY'RE LIKE, I JUST, I HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY IN THE ROOM. 
          THEY'RE NOT LOOKING AT THE TOTAL LINE. 
          UM, SO THAT IS, THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO BE DOING. 
          THEY NEED TO HAVE THE PERSON IN THE ROOM TO EDUCATE OUR STUDENTS. 
          AND SO WE SHOULD BE, UM, HAVING CENTRALIZED OVERSIGHT TO MONITOR THE UTILIZATION SUCH AS SUBS FOR CLERICAL STAFF OR LIKE THE LIBRARY. 
          THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD THIS YEAR. 
          UM, WE DO NOT WANNA TAKE AWAY COVERAGE AT ALL, BUT IF WE CAN REDUCE SOMEWHERE, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          WE CAN ALSO HELP WITH TRANSITIONING, UM, SALARY LINE. 
          SO IF WE HAVE A VACANT SALARY, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT VACANCY, WE CAN TRANSITION THAT INTO THE SUBSTITUTE LINE AS NEEDED. 
          UM, SO THAT WAY IT'S NOT SITTING THERE. 
          DIDN'T THAT JUST STRENGTHEN OUR, OUR, OUR FISCAL OVERSIGHT, UH, FOR THE STRUCTURE OF OUR SUBSTITUTES, WE WOULD CONTINUE, UH, OR WE WOULD BE BRINGING SUBS BACK IN HOUSE. 
          ESS WILL NOT, UM, AND HAS COMMUNICATED, THEY WILL NOT JUST GIVE US THEIR EMPLOYEES BECAUSE IT'S THEIR EMPLOYEES AND THEY WILL UTILIZE THEM WHEREVER THEY WOULD LIKE, WHICH IS FINE. 
          UM, HOWEVER, FOR US, WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THEM APPLY AND GO THROUGH OUR PROCESS. 
          UM, WE DO HAVE SIMILAR PROCESSES. 
          WE'LL HAVE ONBOARDING, WE'LL HAVE TRAINING FOR THEM, UM, SAME RESOURCES. 
          THEY'LL HAVE OUR EMAIL, THEY'LL HAVE OUR TENURE, UM, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO, TO HAVE THEM AS OUR EMPLOYEE. 
          AND SO WE ARE ALSO ABLE TO OFFER A HIGHLY DAILY RATE FOR OUR SUBSTITUTES. 
          UH, WE ARE CONDENSING IT TO THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AS SHOWN IN, IN THE BUDGET PRESENTATION. 
          UM, WHICH IS NICE FOR THE SUBS TO BE ABLE TO BE PAID A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          AND WE ALSO, FROM THAT OVERHEAD OF THE MARKUP FROM ESS, THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL SAVINGS, UM, THAT WE WILL ALSO HAVE PER DAY PER SUB, UM, DEPENDING ON WHAT IT IS. 
          UM, SO WE CANNOT DO WEEKLY PAY. 
          UM, I DID MEET WITH OUR ONE AND ONLY PAYROLL SPECIALIST, UM, AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT, BUT WE CAN DO BIMONTHLY, NOT BIWEEKLY. 
          SHE WANTED ME TO BE VERY CLEAR ON THAT. 
          UM, IT'S THE 15TH AND 30TH OR THE 31ST OF EACH MONTH THAT WE CAN DO. 
          SO UNFORTUNATELY NOT ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          WE DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PAY WEEKLY. 
          UH, BUT CURRENTLY WE DO HAVE SOME GRANDFATHERED IN EMPLOYEES ON A BI-MONTHLY. 
          AND SO WE COULD ADD THOSE TIME SHEETS INTO THAT WITH THE, WITH THE PURCHASE OF OUR TIME AND ATTENDANCE SYSTEM AS WELL. 
          UM, SO THAT WOULD BE OUR, OUR PLAN, MOVING THEM IN. 
          UM, WE WOULD START HIRING, UH, TOMORROW WE'LL GET IT POSTED PENDING YOUR VOTE, AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN GET FOR, FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          BUT, UM, HOPEFULLY A GOOD TURNOUT AND SOME ADDITIONAL PEOPLE TO COME IN. 
          ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. DRAKE? HOW, FOR THE PE THE TEACHERS THAT ARE IN THE CLASSROOMS, FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW, HOW WILL IT LOOK DIFFERENTLY OR WILL IT NOT? FROM A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE, IT WOULD NOT LOOK DIFFERENTLY UNLESS THE SUB THAT THEY PREFER AND LIKE THAT'S WITH ESS CHOOSES NOT TO COME TO US. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO FIND THEIR OTHER PREFERRED. 
          'CAUSE I'M SURE THERE'S TEXT SAYING, HEY, I'M OUT TOMORROW, CAN YOU COVER MY CLASS? 'CAUSE THEY 
          [00:45:01]
WANT THAT. 
          SO FROM A, JUST FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE POINT OF VIEW, WE'RE DOING IT INSIDE. 
          IT'S JUST WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO, NO, NO ONE'S GOING. 
          IT'S NOT GONNA BE NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT EXCEPT FOR THE, I MEAN THE EMPLOYEES, THE SUBS WILL GET PAID MORE MONEY. 
          THAT'S, THAT SHOULD BE A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, DO WE EXPECT TO HAVE A BETTER FILL RATE? LIKE IS THAT, IS THAT A GOAL IN OUR, IN OUR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO THAT WE WOULD FILL THEM MORE? OR, OR IS IT, WE'RE JUST GONNA TRY TO KEEP WHAT ESS DID? UM, I HOPEFULLY THIS THE SAME FILL RATE, IF NOT BETTER. 
          OKAY. 
          ESS HAS DONE A VERY GOOD JOB WITH THE FILL RATE. 
          UM, WE ALSO WORK WITH THEM AND WE GIVE THEM THE INFORMATION WHEN SOMEBODY'S GOING OUT ON MEDICAL LEAVE AND WHEN WE NEED A SUB. 
          AND SO WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          WE WOULD KEEP THE SAME SYSTEM. 
          WE WOULD JUST PURCHASE IT. 
          UM, WE WOULD HAVE THE ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL TO OVERSEE. 
          ESS RIGHT NOW HAS ABOUT 160 EMPLOYEES WHEN I HAD ASKED LAST. 
          AND SO HAVING SOMEBODY TO OVERSEE THEM, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT MS. CHANLEY IS DOING. 
          HOPEFULLY MINIMAL DISRUPTION. 
          OKAY. 
          TO OUR ADMINISTRATIVE, UH, STAFF FOR GETTING THE SUBS AND THEN OUR TEACHERS IN THE ROOM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IT CAME UP A COUPLE OF TIMES, UM, WONDERING, WELL, FROM PEOPLE RESPONDING TO US THAT THEY WON'T BE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AS SUBSTITUTES OF OURS ANYMORE, SO THEY WON'T BE ELIGIBLE FOR OUR BENEFITS. 
          DID YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HOW THEY HAVE NINE, THEY HAVE NINE EMPLOYEES TAKING BENEFITS? I DID LOOK AT THEIR BENEFIT PACKAGE VERSUS OURS AND OURS IS BETTER EVEN WITH THE 23.7% INCREASE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, BUT THEY WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR OUR BENEFITS, RIGHT? YES. 
          AND YOU WERE LOOKING AT WAYS, UM, LIKE IF THERE WAS A LONG-TERM SUB POSITION TO TRY NOT TO HAVE A TEACHER, A SUBSTITUTE ROTATING IN AND OUT OF THAT CLASS. 
          CORRECT? LIKE IF SOMEONE'S ON LEAVE, YOU WERE LOOKING AT WAYS, EVEN THOUGH THEY WOULD BE PART-TIME, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO FILL THAT FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME. 
          YES, THEY WOULD. 
          YES. 
          SO, UM, WE, AGAIN, WITH THE TIME AND ATTENDANCE TRACKING SYSTEM, WE CAN MONITOR THEIR HOURS TO ENSURE THAT NOBODY'S GOING OVER 1500 HOURS PER YEAR. 
          UM, WE DO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY OF FISCAL YEAR OR ANNUAL. 
          UM, SO IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY OUT OR WE HAVE THAT VACANCY, THEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT AND SAY, HEY, YOU'RE AT THE HOURS. 
          BUT CURRENTLY, UH, WE'RE, THAT HOPEFULLY ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. 
          AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED WITH ESS, SO. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WHO WILL THE SUBSTITUTES BE REPORTED TO? UH, LIKE IF THEY HAVE AN ISSUE OR IF A PRINCIPAL HAS AN ISSUE WITH A SUB, WOULD THAT ALL GO TO HR? YES. 
          SO CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW THERE'S A FORM THAT GETS FILLED OUT. 
          IF THERE'S LIKE AN INCIDENT REPORT OR SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE REPORTED, UM, AND THAT DOES GO TO ESS. 
          AND IF WE HAVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, YOU KNOW, COLLECTIVELY WE DO. 
          BUT NOW THAT WOULD JUST COME TO US TO MANAGE 'CAUSE WE WOULD OVERSEE THE PERSONNEL. 
          OKAY. 
          ARE WE ALLOWED TO TAKE A QUESTION FROM THE TEACHERS IN THE AUDIENCE? CAREFUL WHAT PRESIDENT YOU'RE SETTING? YEAH. 
          THERE IS THE SECTION IN THE POLICY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IN WHICH A BOARD MEMBER WITH PERMISSION FROM THE REST OF THE BOARD CAN REQUEST A QUESTION BE ALLOWED TO BE ASKED OR ANSWERED. 
          I KNOW THIS IS NOT PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION, BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL. 
          ANY OPPOSITION? NO. 
          MS. KIDWELL, WOULD YOU ASK YOUR QUESTION? UM, MY QUESTION IS, WHEN MY ASSISTANT IS PULLED FROM THE GYM, UM, TO COVER ANOTHER CLASS, SHE GETS $50 A DAY, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN WHAT THEY USED TO GET YEARS BEFORE COVID, WHICH IS ZERO. 
          BUT WE PAY SUBSTITUTES A HUNDRED. 
          ARE WE LOOKING AT EQUALIZING THAT RATE FOR OUR ASSISTANT, WHO ARE OUR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE BEING ASKED TO DO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT JOBS ON THOSE DAYS? AND I MEAN, ON A SELFISH ISSUE, I ALSO DON'T GET A RED CENT. 
          MY TWO MAN PLANS HAVE TO BE REWORKED COMPLETELY TO BECOME SAFELY ONE MAN PLANS. 
          SO I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THAT WOULD BE LOOKED AT AT ALL. 
          'CAUSE WE DO IN-HOUSE COVERAGE QUITE A BIT, LIKE TWICE IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. 
          MY SYSTEM HAS BEEN BUILT. 
          NO, THANK YOU. 
          UM, SO RIGHT NOW, JUST WITH THE SUBSTITUTE THAT DOES COME OUT OF THAT LINE. 
          SO WE DO HAVE A TIME SHEET WHERE IF A TEACHER GIVES UP THEIR BLOCK PERIOD THAT THEY CAN, THEY GET ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR THE 30 MINUTES OR UP TO AN HOUR AND A HALF 'CAUSE OF THE BLOCK AND INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS ALSO GET A LESSER RATE. 
          THOSE HAVE NOT BEEN LOOKED AT AS WE WERE ONLY LOOKING AT THE ESS SUB LINE AND CONTRACT. 
          WE HAVE NOT. 
          OKAY. 
          I WAS JUST WONDERING. 
          SORRY. 
          SO I THINK ULTIMATELY FOR ME, WHAT I WOULD LIKE EVERYBODY TO CONSIDER IS I, I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT EVERY SINGLE ESS SUB WILL APPLY. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, I, I WISH, UM, THE TRANSITION HAD BEEN A LITTLE, MADE A LITTLE 
          [00:50:01]
BIT MORE SMOOTHLY ON THE PART OF ESS. 
          WE HAVE NO WAY OF EMAILING OUT ALL THOSE SUBS. 
          SO MAKE SURE THAT YOU, IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SUB, YOU LET THEM KNOW COME IN AND APPLY. 
          ULTIMATELY, I THINK THIS WILL BENEFIT NOT ONLY OUR SUBS BUT ALSO OUR BOTTOM LINE. 
          UM, BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, WE CAN NOW AFFORD TO GIVE THESE SUBS A PAY INCREASE AND AS WE WERE SEEING THE, UM, THE MINIMUM WAGE POTENTIALLY APPROACHING $15 AN HOUR, WE WERE LOOKING AT HAVING TO INCREASE SUB PAY. 
          BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S THE 31% ESSENTIALLY ON TOP OF THAT GOES TO ESS. 
          SO EVERY TIME A SUB GETS A RAISE, REALLY ESS IS GETTING A SIGNIFICANT RAISE. 
          AND WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT, AT FINITE DOLLARS, I WOULD CHOOSE TO CUT OUT A MIDDLEMAN IN ORDER TO PRIORITIZE WCPS EMPLOYEES. 
          SO THAT IS MY THOUGHT ON IT. 
          I AGREE WITH THAT THOUGHT. 
          I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S GONNA BE A HUGE OVERALL COST SAVINGS TO OUR BUDGET, BUT EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE SPEND EXACTLY WILL BE GOING BACK TO WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS EMPLOYEES. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S A SELLING POINT FOR ME. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MS. DRAKE? IS THERE A MOTION I MOVE THAT THE WARREN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO DISCONTINUE AND NOT RENEW THE CONTRACT WITH ESS FOR SUBSTITUTE STAFFING SERVICES AND TO TRANSITION SUBSTITUTE MANAGEMENT FULLY IN-HOUSE CONSISTENT WITH THE ADOPTED FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET AND OPERATIONAL PLAN? IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND IT. 
          ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OPPOSED? NO. 
          THANK YOU MS. DRAKE. 
          OH, UP NEXT WE HAVE 
          [4.B. Employee Health Insurance Discussion of Cost and Plan Options - Mrs. Drake]
THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE DISCUSSION OF COST AND PLAN OPTIONS, MS. DRAKE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO I ALSO APPRECIATE THE PUBLIC COMMENT, THE BOARD, UH, FORWARDING EMAILS FOR QUESTIONS THAT WERE NOT DIRECTED TO ME TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST IN ANSWERING, UM, SO I CAN REVIEW THOSE TO ALSO TALK ABOUT THIS EVENING. 
          UM, SO FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY A BOARD REQUEST, WHICH WAS PRESENTED IN OCTOBER, WHICH WAS AN EQUAL PLAN FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WHERE WE SHOWED THE THOUSAND DOLLARS OPTION THAT WAS THE MOST COST SAVINGS. 
          IT WAS ALSO BROUGHT UP AT THE JOINT BOARD MEETING, UH, WHERE WE SAID THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WOULD WANT BECAUSE THAT WOULD ACTUALLY COST THE MOST FOR OUR EMPLOYEES EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A $2 MILLION SAVINGS. 
          SO I DID JUST WANNA PROVIDE SOME CLARITY ON BOARD REQUESTS. 
          I DID NOT WANT THAT TO FALL ON YOU, UM, FROM WHAT I HAD SAID. 
          SO I APOLOGIZE TO ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY IF THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING. 
          UM, ALSO I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH THE PRESENTATION, BUT ALSO TALK ABOUT A FEW LEARNING POINTS THAT I HAVE HAD, UM, THROUGH THE EMAILS AND CONVERSATIONS AND GOING THROUGH BENEFITS LAST YEAR. 
          UH, THIS WAS MADE PUBLIC, UM, TO THE BOARD WITHOUT ANY COMMUNICATION TO WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES FIRST. 
          AND SO WHEN YOU READ SOMETHING AND YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND EXACTLY THE WHY OR THE PRESENTATION PRIOR TO, I FEEL THAT WE SOMETIMES MAYBE CREATE OUR OWN STORY WITHOUT, WITHOUT KNOWING THIS. 
          AND SO, UM, I THINK NEXT TIME, UH, WE SHARE THIS PUBLICLY, I WILL MAKE SURE TO SHARE IT INTERNALLY FIRST SO OUR EMPLOYEES CAN MAYBE HEAR MY UNDERSTANDING WHY BEFORE WE GET HERE TO HEAR THAT. 
          I THINK, UH, WE OWE THEM THAT SO WE'RE NOT CAUSING PANIC. 
          I SAW A LOT OF THOSE EMAILS, NOT WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO EITHER. 
          UM, AND THE OTHER THING IS, MARIA, I KNOW IS WATCHING ARE VERY WONDERFUL AND ONLY BENEFITS SPECIALISTS AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA DO SOME TRAINING ON OUR CURRENT PLANS, UH, THE CHANGES THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE COMING BECAUSE AS WE TALK ABOUT DEDUCTIBLES, CO-INSURANCE, FAMILY, YOU KNOW, OR MAX OUT OF POCKET, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND OUR BENEFITS, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE AND IF WE MAKE CHANGES, WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE. 
          SO I WILL, MY PRESENTATION TONIGHT WILL NOT BE SHORT BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLAIN SOME OF THOSE ITEMS AND TALK THROUGH THE OPTIONS. 
          THIS IS ON THE ACTION AGENDA, BUT THE TYPE IS LISTED AS DISCUSSION AS THIS IS ONLY A DISCUSSION FOR THE FIRST FOUR OPTIONS BEING PRESENTED TO YOU TONIGHT. 
          UM, I WILL ALSO START WITH OPTION FOUR. 
          UM, AS WE HAVE MET WITH LEADERSHIP, DR. WRIGHT AND I, UM, SPEAK OFTEN OF BENEFITS. 
          I THINK WE'RE DREAMING NUMBERS NOW, BUT, UM, OPTION FOUR IS PROBABLY THE OPTION THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THE MOST. 
          AND SO I DO WANNA SPEND THE MOST TIME TALKING ABOUT THAT ONE AS WELL, BUT GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT ON THESE OTHER OPTIONS AND WHY THEY'RE BEING PRESENTED AND WHY WE WOULD, ALTHOUGH PRESENTING THEM AND THE REASON WHY, WHY WE MIGHT NOT RECOMMEND THEM, BUT THE MAYBE JUST THE KIND OF THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND IT. 
          UM, SO FIRST I DO WANNA TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT PLANS AS WE GO INTO OPTION ONE. 
          UM, OR I'M SORRY, I'LL START HERE. 
          SO THE RENEWAL FOR TLC AS EVERYBODY KNOWS IS 23.7%. 
          [00:55:02]
WE ORIGINALLY PROJECTED 12% EACH YEAR. 
          WE HAD RECEIVED A 2% INCREASE, SO WE WENT WITH THAT. 
          UH, THAT WAS CREATED IN AUGUST. 
          AUGUST, WE HADN'T EVEN STARTED OUR NEW PLAN YEAR YET. 
          AND SO THAT WAS IN OCTOBER. 
          SO THE PREDICTION NEVER CHANGED OR THE PROJECTION, EXCUSE ME, FROM 12% WHERE WE ASKED, AND IT IS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WAS, UM, VOTED ON AND APPROVED FOR $8.1 MILLION WITH THE INCREASE. 
          WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO REQUEST ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT. 
          UH, WE WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME RENEWAL IMPACTS AND JUST THE STRUCTURE. 
          I DO WANNA TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PLAN AND A TIER AS WELL. 
          AND, UM, SOME STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENTS AND THE OPTIONS. 
          SO THE TRANSITION, SO A PLAN, WE HAVE THREE PLANS CURRENTLY. 
          WE HAVE A $250 DEDUCTIBLE. 
          WE HAVE A $1,000 DEDUCTIBLE AND WE HAVE A $3,300 DEDUCTIBLE, WHICH IS OUR HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          SO WHEN WE THEN LOOK AT TIER, A TIER IS EMPLOYEE ONLY, EMPLOYEE CHILD, EMPLOYEE, SPOUSE. 
          WE HAVE SEVEN OF THEM. 
          I'M GONNA TRY TO GO OFF MEMORY NOW. 
          UM, THEN YOU HAVE YOUR EMPLOYEE DEPENDENT, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR EMPLOYEE FAMILY, OUR DUAL EMPLOYEE, AND THEN ALSO OUR DUAL FAMILY. 
          SO THAT IS OUR SEVEN TIERS. 
          SO AS WE TALK ABOUT THE TIERS WITH THIS, UM, IT IS TAKING THE EMPLOYEE CHILD AND EMPLOYEE SPOUSE AND MAKING IT EMPLOYEE DEPENDENT. 
          WE CURRENTLY, I'M SORRY, I'VE BEEN LIKE EXCITED, NOT EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT WE CURRENTLY PAY MORE TOWARDS THE EMPLOYEE CHILD EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE SAME MONTHLY LIABILITY AS EMPLOYEE SPOUSE. 
          UM, SO WHEN WE DO TALK ABOUT THIS, I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT THERE IS A LARGER IMPACT TO THE EMPLOYEE CHILD BECAUSE WE WERE PAYING MORE AS WE LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGES TO EQUALIZE THAT THE EMPLOYEE SPOUSE, UM, WE'LL BE, BE SEEING A, A SAVINGS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO CALL THIS FOR THE PRESENTATION PURPOSES, WHICH ALWAYS INCREASE, BUT, UH, BUT THE EMPLOYEE CHILD WILL ACTUALLY HAVE THE LARGER IMPACT OF THE TWO. 
