Breckenridge school board votes to seek new health insurance; honors students, staff, teachers of the month
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Breckenridge Independent School District employees will soon have a new insurance plan after the Board of Trustees voted to appoint an agent of record to assist the district with a health insurance plan and to leave the insurance cooperative the district has been in.
BISD Superintendent Bryan Allen explained to the school board earlier in the year that the health insurance pool that the school district is in with about 30 other school districts was in a deficit and that the school districts were going to have to make payments to pay off the deficit. Due to the problems, some employees experienced problems getting their medical bills paid by the insurance, leading to some healthcare providers refusing service.
At the April 8 school board meeting, Allen said that 83 percent of the claims have been paid.
Whitney Hill, a consultant with FBMC Benefits Management, talks to the Breckenridge school board about their options for a new insurance plan for the school district’s employees. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Allen introduced Whitney Hill, an employee benefits consultant with FBMC Benefits Management, who spoke to the school board members about the services FBMC offers.
“I’ve been in this business for a long, long time. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Hill said. “I take it very seriously because I was an educator, and I don’t like seeing this happening. … No one in the school district makes enough money to have to worry about whether they can go to the doctor and get their bills paid or if … things get sent to collections or whatever. So it is unfortunate, but I do think that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Hill said the company would research the best insurance options for BISD, present several choices and let the school board decide on the best one for the district. The current plan that BISD has been with is going away and the involved school districts will have to decide what they want to do next, she said. One option is to work with FBMC, which will analyze the district’s needs and get quotes on new policies.
The BISD school board voted unanimously to appoint FBMC as the exclusive insurance agent of record for all of the district’s group and voluntary insurance programs.
Immediately following that vote, the board members voted to leave the Region 14 Employee Benefits Cooperative at the end of the plan year.
According to the discussion during the meeting, the new insurance plan should be in place at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.
STUDENTS, STAFF, TEACHERS OF THE MONTH
The Breckenridge Independent School District also honored the Students, Support Staff and Teachers of the Month at the April 8 school board meeting.
Each of the district’s four schools’ principals introduced the student, teacher and staff member of the month at the beginning of the meeting.
The Students of the Month are Brendan Overman, East Elementary; Kaylee Mendoza, South Elementary; Melody Mathias, Breckenridge Junior High School; and Matthew Wunsch, Breckenridge High School.
The Teachers of the Month are Janet Haigwood and Karie Hodges, East Elementary; Nicole Lindsey, South Elementary; Whitney Nolasco, BJHS; and Tracey Cross, BHS.
The Staff Members of the Month are Tiffany Wade, East Elementary; Robin Heidelberg, South Elementary; Angie Douthit, BJHS; and Denny Lane, BHS.
East Elementary SPED paraprofessional Tiffany Wade, right, is honored by Principal Shannon Deen as the school’s Support Staff Member of the Month. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
East Elementary Principal Shannon Deen, center, presented pre-k teachers Karie Hodges, left, and Janet Haigwood, right, with the Teacher of the Month award at the April 8 BISD school board meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Fourth-grader Kaylee Mendoza was honored as the South Elementary Student of the Month for April 2024 by Principal Patricia Gonzales. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
School nurse Robin Heidelberg was honored as the Support Staff of the Month by South Elementary Principal Patricia Gonzales. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Fifth-grade math teacher Nicole Lindsey was presented with the Teacher of the Month certificate by South Elementary Principal Patricia Gonzales. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge American)
BISD paraprofessional Angie Douthit was presented with the Support Staff Member of the Month award by Breckenridge Junior High School Principal Laura Gibson. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Life Skills teacher Whitney Nolasco was honored as the Teacher of the Month by BJHS Principal Laura Gibson. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Ninth-grader Matthew Wunsch was honored as the Breckenridge High School Student of the Month by Principal Paul Armstrong. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Denny Lane, a paraprofessional in the BHS Accelerated Learning Center, was honored as the April 2024 Support Staff of the Month by Principal Paul Armstrong. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Tracey Cross, English I teacher, was presented with the Teacher of the Month award by BHS Principal Paul Armstrong. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: South Elementary Principal Patricia Gonzales reads some of the comments by teachers and staff about fourth-grader Kaylee Mendoza, who was honored as one of BISD’s Students of the Month for April 2024. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
