Another agency is departing from the school’s pool, given last year’s spiking costs.
LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School saw a spike in employees’ health insurance costs last budget year.
That appears to have prompted an area special education cooperative, long a part of the school’s insurance pool, to end its relationship as of Jan. 1.
This move adds uncertainty to the high school’s insurance.
The cooperative is the La Grange Area Department of Special Education, or LADSE, which is made up of 15 school districts. High school officials say about 500 cooperative employees belong to the insurance pool.
Because of last year’s increase, the cost for insurance this budget year is expected to be $1.3 million more than previous projections.
At this week’s school board meeting, Brian Stachacz, the school’s top finance official, said the cooperative wanted to look at its options to cut costs, given last year’s experience.
“They found an opportunity with another insurance pool that offered them increases that were much less than we were seeking for the coming year,” Stachacz said.
Meanwhile, the high school is trying to figure out how that action will affect the high school’s pool
“I don’t know whether that will benefit us or if that won’t benefit us,” Stachacz said. “But we’re going to have to take a look at that and bring information back.”
In general, he said, the high school needs to look at its options for insurance.
The high school is hardly alone in dealing with escalating insurance costs. Elmhurst School District 205 is among those facing similar problems.