San Felipe-Del Rio CISD warned of rising health-plan costs as two carriers decline RFP quotes

President Mesa called the San Felipe-Del Rio CISD budget workshop to order on May 14, 2026, and trustees heard an update on the district's health insurance renewal process.

Amy Childress, the benefits presenter, told the board that Brown & Brown issued the district's medical RFP and that responses have been limited: "We have heard back from Aetna and Cigna. They have declined to give us a quote," she said, adding that the district is awaiting responses from Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare and expected to have updates by the May 20 budget meeting.

Childress reviewed plan performance: for 2025 the district's contribution per employee was $474.49; total plan premiums were $8,595,329 and total paid claims were $8,660,543, producing a deficit of about $65,000 for the year. For 2026, she reported the district's current contribution at $519.57 per employee (a 9.5% increase from the prior year), year-to-date premiums of $3,103,772 and year-to-date claims of $3,267,315, a near-term shortfall the presenter described as roughly $163,000.

To illustrate budget sensitivity, Childress modeled a notional 10% increase in the district contribution, which would raise the per-employee contribution to around $571.52 and produce an approximate annual district budget impact of $385,000 based on an employee population Childress estimated at about 1,235 staff on the plan.

Dr. Rios cautioned trustees that summer months historically produce higher claims because employees schedule surgeries and other procedures during school breaks. "I absolutely believe that a 10% increase would be a win for the school district if that's all the charges," Dr. Rios said, but he also warned trustees that carriers' market behavior suggests larger increases are possible and that two major vendors had already declined to bid.

Trustees pressed whether family plans would rise if base premiums increase and asked the administration to produce side-by-side comparisons with neighboring ISDs and the City of Del Rio for context. Several trustees said they preferred to avoid shifting costs to employees but left the option on the table as a last resort depending on final carrier quotes and the board's decision on pay raises.

Childress said she would provide updated carrier quotes and that administration would return to the board on May 20 with revised insurance and revenue projections to inform decisions on employee compensation and premium contributions.

The meeting proceeded to facilities and operations after the insurance update; the board did not take formal action on insurance at this session.