          SO I JUST WANNA MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT. 
          UM, THE WORD REMOVE DUAL EMPLOYEE AND SPOUSE TIER IS ONLY AN OPTION ONE AND TWO, IT'S NOT REMOVING IT COMPLETELY, IT'S NO LONGER LISTED AS A TIER, BUT IT HAS BEEN MOVED INTO A HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN AT A ZERO COST. 
          UM, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AS WELL. 
          THE DUAL FAMILY, AGAIN, FOR ONLY OPTIONS ONE AND TWO, IT WOULD BE FREE. 
          UH, FOR THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE, NOTHING IS FREE, SO I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE, UM, SOMETHING WE TALK ABOUT BECAUSE THERE IS A HIGHER DEDUCTIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A $250 DEDUCTIBLE AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO 3,400 FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          IT'S NOT 3,300 NEXT YEAR, IT'S TH IT WENT UP TO 34. 
          UM, WE WOULD MAINTAIN THE $1,000 HSA CONTRIBUTION PER HIGH DEDUCTIBLE, UH, PLAN MEMBER AND THEN WE WOULD MOVE TOWARDS A MORE CONSISTENT PERCENTAGE BY PLAN AND TIER. 
          UM, SO RIGHT NOW I AM NOT GOING TO CONTINUE TO PASS BLAME TO WHO IS HERE BEFORE ME. 
          THEY HAD A REASON. 
          I'M NOT HERE TO ASK THEM WHY, BUT OUR PERCENTAGES ON WHAT WE COVER, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WERE DONE THAT WAY. 
          AND SO THE, THE OPTIONS HERE ARE TO MAYBE MAKE THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE EQUALIZED BY PLAN. 
          SO THE $250 DEDUCTIBLE, WHICH IS OPTIONS THREE AND FOUR, I'M SORRY, JUST THREE. 
          UH, WE WOULD COVER A LESS OF A PERCENTAGE. 
          WE WOULD COVER MORE AT THE THOUSAND, DO DOLLARS DEDUCTIBLE AND THE MOST AT THE $3,400 DEDUCTIBLE. 
          UM, SO THERE'S JUST MORE OF A STRATEGY IN WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THIS IS JUST AN OVERVIEW. 
          I KIND OF LIKE THAT, UM, EXECUTIVE SLIDE, IF YOU WILL, OF THE PLANS, WHAT THE ADJUSTMENTS ARE, WHAT THE TOTAL LIABILITY IS. 
          EVERYTHING IS AN INCREASE AS WE JUST TALKED TO THE COUNTY ABOUT, LIKE, WE WILL STILL NEED MORE MONEY, EVEN IF TLC WAS OUR ONLY OPTION. 
          UM, HOPEFULLY NOT. 
          UM, SO I DO WANNA TALK VERY QUICKLY ABOUT WHAT A DEDUCTIBLE IS, CO-INSURANCE AND MAX OUT OF POCKET, BECAUSE I THINK TLC, ALTHOUGH I AM SICKENED BY THE INCREASE, THEY DO HAVE SOME VERY GOOD OPTIONS AS FAR AS OUR DEDUCTIBLES. 
          SO RIGHT NOW, UH, FOR NEXT, I'M SORRY, FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR, THE BENEFITS STARTING IN OCTOBER. 
          WE HAVE FOR OUR KEY ADVANTAGE, $250 DEDUCTIBLE. 
          EXCUSE ME, FOR A PERSON, THE EMPLOYEE, IT WOULD BE $250 OUT OF POCKET FIRST. 
          THEN IT GOES TO YOUR CO-INSURANCE, WHICH IS USUALLY AN 80 20 SPLIT, WHICH IT IS, IT'S 20% CO-INSURANCE. 
          THEN IT GOES TO YOUR OUT OF, OR I'M SORRY, YOUR 
          [01:00:01]
IN NETWORK, BUT YOUR OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSE LIMIT. 
          SO I WOULD GO IN A, A SCENARIO, UM, IF I HAD THE THOUSAND DOLLARS PLAN, IF I BROKE MY ARM, THE FIRST PORTION OF THE BILL IS THE INSURANCE FOR MY DEDUCTIBLE. 
          I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR $1,000. 
          MY BILL'S 5,000. 
          I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRST THOUSAND. 
          MY CO-INSURANCE THEN KICKS IN WHERE IT'S SHARED BETWEEN THE EMPLOYEE AND THE INSURANCE PLAN. 
          SOME THINGS ARE COVERED AND SOME THINGS ARE NOT. 
          UM, I DIDN'T CREATE A SCENARIO FOR THIS, BUT IT COULD BE THE MEDICINE, IT COULD BE THE PHYSICIAN, IT COULD BE A SPECIALIST THAT YOU'RE SEEING. 
          UH, BUT IN THE 80 20 SPLIT LIKE WE CURRENTLY HAVE, WHICH IS ON ALL PLANS, OUR $250, $500 DEDUCTIBLE, IT WILL TALK ABOUT ALSO OUR 1000 AND OUR HIGH DEDUCTIBLE. 
          IT'S ALL 20% THAT'S BEING COVERED. 
          SO THE INSURANCE OF THAT 80 PER OR FOUR, $4,000, 80% IS $3,200. 
          THE INSURANCE IS GOING TO PAY AND THE EMPLOYEE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 20%, WHICH IS $800. 
          THE MAXIMUM OUT OF POCKET IS $3,000. 
          UM, EXCUSE ME, IF, IF IT WAS $3,000, UH, WHICH IN MY $250 SCENARIO IT IS. 
          SO OF THE EMPLOYEE HAS PAID $1,800 SO FAR, AND FOR THE ADDITIONAL, YOU HAVE TO PAY THE 1,200 TO THEN HAVE A HUNDRED PERCENT COST FOR COVERED LATER. 
          SO THAT CO-INSURANCE AND HAVING IT AN 80 20 SPLIT ON ALL PLANS WITH TLC IS ACTUALLY VERY GOOD. 
          UH, WORKING IN MY PAST EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER INSURANCE COMPANIES, IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE SAME FOR THE HIGHER PLAN TO YOUR HIGHER DEDUCTIBLE. 
          UM, SO I DO THINK THAT IS AN ADVANTAGE THAT TLC HAS FOR US AND THOSE PERCENTAGES THAT THEY COVER. 
          THIS ALSO WILL COME TO AN EXPENSE TO OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          WHEN WE LOOK TO SHIFT PLANS, WHETHER IT'S $250 DEDUCTIBLE TO A 500, UM, THERE ARE SOME CHANGES, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE IMPACTFUL TO THEM. 
          AND HOPEFULLY NOBODY HAS TO SEE A DOCTOR. 
          BUT AS WE SAW FROM OUR RATE INCREASE, WE'RE WE ARE, WE ARE, WE'RE SEEING THEM. 
          UM, SO FOR OUR $250, UH, DEDUCTIBLE PLAN, THE MAX OUT OF POCKET FOR A INDIVIDUALS $3,000 AND FOR A FAMILY OF 6,000, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE $500 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          WHERE FOR AN INDIVIDUAL IT'S $500. 
          UM, FOR A IN-PERSON, A ONE PERSON, IT'S $4,000. 
          AND FOR THE FAMILY IT'S $8,000. 
          SO THERE IS ALREADY AN INCREASE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WILL BE A SAVINGS, AND I DON'T LIKE THAT WORD 'CAUSE IT'S AN INCREASE OF OUR INSURANCE. 
          BUT FROM THAT, FROM THE SAVINGS THERE ON, THAT, YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSE COULD GO TOWARDS YOUR DEDUCTIBLE AND CO-INSURANCE. 
          SO I DON'T WANNA MAKE IT SOUND LIKE IT'S A FULL SAVINGS, BUT FROM THE INCREASE IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE SEEN ON THE $1,000 DEDUCTIBLE, ONE PERSON IT'S A THOUSAND DOLLARS. 
          YOUR IN NETWORK OUT OF, OR, UM, EXCUSE ME, YOUR MAX OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES, 5,000. 
          AND FOR THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN, YOU DO HAVE TO PAY $3,400 UPFRONT AS THE DEDUCTIBLE, BUT THE OUT-OF-POCKET MAX EXPENSE IS 5,000 FOR AN INDIVIDUAL THAT IS THE SAME AMOUNT AS THE KEY CARE KEY ADVANTAGE 1000 PLAN. 
          SO AS WE LOOK AT THESE TWO OPTIONS, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S NOTED THAT THEY'RE THE SAME. 
          THE FAMILY MAX OUT-OF-POCKET IS ALSO THE SAME FOR THE 1000 PLAN AND THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE AT $10,000. 
          UM, SO AS WE GO THROUGH THESE, THERE ARE OUT OF, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE A COST TO THE MONTHLY INSURANCE AND THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE A HIGHER COST, UM, DEPENDING ON THE SERVICES NEEDING AND WHAT IS COVERED. 
          UH, CO-INSURANCE WILL ALSO COVER SOME SPECIALISTS, BUT NOT ALL, OR YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE. 
          UM, SO AS WE GO THROUGH OPTION ONE AND TWO, UH, FROM SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS THAT WAS TALKING ABOUT THE FAMILY AND THE OUT-OF-POCKET, UH, SOME OF THESE OPTIONS ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE THE SAME, UH, FOR WHAT YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR. 
          ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT SO FAR? I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE TIME TO KIND OF EXPLAIN THE PLANS A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          UM, SO FROM OUR OVERVIEW, WE'LL TALK ABOUT OPTION ONE. 
          THE STRUCTURAL CHANGE IS TO REDUCE IT TO TWO PLANS INSTEAD OF THREE, WHERE WE WOULD IMPLEMENT THE $500 DEDUCTIBLE AND THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN ONLY WITH REMOVING THE $250 AND $1,000 DEDUCTIBLE. 
          THE 500 IS JUST KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE. 
          UM, OF THE TWO 50 AND 1000, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT THE INCREASE WOULD BE $1.2 MILLION. 
          THAT'S THE SECOND HIGHEST ONE. 
          UM, SO AS WE'RE LOOKING TO THE COUNTY FOR MORE, OR TRYING TO ADJUST 
          [01:05:01]
OUR NUMBERS AND WHAT WE CAN OR CAN'T DO, AGAIN, ONLY IF TLC WAS OUR ONLY OPTION, UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE OPTIONS TO REVIEW. 
