School Board schedules extra meeting to pick insurance carrier

During what was supposed to be their last meeting of the year on Wednesday, the Warren County School Board voted to schedule a special meeting for Wednesday, December 9, to take action on whether to change insurance providers.

The vote was spurred by a new contract finalized earlier this week between Winchester, Va.-based Valley Health, the area’s major medical care provider, and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which currently provides health insurance coverage for Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) employees through the Local Choice program.

During the School Board’s Wednesday, December 2 meeting, WCPS Personnel Director George “Bucky” Smith and Ed White, senior vice president at McGriff Insurance Services Inc., followed up on insurance provider options after originally discussing the issue with them during an October meeting. At that time, Valley Health and Anthem remained locked in contract negotiations and WCPS worried that a resolution might not be reached before the contract expired on December 31.

WCPS Personnel Director George “Bucky” Smith explains the rates for health insurance.

In a proactive move, WCPS decided to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to search for alternative insurance providers because the school division thought it would lose its health network, said Smith, adding that several bids were received by the RFP’s November 30 deadline, providing WCPS with more options to consider.

“We’ve had Blue Cross and Blue Shield for a long time,” Smith told the board members. “I think what you’re seeing here is an example of competition. Sometimes there’s complacency that sets in on both parts, whether it be the person receiving the service or whether it be the person providing the service… The situation that occurred with Valley Health and Anthem, to some degree, sort of opened the door for other people to be aggressive on their competitiveness.”

Among the bidders were Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and Cigna, with Aetna offering the most-attractive health insurance rates compared to Anthem, said White, the insurance consultant for the School Board who is working with WCPS staff to review the returned proposals.

“What we’ve seen over the last few weeks, and most recently with this RFP, is that the competition was pretty fierce when it came to companies going after Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield,” White said, adding that nearby school divisions have switched from Anthem. For instance, Shenandoah County Public Schools has opted for Aetna, while Winchester Public Schools signed on with UnitedHealthcare.

“They’ve found savings that can’t be ignored,” said White, noting that Warren County also may decide for a better deal.

Smith and White reviewed the submitted proposals with the School Board, taking up most of the Wednesday meeting.

School Board Chairman Arnold Williams, Jr., asked Smith if he saw any shortcomings in WCPS switching insurance companies. Smith responded, “On the surface no, [the Aetna plan] seems very comparable,” but offers more savings for both employees and employer, “which seems promising.”

Williams agreed, calling the Aetna proposal “an improvement.”

School Board member James Wells also agreed, noting that with a difficult 2021 budget year looming, being able to document some savings “would be a marvelous advantage.”

Following a motion made by Wells, and seconded by School Board Vice-Chair Catherine Bower, the board voted unanimously to schedule the December 9 special meeting. All members were present, including Williams, Wells, Bower, Kristen Pence, and Ralph Rinaldi.

More actions taken

The School Board on Wednesday also unanimously approved the proposed WCPS Athletic Handbook, which was collaboratively developed by Skyline High School Athletic Director Bill Cupp and Warren County High School Athletic Director Edward Dike.

One notable update is that all students must have a physical exam prior to beginning workouts. “This is something we thought was pretty important,” said Dike.

“It’s nice to see that the handbook is very easy to read, very easy to understand, and it fits all of our schools,” Board Chairman Williams said.

The School Board also voted to accept with gratitude $2,495 in donations to Skyline Middle School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program and Fall Harvest Festival. Skyline Middle School Principal Bobby Johnston said the donations will be used for jackets, dues, trips, and scholarship awards.

The board also unanimously accepted donations from Limeton United Methodist Church, which gave $500 to A. S. Rhodes Elementary School and another $550 to Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School.

Additionally, the School Board approved the proposed school year 2021-2022 calendar:

• August 10, 2021 – First Day of School
• October 8, 2021 – End of 1st Advisory
• November 22–26, 2021 – Fall Break
• November 22–23, 2021 – 11- and 12-Month Employees report to work
• December 21, 2021 – End of 2nd Advisory/1st Semester (87 days in 1st semester)
• December 21, 2021 – January 4, 2022 – Winter Break for students
• December 21, 2021 – January 2, 2022 – Winter Break for staff
• March 14, 2022 – End of 3rd Advisory
• March 21–25, 2022 – Spring Break
• April 15–18, 2022 – Holiday
• June 9, 2022 – Last Day of School.

WCPS Assistant Superintendent Melody Sheppard told board members that there are six built-in weather make-up days. And because students will not be in school for more than 180 days, if the school division does not miss six days due to weather, the days will be taken from the end of the school year.

Watch the School Board’s special meeting in its entirety on this exclusive Royal Examiner video: