Fountain Hills board votes to leave Valley Schools benefits group, adopt Kairos plan

The Fountain Hills Unified School governing board voted Jan. 26 to adopt a resolution withdrawing the district from the Valley Schools Benefits Group and to move employee coverage to a Kairos plan.

Superintendent Doctor Sweeney told the board the benefits committee—chaired by human-resources coordinator Alex Means and including certified and support staff—met several times and issued a unanimous recommendation to switch based primarily on lower out-of-pocket costs for employees and greater access to local medical providers. "There are significant savings for employees at really all levels," Sweeney said in presenting the committee's work and recommended adopting a simple resolution to withdraw from the Valley Schools group.

Board members asked about the local-provider network. In response, committee members and a staff speaker said employees could still find doctors in Fountain Hills but that the new plan offered a broader range of covered services; one participant said "Kairos is still UnitedHealthcare" but provides a broader set of services through its offering. The board member who said she had prioritized teacher compensation called the savings "a good thing" for staff who are not highly paid.

The motion to adopt the withdrawal resolution was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; the minutes record an affirmative voice vote.

The board packet included materials comparing employee costs under the Kairos package and notes from the benefits committee. The superintendent said the transition is being done consistent with contractual terms that date back to 2009 and that the resolution is required under the agreement to change providers.

Next steps: the district will proceed with the administrative steps required to transition plans in accordance with the contract and provide details to employees about changes to coverage and provider networks.