          OPTION TWO IS, AGAIN, REDUCING TO TWO PLANS. 
          HOWEVER, KEEPING THE 1000 AND THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN, THIS PLAN, THIS OPTION HAS THE MOST SAVINGS, UH, FOR WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
          AND THE BENEFITS WITH THE INCREASE, THEY DO GO SOMEWHERE, UM, AS THEY WOULD GO TO OUR EMPLOYEES, AS ALL OF THESE WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          OPTION THREE IS TO MAINTAIN OUR THREE CURRENT PLANS. 
          AND ALL WE ARE DOING IS ADJUSTING ALL OF THEM HAVE THE ADJUSTED TIERS TO EMPLOYEE PLUS DEPENDENT, UM, AND STARTING TO EQUALIZE THOSE PERCENTAGES. 
          THAT'S 1.2 MILLION YET AGAIN. 
          SO EVEN KEEPING WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS STILL A HIGHER ASK. 
          IT IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE ASK. 
          UM, IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT THESE WITHOUT MAKING ANY ADJUSTMENTS, I WOULD RECOMMEND, REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE DO, UM, TO MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT THAT IS LESS OF A FISCAL IMPACT AND THEN TRY TO BE CREATIVE WITHIN OUR PLAN OR OUR TIERS. 
          OPTION FOUR, WHICH WOULD BE THE PREFERRED OPTION THAT I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AGAIN, IS REPLACING THE $250, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE CADILLAC PLAN, UM, THAT I CALL IT. 
          AND REPLACING IT WITH THE $500, UH, DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          UM, AS WE DID TALK ABOUT, THAT DOES HAVE AN INCREASE TO OUR EMPLOYEES IF THEY DO HAVE TO GO SEE THE PHYSICIAN. 
          UM, HOWEVER, WITH THAT SAVINGS, UH, THAT I WILL USE IN AIR QUOTES, UM, HOPEFULLY CAN BE SAVED FOR THOSE VISITS IF NECESSARY. 
          BUT AGAIN, THAT IS KIND OF THE GIVE AND TAKE OF THIS, AND THAT'S A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS, UM, IN THE INCREASE THAT WE WOULD BE ASKING FOR. 
          BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY DISRUPTIONS TO OUR PLANS OR TIERS, UM, THAT WE HAVE, BUT STILL EQUALIZING THEM IF YOU CAN READ THAT. 
          THIS IS OUR CURRENT PLAN. 
          UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REALLY JUST TALK MORE ABOUT OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, UM, TONIGHT, INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE AND PREVENTATIVE, PLEASE KNOW THAT THEY ARE DIFFERENT FOR DENTAL REASONS ONLY. 
          UH, BUT WE DO HAVE 13 EMPLOYEES IMPACTED ON THE PREVENTAL, SO NOT TRYING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THAT. 
          BUT, UM, IT WILL BE THE SAME STRUCTURE AS THE COMPREHENSIVE, BUT THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS WILL BE DIFFERENT. 
          BUT THEY ARE POSTED ONLINE, UM, TO REVIEW. 
          SO ALL I JUST WANNA DO FOR OUR, UH, COMP CURRENT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, UH, THIS IS OUR MONTHLY PREMIUMS THAT WE ARE PAYING TLC, THE MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION, THE PERCENT COVERED. 
          SO AS YOU LOOK AT THE PERCENT COVERED, IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE. 
          UM, WE DID LOOK AT ADJUSTING SOME LAST YEAR, BUT WE, WE DID NOT, UH, THE EMPLOYEE MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION. 
          OUR LIABILITY WAS WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THEN THE TOTAL WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION. 
          UM, SO THAT IS THE ACTUAL LINE, UM, THAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY, UH, 'CAUSE THE EMPLOYEE IS PAYING THE REST. 
          UM, SO THOSE ARE OUR CURRENT PLANS. 
          WAIT WHILE YOU HAVE THAT. 
          OH YEAH. 
          STILL UP. 
          MAY I ASK A QUESTION? ABSOLUTELY. 
          OR, OR POINT SOMETHING OUT. 
          UM, BECAUSE THESE, THESE WERE SOME OF THE NUMBERS THAT WERE BEING CRUNCHED FROM THE CURRENT YEAR, AND, UM, I BELIEVE WERE WHAT WE HAD DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY LONG AGO WITH, WITH WHY CERTAIN DUAL PLANS PAID OUT MORE AND IT MADE IT A BENEFIT, UM, IF YOU WERE, WERE MARRIED THAN IF YOU WERE SINGLE. 
          UM, SO THE, THE LINE THAT I WANTED TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO IS THE VERY FIRST GREEN TOP BOX, THE WCPS MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION. 
          SO TO ME, I DO NOT, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT MARRIAGE OF, OF TWO EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE A DETRIMENT OR A BENEFIT. 
          UM, EMPLOYEE ONLY WCPS CONTRIBUTES $762. 
          SO IF WE HAD TWO STAFF MEMBERS THAT WERE MARRIED TO EACH OTHER, THAT WOULD BE $762 TIMES TWO. 
          THAT'S $1,524. 
          WHEREAS IF YOU HAVE THE DUAL EMPLOYEE AND SPOUSE, WHICH IS THE SAME SCENARIO OF TWO EMPLOYEES THAT ARE MARRIED, WCPS CONTRIBUTES $1,737. 
          SO THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL $213 IN BENEFIT DOLLARS PAID OUT EVERY MONTH. 
          SO THAT'S NOT FAIR. 
          NOW ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, THE, THE BLUE BOX ENDS UP NEUTRAL. 
          UM, IT'S A 1508 PAYOUT FOR IF YOU COUNT THE SINGLE EMPLOYEE TWICE VERSUS A 1506 PAYOUT IF YOU DO THE DUAL EMPLOYEE AND SPOUSE. 
          SO IT'S A $2 DIFFERENTIAL. 
          IT'S, IT'S NIL. 
          BUT THEN IF YOU 
          [01:10:01]
LOOK DOWN AT THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN WHERE THE EMPLOYEE ONLY PAYS OUT 6 87 BY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, TIMES TWO IS $1,374. 
          WHEREAS THEN THE DUAL EMPLOYEE AND SPOUSE CONTRIBUTION BY WCPS IS 12,068, OR I'M SORRY, $1,268, WHICH IS A $106 A MONTH LOSS TO THOSE EMPLOYEES. 
          SO THOSE ARE THE, THE SCENARIOS THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO EQUALIZE AND, AND MAKE FAIR ACROSS THE BOARD, CORRECT? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND OPTION ONE AND TWO. 
          YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEP. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UH, THE NEXT SHEET IS THE PREVENTATIVE CURRENT PLAN AS WELL. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THIS IS OPTION ONE. 
          UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR PAGE, I DIDN'T NUMBER THEM. 
          I PUT OPTION ONE AND COMPREHENSIVE. 
          THE SECOND PAGE WILL SAY OPTION ONE PREVENTATIVE. 
          UH, SO THAT'S HOW WE'LL USE THIS. 
          SO, UM, THIS WOULD BE MOVING FROM A THREE TIERED OPTION, UM, TO TWO TIERS. 
          REMOVING THE 250 PLAN AND THE 1000 PLAN, TRYING TO FIND A MIDDLE AT $500 DEDUCTIBLE, EQUALIZING THE PERCENTAGES SUM. 
          UM, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE DUAL EMPLOYEE AND SPOUSE ARE NOT LISTED ON HERE. 
          THEY HAVE BEEN MOVED TO A FREE PLAN FREE BECAUSE THERE'S STILL A COST OF, UM, FOR THEM AS THEY GO AND GET SEEN IN, IN THE HOSPITAL. 
          UM, HOPEFULLY NOT, BUT IF THEY'RE AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, UM, SO THE EMPLOYEE ONLY FOR THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE WOULD BE $850 COVERED. 
          WE CURRENTLY DO THAT NOW ALREADY. 
          UH, WE ARE REQUIRED TO PAY IN A HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN BY LAW. 
          UM, IT'S LIKE 90 SOME PERCENT, WE JUST PAY A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          UM, WE ALSO GIVE A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO EACH OF OUR EMPLOYEE THAT IS ON THIS. 
          SO, UH, FOR, TO CONTINUE THE DUAL CONVERSATION, IF YOU HAVE A DUAL EMPLOYEE ONLY, UM, YOU BOTH WOULD BE ON THE EMPLOYEE ONLY AND YOU BOTH WOULD GET $1,000, UM, FOR THAT HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          JUST LIKE A REGULAR, UM, EMPLOYEE NOT MARRIED. 
          UH, AND THE EMPLOYEE ONLY WOULD ALSO GET, UM, SO I KNOW THAT WAS PART OF THE, THE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS AND SO THAT IS ACCURATE. 
          THEY WERE TRANSITIONED. 
          HOWEVER, THIS IS WHERE I THINK, UM, MARIA, WHO'S LISTENING IN WHO DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS YET, UM, IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD, REGARDLESS OF THE PLANS AND THE OPTIONS, IS TO GET CREATIVE AS WELL WITH WHAT YOU CAN DO AND THE COVERAGE AND THE COST. 
          UM, I, YOU KNOW, DON'T, WON'T USE THE I STATEMENT, BUT MY HUSBAND AND I LOOK AT OUR BENEFITS EVERY YEAR AND WE HAVE TO SAY WHAT THAT INCREASES AND WHO'S TAKING THE KIDS AND WHO'S STAYING ALONE OR WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. 
          UM, AND I THINK IT'S WORTH EDUCATING OUR EMPLOYEES ON SOME CREATIVE OPTIONS INSTEAD OF ONLY THINKING THAT YOU HAVE THAT. 
          AND SPECIFICALLY WHEN I TALK ABOUT OUR EMPLOYEE CHILD AND EMPLOYEE SPOUSE, UM, THAT HAS ALSO BEEN PUT IN THERE. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO HAVE A DUAL FAMILY IN HERE, UM, AND THE, THEY WOULD LIKE WITH CHILDREN, IF THEY HAVE THE FAMILY PLAN, THEY COULD GO EMPLOYEE CHILDREN. 
          UM, IT'S $283 A MONTH AND ONE OF THE OTHER EMPLOYEES COULD GO FOR THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE OPTION WITH THE THOUSAND DOLLARS, UM, IN THAT ACCOUNT IF ABLE. 
          SO I WILL ONLY USE THAT ONE EXAMPLE AND SCENARIO FAVORABLE OR NOT. 
