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The Examiner U-46 News Feed

U-46 Board approves variety of expense items


By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 approved $2.9 million in expenditure items between three proposals at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 11.
  One proposal, a four-year contract renewal with EyeMed/Combined Insurance Company of America costing $2.4 million and coming out of the education fund, came with a 5-2 split vote, Phil Costello and Jeanette Ward voting no. The contract is for vision insurance for employees, and the total cost represents a 6.3 percent increase.
  Costello, who voted via phone and had his statement on the proposal read by Ward as he was driving, said he wasn’t opposed due to the increase or “marginal budget impact,” but rather “for the lack of competitive bids and data driven market research.”
  In the proposal, it stated: “The District’s health care consultants are confident that the pricing offered with the current vendor is competitive. Savings, if any, would not outweigh the cost of conducting the proposal process, transition costs, and service disruption to employees.”
  The proposal did not cite justification on that claim and the district is, as cited in that statement, paying a consultant that presumably uses its fee to bid. Costello said the consulting agency, which is Grant Thornton LLP, is not doing its job by simply offering opinions rather than seeking bids.
  “While the consultants might be confident, I don’t like the fact that our paid consultants feel that we should be relying on no-bid renewals and are recommending not even considering plan adjustments or providing market conditions for prospective,” Costello said.
  Costello added: “District U-46 should not have to pay for quotes, and if we have to pay Grant Thornton for important information we should find a different benefits consulting firm.”
  A review of meeting minutes showed that the board approved a two-year contract with Grant Thornton LLP in 2016. The cost is $625,000 in 2016 and $637,400 in 2017.
  Ward voted against the contract because from her research and personal experience it is cheaper “to pay for eye exams and glasses for my family out of pocket using a tax-free health savings account” rather than paying “vision insurance premiums.”
  According to the proposal, “School District U-46 has offered vision benefits since 2008” and has “3,328 participants enrolled in the plan.” Vision insurance is an uncommon benefit in the private sector according to 2013 numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which show only 25 percent of employees in private industry receive such benefits.
  Approved by 6-0 votes, Costello had not joined the meeting at that point, was a proposal, with Mind Research Institute ($507,504) to purchase ST Math resources and a proposal with Gorbold Behavioral Consulting, Inc. ($75,000) for consultancy services, both of which will be paid for by the nation’s taxpayers through Title I funds and Federal IDEA Grant funds respectively.
  By a 7-0 vote, the board approved $11.4 million in itemized bills.

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