$1.2M break for school insurance

Report cards for the third nine weeks go out March 18. Students are preparing for the ACT.
And in at least one subject – the cost of insuring staff members – the math is looking good for the St. Mary Parish School Board.
Board members learned Thursday that a big adjustment related to a big claim has eased the pressure on the loss ratio for the system’s coverage of employees. For one month, January, the ratio was in negative territory – a good thing for the School Board.
The board picked Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Louisiana to cover its employees. Over the last couple of years, large claims and the spiraling cost of covered medications, especially GLP-1 diabetes drugs, have been sources of concern.
But insurance consultant James Perez told the board that the system received a $1.2 million credit in January, giving the board’s insurance plan a loss ratio of -7%.
The details about the credit are unclear, Perez said. He believes the credit is related to an adjustment related to a large 2024 claim.
Such adjustments are usually made at the end of the year rather than the beginning, Perez said.
“We can’t expect that every month,” he said. “But it is the best start I’ve ever seen in a large group.”
Also Thursday:
--Superintendent Dr. Rachael Sanders said the district is accepting transfer applications until May 1.
Students may request transfers from schools where they’re part of a racial majority to a school where they’re in the minority. They may also seek transfers due to unique hardship.
--Sanders told the board that the system is working with the St. Mary Sheriff’s Office on the Futures Project, a locally designed curriculum designed to help fifth-graders make good decisions when dealing with drugs, bullying and other challenges.
--The board recognized its Students and Employees of the Month.
The Students of the Month are senior Paola Bobet-Torres of Patterson High, fifth-grader Ansley Bach of Wyandotte Elementary and eighth-grader Tashi Smith of Franklin Junior High.
The Employees of the Month are teacher Nakia Brooks of Patterson High, teacher Brooke Blanco of Wyandotte and paraprofessional Bryan Johnson of Franklin Junior High.