          BUT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO THINK ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, AS WELL, AS WELL AS PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT MARRIED IN, UH, MAYBE THEY LOOK AT THE EMPLOYEE CHILDREN OR THE EMPLOYEE ONLY, AND WHAT THEIR SPOUSE'S BENEFITS ARE TO SEE THE COMPARISON AND THE COVERAGE, WHICH IS AGAIN, WHY THAT TRAINING WILL BE SO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR TOTAL OUT OF POCKET AND WHAT YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR, REGARDLESS OF THE PLAN. 
          UM, HOWEVER, YET AGAIN, AS WE LOOK AT THIS OPTION OF THE $500 DEDUCTIBLE AND HIGH DEDUCTIBLE ONLY, IT IS THE SECOND HIGHEST OPTION, UH, FOR A FISCAL IMPACT TO US. 
          ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS PLAN SPECIFICALLY? I CAN ANSWER. 
          I WANNA UNDERSTAND THE, UM, $500 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          SO IF WE HAD TWO EMPLOYEES AND THEY HAD TWO KIDS, SO IF ON THAT PLAN THEY CHOSE THE EMPLOYEE ONLY AND THEN THE OTHER SPOUSE CHOSE THE EMPLOYEE AND CHILDREN, THE WCPS MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE ABOUT $3,500 AND THE FAMILY CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE 388. 
          THAT FEELS LIKE THAT OPTION IS GONNA END UP COSTING OUR SCHOOL DIVISION MUCH MORE MONEY. 
          RIGHT? LIKE, 'CAUSE WHY WOULDN'T A FAMILY CHOOSE TO DO THAT? SO THEY CAN SAVE THEMSELVES MORE. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND THEN THE SCHOOL DIVISION'S GONNA PAY 3,500. 
          [01:15:01]
OKAY. 
          JUST MAKING SURE. 
          AND WE WOULD, THAT'S WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, RIGHT? YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          IT IS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE COST OF WHAT WE COVER, UH, FOR THAT. 
          SO EMPLOYEE CHILDREN ON THE 500, WE PAY 2,546 WHERE THE EMPLOYEE ONLY ON A HIGH DEDUCTIBLE IS $850. 
          IS THAT THE SCENARIO YOU WERE RUNNING? I WAS JUST EVEN HAVING THEM BOTH ON THE FIVE HUNDREDS OR COULD THEY NOT DO THAT? OH, THEY COULD. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          NOPE. 
          THAT WOULD BE AN OPTION WHERE WE CONTRIBUTE 942 UHHUH. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THEN THE 25, 46. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          UM, CAN THEY CHOOSE TO GO WITH A FAMILY PLAN PUTTING EVERYONE ON ONE PLAN, INCLUDING THEIR SPOUSE? YES. 
          AND SO THEN THAT SPOUSE DOESN'T HAVE TO TAKE AN INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE PLAN CORRECT. 
          ALONG WITH THE FAM THE FAMILY, YES. 
          BUT THAT INCREASE FOR HERE WOULD BE $849. 
          AND RIGHT NOW, IF THEY'RE ON THE THOUSAND PLAN, THEY'RE ONLY PAYING $24. 
          INSTEAD OF TRYING TO LIKE, WHAT WOULD BE AN INCREASE? I DID HAVE AN EMPLOYEE SAY LIKE, I UNDERSTAND IF WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE DUALS, BUT COULD YOU INCREMENTALLY DO IT BECAUSE OF THE FISCAL IMPACT? MM-HMM . 
          UM, AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK WE COULD LOOK AND TALK THROUGH THOSE SCENARIOS WITH THOSE EMPLOYEES IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS. 
          BUT THEN ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT MARRIED IN AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH, LIKE YOU, YOU HAVE THIS BENEFIT, IT ONLY COSTS YOU EMPLOYEE ONLY HERE AND YOU TAKE THE KIDS. 
          LIKE, AND SO I THINK IT'S JUST TALKING THROUGH THAT AS WELL. 
          BUT YES, THAT, THAT IS COMPLETELY AN OPTION. 
          UM, AND SOME, AND OFFERING A 250 PLAN TO GO TO HIGH DEDUCTIBLE, THAT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT COST. 
          UM, ESPECIALLY ON THE FAMILY PLAN WHERE YOU'RE OUT OF POCKET'S 10,000 MM-HMM . 
          UM, WHERE RIGHT NOW ON THE TWO 50, THE MAX FAMILY WOULD BE 6,000. 
          SO THAT IS AN ADDITIONAL 4,000 THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO CONSIDER IF THEY WENT HIGH DEDUCTIBLE OR IF THEY WERE AT THE TWO 50 OR WELL NOW 500 IN THIS SCENARIO, EXCUSE ME, WHICH WOULD BE 8,000. 
          BUT I THINK YOU'RE ASKING WOULD THE TWO EMPLOYEES JUST DO THE FAMILY PLAN INSTEAD OF THE TWO THAT I, I DESCRIBED MM-HMM . 
          YEAH. 
          WHICH, WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT? BECAUSE IT'S GONNA COST THEM MORE MONEY. 
          I MEAN, AS AN EMPLOYEE, THEY'RE NOT GONNA CHOOSE TO DO THAT. 
          WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT? NO, BUT I AM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT ALL. 
          BUT IF YOU WANTED TO HIRE THE BETTER PLAN, IF YOU WILL, THAT WOULD BE THE BETTER PLAN. 
          BUT YEAH, IT WOULD COME AT A COST. 
          NOW, CURRENTLY, UM, OUR EMPLOYEES THAT TAKE THE $250 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN, UM, FOR THE FAMILY IS PAYING 538. 
          AND SO IT WOULD STILL BE AN INCREASE OF OVER ABOUT, I'M GONNA DON'T DO MATH IN PUBLIC IS WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD, BUT ABOUT, WE'LL SAY ABOUT $200, UM, WHICH WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT AS WELL. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, HEARING THAT FEEDBACK OF I UNDERSTAND INCREMENTALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD, WE WOULD NEED TO ADJUST THERE, BUT THERE, THERE ARE OPTIONS WE COULD LOOK AT AND HELP AND GUIDE. 
          UM, IF THIS WAS SAID PLAN, BUT YOU SAID THIS IS ONE YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY RECOMMENDING 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA COST US MORE MONEY. 
          OKAY. 
          YES, CORRECT. 
          RIP THAT OUT. 
          I I WOULD NOT RIP IT OUT. 
          ALL RIGHT, I LIKE THAT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          GET READY TO RIP OUT. 
          MOVING ON. 
          ANOTHER ONE COMING SOON. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, EVEN THE GLASSES, I DUNNO. 
          ALRIGHT, I, OH, I COLOR CODED THEM TOO. 
          SO ANTHEM, THAT WAS FOR ME, UH, ANTHEM $1,000 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          WE'RE ON OPTION TWO. 
          IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME, UM, AS THE FIRST OPTION THAT I JUST PRESENTED. 
          HOWEVER, THE RENEWAL RATE FOR THE 1000 PLAN OBVIOUSLY IS MORE THAN WHAT IT IS THIS YEAR, BUT IT IS LESS THAN THE TWO 50 PLAN OR THE $500 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          UM, AND STILL EQUALIZING OUT PERCENTAGES. 
          UM, WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE FAMILY PLAN FOR THE FI THE 1000 GOES TO EIGHT 17, IT'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. 
          UM, HOWEVER, WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT AND WHY THIS IS THE MOST COST SAVING OPTION IS BECAUSE YOU'RE REMOVING THE TWO 50 PLAN AND PUTTING EVERYBODY WITH THE ASSUMPTION. 
          ANYBODY CAN CHOOSE TO DO WHAT THEY WANT, BUT WITH THE SAME NUMBERS WE HAVE IS ALL WE HAVE TO GO OFF OF. 
          UM, THEY WOULD THEN GO ALL TO THE THOUSAND PLAN AND THAT'S WHERE THE COUNTY SAVINGS WOULD COME IN BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T OFFER THAT 200, $250 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN, WHICH IS THE MOST THAT WE PAY FOR, UH, FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          SO THAT IS WHY THIS IS THE MOST COST SAVINGS OPTION FROM THE SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE. 
          OBJECTION, IT STILL KIND OF COMES OUT TO BE THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS ONE, THOUGH. 
          IT'S NOT THAT MUCH. 
          SO YOU'D HAVE TO COMPARE IT TO OUR CURRENT PLAN BECAUSE THE $500 DEDUCTIBLE 
          [01:20:01]
IS LESS THAN THE TWO 50, THE 500, YOU KNOW. 
          AND SO WE'RE SLOWLY GOING DOWN, UM, WITH THE RENEWALS, BUT ALSO WHEN YOU COMBINE THE LINE OF EMPLOYEE CHILD AND EMPLOYEE SPOUSE, THERE'S ALSO THAT ADDITIONAL PERCENTAGE, UM, THAT'S IN THERE AS WELL, WHICH IS WHY THE NUMBER JUMPED TO 86, WHERE BEFORE IT WAS, IT WAS SPLIT. 
          AND AGAIN, TO MENTION THAT WE'RE EQUALIZING OUT SOME PERCENTAGES THAT ARE BEING COVERED. 
          UM, SO WE ARE COVERING A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM A PERCENTAGE STANDPOINT. 
          HOWEVER, WE'RE ALSO COVERING LESS, UM, IN OTHER AREAS. 
          MAYBE I'M LOOKING AT THE WRONG THING BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE CURRENT ONE, THE TWO 50 DEDUCTIBLE, THE EMPLOYEE ONLY IS $762 MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION. 
          AND THEN ON THIS OPTION TWO IT HAS 907. 
          SORRY, CAN YOU TELL ME WHICH ONE YOU'RE ON? I'M ON NOW. 
          I'M ON THE OPTION TWO. 
          YES. 
          1000 COMPREHENSIVE. 
          YEAH, THAT WAS JUST, WERE YOU LOOKING AT THE EMPLOYEE ONLY? YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          EMPLOYEE ONLY, UH, THE NEW RATES WOULD GO TO ONE $1,008. 
          WE HAVE 260 EMPLOYEES ON THAT PLAN, WHERE RIGHT NOW, UH, THEY'RE PAYING $177 PER MONTH. 
          WE ARE ONLY COVERING 80. 
          I'M SORRY, THAT'S THE TWO 50. 
          YOU WANT ME TO LOOK AT THE COMPARE THE TWO 50 OR THE THOUSAND? I WAS LOOKING AT OUR CONTRIBU, LIKE THE SCHOOL DIVISION'S COMPREHENSIVE. 
          OH YES. 
          SO I GUESS THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, LIKE THE EMPLOYEES WOULD BE HAVING A COST SAVINGS. 
