BY TONY FURSE | July 19, 2023

In addition to its intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate on its 2023-24 fiscal year budget and a change in monthly meeting times, two reports located elsewhere in this issue, the Prairie View Unified School District 362 board of education heard about a change in district employees’ health coverage for the upcoming school term.

At the monthly July 10 meeting, Christine Johnson, Ph.D., district superintendent, said that the district insurance committee, earlier in the day, had recommended coverage through United Health Care (UHC) rather than current subscriber Humana. Through UHC, said Johnson, participating staff would have a choice between a high-deductible health savings account or a lower-cost preferred provider arrangement.

Johnson noted UHC’s “best” rates and their promise not to raise the second-year premiums by more than 10 percent.

She said the new insurance plan, which goes into effect Oct. 1, will be approved as part of the 2023-24 contract with teachers. At last week’s meeting, the board conducted three executive sessions totaling 20 minutes for negotiations, with no follow-up public action.

During the meeting’s consent agenda financial statements item, Brad Heide, board member, asked for clarifications on three separate questions.

Alluding to a computer generated check of $3,475 for April/June mowing at La Cygne and Parker Elementary schools and handwritten checks of $1,875 and $475 for elementary-school mowing, all to DreamScape Innovations, Inc., Mound City, Heide questioned that “we’re still contracting that out.” Wade Teagarden, board president, confirmed that “yes, we’re still hiring that out.”

Heide then asked if an $11,864.93 computer-generated check to Albert Managed Services for K-12 informational technology software is a monthly fee, which Kylee Capp, district business manager and board clerk, confirmed.

Heide said he was curious about a $2,400 computer-generated check to Gipper Media, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., for social media graphics. Capp said she would investigate.

Teagarden said he was curious about marked highlights on the June financial report. Capp said those highlights “tie in to budget comparisons.”

During public presentation agenda time, Cyndi Danford, Paola, said she had been trying to contact the school “for several months” about placement of two foreign exchange students through the SHARE! Southwest student exchange program. 

Johnson and Teagarden asked for contact information, which Danford shared with them during the meeting.