          THE SCHOOL DIVISION WOULD ACTUALLY BE GOING FROM 7 62 TO 9 0 7 PER EMPLOYEE ON THAT ONE? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          'CAUSE CURRENTLY ON THE THOUSAND PLAN, UM, FOR EMPLOYEE ONLY, WE'RE COVERING IT'S $815. 
          WE'RE COVERING 92.5% WHERE THE EMPLOYEE'S ONLY PAYING 61. 
          SO THEY WOULD HAVE AN INCREASE, UM, AS WELL. 
          BUT WE'RE ALSO PAYING 2.5% LESS ON THAT PLAN. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE ON? UM, I DID HAVE SOME SCENARIOS AS WELL FOR OUR, UM, AS WE GET TO THEM, BUT JUST WANTED TO THROW A FEW OF THESE IN WHEN WE LOOK AT THE 4% PLUS STEP FOR OUR EMPLOYEE AND THEN THE INCREASE TO THE BENEFITS. 
          UM, HAPPY TO SEND THIS OUT. 
          IT WAS KIND OF DONE TODAY. 
          UH, SO IT DOESN'T LOOK AS PRETTY AS, AS THESE DO. 
          UH, BUT WE DID THIS LAST YEAR, WE LOOKED AT, UM, TWO OPTIONS. 
          WE LOOKED AT OUR TEACHERS AND WE LOOKED AT OUR INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS. 
          AND WHAT WE DID WAS WE LOOKED AT THE TENURE, UM, AND TRIED TO PULL THOSE NUMBERS JUST TO SEE. 
          AND SO AS WE RUN THROUGH THE OPTIONS, I DID RUN THROUGH WHAT THAT TAKE HOME WOULD BE FOR THE EMPLOYEE, UH, BASED OFF THEIR CURRENT SALARY, CURRENT PLAN, NEW SALARY, NEW PLAN, UH, BY OPTION. 
          AND SO HAPPY IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION TO REVIEW ANY OF THOSE. 
          IF I HAVE THEM POLLED, UM, THERE ARE SOME THAT IT IS A NEGATIVE IMPACT TO THEM DEPENDING ON THE OPTION. 
          UH, OUR INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE PAY INCREASE ARE NOT GONNA SEE AN IMPACT AT ALL, UM, WHICH I THINK IS GREAT. 
          UM, BUT UNFORTUNATE THAT IT HAD TO TAKE US TO TRULY INCREASE THEIR RATES FOR THAT. 
          'CAUSE LAST YEAR THEY, THEY WERE LOSING. 
          UM, AND I BELIEVE THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MENTIONED THAT AS WELL, THAT EMPLOYEES DID LOSE AND, AND THEY DID LAST YEAR. 
          UH, BUT THIS YEAR WITH THE NEW SALARY FOR THEM, UM, AND THE BENEFITS, THEY, THEY WOULD NOT LOSE LIKE THEY WOULD IF WE DID NOT HAVE THAT PAY INCREASE FOR THEM. 
          OKAY. 
          SORRY, I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA ASK A QUESTION. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO OPTION THREE. 
          THIS IS KEEPING THE SAME PLAN, UM, AND TIERS, EXCUSE ME, WE NOT TIERS, UH, SAME PLANS AS WE HAVE NOW. 
          THE ANTHEM $250 DEDUCTIBLE, THE ANTHEM 1000, AND THEN THE CHANGE OBVIOUSLY TO THE $3,400 HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          THIS IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE OPTION EVEN WITH EQUALIZING OUT, UM, OUR PERCENTAGES ON WHAT'S BEING COVERED WITH THE INCREASE. 
          AND SO SOME OF THOSE REASONS ARE BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN NOT MAKING ADJUSTMENTS. 
          IT'S REALLY NOT A SIMPLER WAY TO PUT THAT. 
          I BELIEVE I'M ON THAT ONE. 
          MM-HMM . 
          YES, I'M, 
          [01:25:12]
I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A MOMENT TO DIGEST. 
          I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THESE FOR A WHILE. 
          HAPPILY TO DO SO. 
          MR. MCFADDEN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO JUST RIP THIS ONE OUT TOO, MAYBE. 
          NO, I'M . 
          FEEL FREE. 
          NO. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          I'LL MOVE TO OUR LAST OPTION. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO SPEND SOME TIME TALKING ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, SO AS I DID TALK ABOUT, THIS WOULD BE AN ADJUSTMENT FROM WHAT I CALL OUR CADILLAC PLAN TO THE ANTHEM 500 PLAN. 
          THE PLAN INCREASES IS WHERE WE'RE HAVING THE SAVINGS BY THE, THE PLANS INCREASED MORE WITH THE $250 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          THIS IS STILL GIVING OUR EMPLOYEES WHAT I WOULD SAY, MORE OF A VIABLE OPTION TO THE $500 DEDUCTIBLE. 
          IT WILL STILL COST THEM MORE OUT OF POCKET, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF THE DEDUCTIBLES THAT THEY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR. 
          HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF ELIMINATING, UM, THE TWO 50 AND 500 ALTOGETHER AND LOOKING AT OPTION TWO, WHICH WAS ONLY THE THOUSAND, UM, AS WE'VE SEEN, AND I, YOU KNOW, WILL NOT TALK ABOUT INDIVIDUALS AND I PROBABLY DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE, BUT THERE IS A REASON THEY HAVE OUR BENEFITS. 
          THERE'S A REASON THAT OUR CLAIMS WENT UP $2 MILLION IS BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING USED. 
          AND SO NOT TO ADD ANY FINANCIAL BURDEN TO SOMEBODY THAT HAS AN EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITION, UPCOMING UNFORESEEN MEDICAL CONDITION THAT WE DON'T WISH UPON ANYBODY. 
          UH, BUT THIS WOULD BE A MORE VIABLE OPTION, UM, THAN REDUCING TO TWO PLANS. 
          OUR EMPLOYEES ARE, ARE VERY VALUABLE AND I, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH WHAT'S BEEN SAID IN IN RETAINING AND RETENTION. 
          HOWEVER, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS AND WHAT THEY NEED, UM, WE NEED MORE OPTIONS. 
          WE HAVE A VERY DIVERSE STAFF ON VERY DIFFERENT NEEDS. 
          UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE MAJORITY OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE ON EMPLOYEE ONLY. 
          AND THEN WE SLOWLY START TO CLIMB, UM, TO OUR EMPLOYEE DEPENDENTS AND OUR FAMILIES, OUR EMPLOYEE CHILDREN. 
          SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE THEM THE OPTIONS THAT ONE IS AFFORDABLE TO THEM, UH, BUT ALSO PROVIDING THE MOST COVERAGE AS WE'VE SEEN JUST THROUGH OUR NUMBERS WITH TLC THAT THEY ARE NEEDED. 
          UM, SO REC RECOMMENDING OPTION FOUR. 
          IF THIS WAS THE ONLY OPTIONS THAT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS, AND I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT, AND I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR, UM, OBVIOUSLY FROM YOU AFTER THIS ON DIFFERENT OPTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT ON THE 18TH. 
          SO THIS IS, UH, KIND OF FINDING SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE WITH THE $500 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          UM, STILL SA SAME PERCENTAGES. 
          OUR PERCENTAGES HAVEN'T CHANGED ON WHAT'S BEING COVERED OR NOT COVERED. 
          AND, UM, THIS WOULD BE A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE WOULD BE REQUESTING. 
          SO WHEN I LOOK AT, UM, TAKE HOME PAY FOR AN EMPLOYEE, UM, A TEACHER WITH FIVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, CURRENT GROSS SALARY IS $56,872. 
          IF THEY WERE ON THE $250 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN, THEIR MONTHLY PREMIUM CURRENTLY IS $728. 
          BY MOVING TO THE KEY CARE ADVANTAGE OR KEY ADVANTAGE 500 PLAN, UM, INTO NEXT YEAR, THEIR SALARY WILL BE $59,148. 
          AND THEIR MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION TO INSURANCE WOULD BE $582. 
          UM, SO THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE A DECREASE IN THEIR ANNUAL COST. 
          THE GROSS SALARY DIFFERENCE IS $2,276. 
          THEY HAVE A SAVINGS OF $1,752 IN INSURANCE AND A NET TAKE HOME DIFFERENCE OF $4,028. 
          SO BY REMOVING THE TWO 50 TO THE 500, THERE CAN BE JUST IN THAT ONE SCENARIO, AND I HAVE SEVERAL, UM, A COST SAVINGS TO OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT AGAIN, THROUGH THE DEDUCTIBLE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE ADDITIONAL SAVINGS THEY WOULD HAVE TO MAKE FOR THEIR OUT OF POCKET. 
          BUT WHEN TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE OF A 23.7% INCREASE TO WHAT WE'VE ALREADY REQUESTED WITHIN OUR BUDGET AND WHAT MAY BE THE MOST FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, AND AGAIN, ONLY FROM THESE FOUR OPTIONS, UM, THIS WOULD BE THE, THE RECOMMENDATION CURRENTLY. 
          I THINK EACH YEAR WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THESE, UM, AND EQUALIZE THEM EVEN BETTER AS WE CAN, UM, AND HAVE THOSE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. 
          THEY, THEY ARE TOUGH AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          BUT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO PRESENT THEM TO YOU JUST FOR A HOLISTIC VIEW, UM, FOR ALL OF OUR BENEFIT OPTIONS. 
          SO COULD I ASK A QUESTION? YEAH. 
          UM, I WANNA 
          [01:30:01]
MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY. 
          SO CURRENTLY IT LOOKS LIKE WITH, WITH OUR, OUR TOP TIER PLAN, WHICH IS THE TWO 50 PLAN MM-HMM . 
          FOR A DUAL FAMILY, THEIR EXPENSE FOR THE MONTHLY EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION IS $538 A MONTH. 
          AND THEN IF THEY TAKE THE BEST PLAN, GRANTED THE BEST PLAN, WELL THAT WOULD, WOULD THEN BE THE ANTHEM 500. 
          FOR THE DUAL FAMILY, IT WOULD BE $566 A MONTH. 
          YES. 
          AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT? SO, AND WE WOULD INCREASE OUR CONTRIBUTION BY ALMOST LIKE 1.5 ISH PERCENT. 
          IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE, AND THEN OUR COST WOULD GO FROM 2000 A MONTH UP TO 2002 63. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE, LET'S SEE, 5 66 MINUS THE 5 38. 
          SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A A $28 A MONTH INCREASE CORRECT. 
          FOR THAT, FOR THAT DUAL FAMILY? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN, UM, MONTHLY, YES. 
          MM-HMM . 
          MONTHLY, YEAH. 
          CORRECT. 
          $28 A MONTH. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THEN, UM, ARE YOU PRETTY MUCH FINISHED WITH, WITH YOUR PART OF THE PRES YOUR PRESENTATION OR, OR NOT? I AM, YES. 
          NOT YET. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, I WANTED TO TO TOUCH ON WHAT YOU HAD SAID WITH THE, UM, THAT WE'RE USING OUR INSURANCE, OUR EMPLOYEES ARE USING OUR INSURANCE AS THEY, AS THEY SHOULD. 
          UM, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS, WHAT, 9 MILLION IN CLAIMS LA BEFORE, NOW IT'S 11 MILLION, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? CORRECT, YES. 
          SO IT'S A 22 POINT 22% INCREASE IN OUR CLAIMS. CORRECT. 
          SO, AND THEN I GUESS TLC JUST ADDED ON AN EXTRA PERCENTAGE THERE TO JUST, YOU KNOW, ADMIN, ADMIN FEES ADD INSULT TO INJURY. 
          UM, BUT ONE THING THAT I, I WANTED TO, TO PUT OUT THERE, BECAUSE I, I DON'T WANT IT TO COME ACROSS AS OUR RATES ARE GOING UP DRASTICALLY BECAUSE SHAME ON YOU EMPLOYEES FOR BEING SICK AND HAVING EXPENSIVE MEDICAL BILLS. 
          I WANNA MAKE SURE WARREN COUNTY UNDERSTANDS WHY OUR MEDICAL BILLS ARE SO EXPENSIVE. 
          MM-HMM . 
          SO I'M, I'M JUST GOING TO READ SOME OF THE RESEARCH THAT I'VE DUG INTO WITH THAT. 
          UM, HAVE WE ALL HEARD THE TERM RURAL HEALTH CLINIC AND RURAL HEALTH THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT IN TO, UM, VALLEY HEALTH NETWORK? SO BECAUSE WE ARE A RURAL AREA, UM, THEY CLAIM THAT THEY CANNOT GET ENOUGH CUSTOMERS AND SO THEY SHOULD GET TO CHARGE MORE FOR EVERY SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE. 
          UM, SO BY DEFINITION, A RURAL HEALTH CLINIC IS A FEDERALLY CERTIFIED, OFTEN NON-PROFIT PROFIT HEALTH CLINIC DESIGNED TO INCREASE PRIMARY CARE ACCESS TO UNDERSERVED RURAL NON URBANIZED AREAS. 
          THEY USE AN APPROACH WITH PHYSICIANS, NURSES, PRACTITIONERS, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS IN WHICH THEY CAN RECEIVE ENHANCED GREATLY INCREASED MEDICAID AND MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENTS MARKETPLACE. 
          UH, THE, THEY OFTEN HAVE HIGHER CHARGE RATES BECAUSE THEY FACE UNIQUE FINANCIAL PRESSURES SUCH AS LOW PATIENT VOLUME. 
          ANYBODY WHO'S WAITED SIX MONTHS FOR A VALLEY HEALTH APPOINTMENT KNOWS THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE A LOW PATIENT VOLUME. 
          HOWEVER, THEY GET TO CHARGE MORE. 
          UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT DEALING WITH, WITH MEDICAID AND MEDICARE ON THIS. 
          HOWEVER, THIS ALSO RESULTS IN HIGHER PREMIUMS AND HIGHER AND LESS NEGOTIATED RATES WITH INSURANCE, WITH INSURERS. 
          THE, UM, RURAL HEALTH CLINICS OFTEN USE COST PLUS MODELS TO ENSURE VIABILITY AND CAN LEAD TO HIGHER NON-MARKET RATES AS WELL. 
          SO WHAT IS THAT INCREASE? WELL, ACCORDING TO 2024 DATA, THEY CHARGE 30% MORE ON EVERYTHING COMPARED TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA, JUST FYI BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY COMPETITION OUT HERE WHO HAS TIME THAT OUR TEACHERS CERTAINLY DO NOT HAVE TIME TO LEAVE THEIR CLASSES FOR AN ENTIRE DAY SO THEY CAN DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO AND DRIVE AN HOUR TO SEE A DOCTOR. 
          IT IS AN ENTIRE DAY AFFAIR. 
          UM, SO I ALSO WANTED TO TAKE OUT, TAKE THIS MOMENT TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, SINCE 2019, I HAVE POINTED OUT THAT WE ARE LEGALLY ENTITLED TO COLLECT A PILOT A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES FROM VALLEY HEALTH. 
          THE RANGE ESTIMATE ON THAT IS ABOUT 400,000 TO $700,000 PER YEAR. 
          WE HAVE DECLINED ON BOTH THE COUNTY AND TOWN LEVEL TO HAVE BOARDS TO INSIST ON GETTING THIS PAYMENT. 
          AND IT IS HIGH TIME THAT WE START DOING THAT SO THAT WE CAN OFFSET SOME OF THESE RATES THAT ARE NOW IMPACTING THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN THE COUNTY. 
          AND I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO WALK AWAY FROM THAT 
          [01:35:01]
TYPE OF FUNDING. 
          THAT MESSAGE IS FOR THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. 
          UM, THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS ON THAT. 
          NOW, WITH THAT ALSO SAID, I WANNA PUT IN PERSPECTIVE, NOBODY IS ALONE IN THIS, IN THIS SITUATION. 
          UM, MY HEALTH INSURANCE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN AFFECTED. 
          I HAVE WHAT'S CONSIDERED A, A CADILLAC PLAN THROUGH A A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY. 
          AND THE BEST COVERAGE THAT WE HAVE IS A $2,500 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN AND A $5,000 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          UM, YEAH, IT IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. 
          AND, UM, I WAS TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AT SEEING THIS GO DOWN. 
          PERSONALLY, I'M LIKING THE HSA SITUATION. 
          UM, IT WASN'T AS BAD AS, AS I THOUGHT IT WAS, UM, BUT IT DID MAKE ME ALSO WONDER, SO WHAT ARE THE AVERAGES RIGHT NOW FOR MARKETPLACE PLANS AND FOR OTHER PLANS? UM, SO THE AVERAGE DEDUCTIBLE ACCORDING TO HEALTHCARE.GOV FOR VIRGINIA RESIDENTS IS ROUGHLY $7,258 FOR THE BRONZE PLAN. 
          $5,241 TO THE SILVER PLAN AND $1,430 FOR THE GOLD PLAN THROUGH THE A CA. 
          UM, WHEN WE GO INTO, UH, EMPLOYER SPONSORED PLANS, THE VIRGINIA AVERAGE CURRENTLY SITS AT A 1,700 TO $2,400 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. 
          SO MOST TEND TO HOVER AROUND $2,000. 
          SO JUST, I JUST ASK FOR YOUR SYMPATHY AND TRYING TO KEEP THAT IN MIND WHEN I MEAN, I DO, I WANNA SAY, HEY, WE CAN'T DO THE $250 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN ANYMORE. 
          NO, OF COURSE NOT. 
          I WANT, I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE EVERYTHING ON THE CHRISTMAS WISHLIST AND HAVE EVERYTHING STAY THE SAME, BUT THE WORLD IS JUST CHANGING FOR HORRIBLY IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE WORLD. 
          AND THE AVERAGE TAXPAYER IN THIS COMMUNITY IS, IS LOOKING AT DEDUCTIBLES THAT ARE DISGUSTING RIGHT NOW AND INCREASED COSTS THAT ARE JUST DISGUSTING RIGHT NOW. 
          SO PLEASE TRY TO HAVE SOME PATIENTS WITH US WHEN WE TRY TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE AND CONTACT YOUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND ASK THEM TO INSTATE A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES TO VALLEY HEALTH SO THAT THEY CAN START PAYING IT. 
          THEY WON'T START PAYING TAXES. 
          IT'S A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES. 
          IT'S TYPICALLY ONE PENNY ON THE DOLLAR OF WHAT THEY SHOULD BE PAYING IN TAXES. 
          AND WE ARE LEGALLY ENTITLED TO IT. 
          WE JUST REFUSE TO BOTHER TO DO THE PAPERWORK TO TAKE IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE HAVE HAD, UM, SPEAKING OF VALLEY HEALTH, UM, WE HAVE HAD SOME EMPLOYEES CALL IN AND SAY, HEY, THIS WASN'T COVERED UNDER MY INSURANCE, WHY? UM, AND IT IS BECAUSE VALLEY HEALTH, WHICH IS HERE, I'M SURE THERE'S OTHER HOSPITALS, I JUST DON'T KNOW THEM. 
          SO NOT TRYING TO JUST TALK NEGATIVELY ABOUT VALLEY HEALTH BY ANY MEANS, BUT, UM, IT IS BECAUSE THEY CAN CHARGE THEIR RATE THAT THEY'RE ASKING AND OUR INSURANCE MIGHT SAY NO TO THAT REGARDLESS OF YOUR PLAN. 
          SO THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, REITERATING THAT. 
          YEAH, TO GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA. 
          YEAH. 
          AN MRI HERE FOR ME COSTS $1,900 AFTER INSURANCE. 
          YEAH. 
          I DRIVE AN HOUR, IT'S 500 BUCKS. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, UM, ALL RIGHT, SO THAT IS MY PRESENTATION FOR THE BENEFITS. 
          AGAIN, THIS WAS A DISCUSSION. 
          UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT ANYWHERE NEAR, UH, WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO BE OR WANT TO BE. 
          OUR RFP, UM, AS I DID SPEAK ABOUT WITH THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, IS THAT WE WILL NOT BE JOINING TOGETHER. 
          IT IS A TIMING ISSUE. 
          UM, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER OPTIONS FOR THEM. 
          THEY ALSO DID GET THAT 12% INCREASE, UM, AND IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT FOR THEM TO COME TO US. 
          UM, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THOSE NUMBERS SOONER NEXT YEAR. 
          HAVE THOSE EARLIER CONVERSATIONS. 
          THE TOWN DID REACH OUT, UH, BUT THEY ARE ALSO ON AN APRIL ONE RENEWAL TO SIGN. 
          SO FOR A TIMING PURPOSES, JOINING COLLECTIVELY AS A A TOWN AND COUNTY IS NOT GOING TO BE FEASIBLE THIS YEAR. 
          SO OUR RFP DID HAVE TO GET REDRAFTED BECAUSE WE HAD THE COUNTY ALREADY IN IT. 
          UM, AND TO GO OUT ON EVA SOON, WE WILL HAVE IT BACK, OR THE REQUEST IS TO HAVE IT BACK AT THE END OF MARCH. 
          AND SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE THAT BACK. 
          WE'LL BE ABLE TO REVIEW TO SEE WHO ACTUALLY BID US, IF IT'S BETTER OR NOT, TO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSIONS. 
          UM, UNTIL THEN, AS THIS IS A DISCUSSION, IS THERE ANY OPTIONS OR PLANS FOR OUR WORK SESSION THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, DIFFERENTLY? NOT TRYING TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT, UM, HAPPY FOR AN EMAIL. 
          IF THERE'S SOMETHING I WOULD ASK FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO DO IT. 
          UM, BUT HAPPY TO PRESENT OTHER OPTIONS AS WELL. 
          I, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD. 
          I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK WHAT I'M HEARING AND WHAT WE HEARD FROM MOST EVERYBODY IS, UM, ESPECIALLY OPTION ONE 
          [01:40:01]
AND PROBABLY OPTION TWO WAS CAUSING A WHOLE LOT OF STRESS AND, UM, YOU ALREADY SHREDDED OPTION ONE. 
          SO LIKE, I MEAN, I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY LIKE, I DON'T THINK, YEAH, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON IT. 
          AND I THINK ABSOLUTELY THAT, UM, THAT WOULD BE THE MESSAGE THAT I WOULD SEND OUT TONIGHT THAT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE ANYBODY'S REALLY LEANING TOWARD THAT OPTION, SO CAN CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION. 
          HAPPY TO. 
          UM, HAVE WE LOOKED IN, I THINK LAST TIME WE HAD THIS MEETING THERE WAS A TALK ABOUT LOOKING TO SELF-INSURANCE, GETTING SELF-INSURED. 
          ARE WE, IS THAT YES, SO THAT'S PART OF THE RFP, SO, OKAY. 
          UM, I, I'LL JUST USE ANTHEM 'CAUSE THAT'S WHO WE HAVE. 
          UM, ANTHEM CAN QUOTE US ANTHEM DIRECT, WHERE WE UTILIZE THEM IN ANTHEM WORD SELF-INSURANCE. 
          SO WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THAT RFP TO CUT IF THEY'LL QUOTE US FOR THAT AND WHAT THAT RATE WOULD BE. 
          SO YES, WE'RE STILL LOOKING. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY LAST MINUTES? PERFECT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WORKING ON THIS. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          NEXT UP THIS 
          [4.C. Acceptance of Donation - Dr. Costner]
EVENING, WE HAVE ACCEPTANCE OF A DONATION. 
          DR. 
          COSTNER, MADAM CHAIR. 
          DOES EVERYBODY, DOES ANYBODY NEED TO STAND UP AND, YOU KNOW, STRETCH? DO SOMETHING? WE'RE ALMOST DONE. 
          DR. 
          COSTNER . 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WELL THIS, THIS IS GOOD NEWS. 
          THIS IS EXCITING NEWS THAT I HAVE, THAT I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAND HERE IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT. 
          UM, UH, AND JUST BRIEFLY, JUST TO GIVE YOU THE, GOING OVER FOR THE PAST DECADE, WARREN COUNTY FARM BUREAU HAS BEEN A STEADFAST SUPPORTER OF THE FFA CHAPTERS IN WARREN COUNTY. 
          CONSISTENTLY CHAMPION OUR MEMBERS, ADVISORS AND PROGRAMS. WE ARE SINCERELY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR GENEROUS DONATION OF $6,000, UM, WHICH REFLECTS THEIR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO THE AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. 
          ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENTS AND ADVISORS, WE EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT APPRECIATION FOR THEIR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORT. 
          AND I'M BRINGING FORTH TO THE BOARD TONIGHT THAT I MOVE THAT THE WARREN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD ACCEPTS THE DONATION AS PRESENTED TO THE, UM, SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL FFA CHAPTER WITH GRATITUDE. 
          I DO WISH THEY COULD HAVE BEEN HERE TONIGHT, BUT DUE TO OTHER COMMITMENTS, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO SO. 
          UM, SO I HAVE THE HONOR OF, OF BEING ABLE TO COME FORTH TONIGHT TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYBODY HERE THAT IS, I DON'T BELIEVE SO FROM THE, UM, THE WARREN COUNTY FARM BUREAU, BUT IF THEY WERE THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I'D ENCOURAGE 'EM TO COME FORTH, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT TONIGHT. 
          WHEN WE'RE DOING THINGS LIKE THIS, ARE WE MAKING SURE THEN ON OUR, AT LEAST OUR WEBSITE OR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FROM THE SCHOOLS THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THAT HAPPENED? I MEAN, EACH TIME WE'RE ACCEPTING A DONATION OF SCHOLARSHIP OR A LARGE DONATION LIKE THIS, UM, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT IN THE PAST, BUT THAT'D JUST BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          AND I CAN TALK TO OUR TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR AND MAKE SURE, AND THEN ALSO REACH OUT TO THE SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL TO, UM, SEE IF THEY, THEY'VE ALSO POSTED SOMETHING AND THEY DO A GREAT JOB TOO OF I, I KNOW, BUT THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS. 
          OKAY. 
          IS THERE A MOTION I MOVE? THE WARREN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD ACCEPTS THE DONATION AS PRESENTED TO SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL, FFA CHAPTER WITH GRATITUDE. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND. 
          ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR A AYE. 
          OPPOSED? NO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU DR. 
          COSTNER. 
          AND NEXT 
          [5.A. Board Member Requests]
UP WE HAVE BOARD MEMBER REQUESTS AND WE'RE STARTING WITH MS. JONES. 
          UM, I JUST WANNA KIND OF BUILD ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT PUTTING STUFF OUT THERE FOR THE COMMUNITY TO SEE. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, MORE EVENTS THAT ARE GOING ON AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, KIND OF POSTED IN A MORE CENTRALIZED LOCATION, UH, WHETHER THAT'S ON THE WEBSITE, UH, ITSELF OR ON EACH SCHOOL'S PAGE. 
          UM, JUST SOME WAY FOR EVERYBODY TO KIND OF PUT THAT OUT THERE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE, THE ART SHOW IS, UH, TOMORROW. 
          UM, AND I'VE NOT SEEN THAT, UM, ON, IN MANY LOCATIONS. 
          SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE EVENTS, UM, AND NEWS AND A, YOU KNOW, DISTRICT WIDE CALENDAR, UM, WITH MORE THINGS THAN JUST SPORTS, EVEN THOUGH THOSE ARE IMPORTANT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU MR. KLEIN. 
          UM, I DON'T HAVE JUST TWO, UM, ONE I'D I'D, I'D LIKE TO JUST KEEP IN THE BACK OF OUR HEADS ABOUT THE GRANT WRITER POSITION. 
          I KNOW I MENTIONED IT LAST, LAST MEETING, BUT, UM, I JUST WANT TO KEEP THAT OUT THERE IN FRONT OF US. 
          UM, I THINK WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES THERE THAT, THAT COULD HELP US. 
          AND THEN THE, THE OTHER REQUEST THAT I HAVE IS THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS JUST SAY, YES, THEY ALL LEFT MR. KLEIN . 
          WELL, TRUE MS. UM, THE REQUEST THAT I HAVE WOULD BE TO HAVE OUR POLICY COMMITTEE LOOK AT THE, THE LICE POLICY AND, 
          [01:45:01]
UM, POSSIBLY GET STAFF TO COLLECT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, AT LEAST MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS WHEN THERE ARE THESE OUTBREAKS, WE'RE PAYING FOR ADDITIONAL CLEANING. 
          AND, AND AT, AT THIS POINT IT MAY BE COSTING US MONEY TO CONTINUE TO, TO HAVE THIS BE STUCK IN THE CONSTANT LIFECYCLE. 
          SO IF WE COULD REVIEW. 
          THANK YOU MR. MCFADDEN. 
          I HAVE NO REQUESTS. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY REQUESTS EITHER. 
          I LIKE THE GRANT WRITER POSITION. 
          I TALKED TO MS. COLORERS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. 
          I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO LOOK AT WITH THE COUNTY, UM, AS WELL. 
          AND THEN, YEAH, MAYBE, UM, IF WE GET OUR LITTLE PUBLICATIONS OFFICER, THAT WOULD BE ONE THING THAT WE COULD DO WITH SOME MORE EVENTS. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          COULD 
          [6. Closed Meeting]
I GET A MOTION? THIS MOTION IS MADE THAT THIS OPEN PUBLIC MEETING. 
          IF THE WARREN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD BECOME A CLOSED MEETING PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 1, THE SCHOOL BOARD DESIRES TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING MATTER IN A CLOSED MEETING. 
          SECTION 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 A ONE, DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION OR INTERVIEWS OF PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, APPOINTMENT PROMOTION, PERFORMANCE, DEMOTION, SALARIES, DISCIPLINING OR RESIGNATION OF THE EMPLOYEES OF THE SCHOOL BOARD, SPECIFICALLY THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION. 
          EMPLOYEE NUMBER 2 0 2 6 0 3 4 1, EMPLOYEE 2 0 2 6 3 4. 
          THE PERSONNEL REPORT AND THE PERSONNEL REPORT. 
          ADDENDUM. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND IT. 
          MSEL, COULD YOU DO ROLL CALL PLEASE? MR. MC? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          MS. JONES? AYE. 
          MR. AYE, AYE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COULD YOU PLEASE READ US OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION? ACCORDING TO THE, ACCORDING TO THE VOTES RECORDED BY THE CLERK, THE SCHOOL BOARD OF WARREN COUNTY DOES HEREBY CERTIFY THAT TO THE BEST OF EACH MEMBER'S KNOWLEDGE ONE, ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS, LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE VIRGINIA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT WERE DISCUSSED IN THE CLOSED MEETING TO WHICH THE CERTIFICATION APPLIES. 
          AND TWO, ONLY SUCH PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS AS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION BY WHICH THE CLOSED MEETING WAS CONVENED, WERE HEARD, DISCUSSED OR CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND IT. 
          MS. DOEL, COULD YOU DO ROLL CALL PLEASE? MR. MC? AYE. 
          DR. KING AYE. 
          MS. JONES? AYE. 
          MR. KLE AYE. 
          MR. AYE, THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE A MOTION ON 
          [7. Approval of Closed Meeting Item(s)]
THE MARCH 4TH, 2026 PERSONNEL REPORT AND PERSONNEL REPORT? ADDENDUM, I MOVE THAT THE MARCH 4TH, 2026 PERSONNEL REPORT AND PERSONNEL REPORT ADDENDUM BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND? ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OPPOSE? NO. 
          AND OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE MARCH 18TH AT 6:00 PM AT DIVERSIFIED MINES. 
          ANYTHING ELSE THIS EVENING? UM, WE'RE ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.