District 99 approves insurance renewals, adds violent-event response coverage

The CHSD 99 Board of Education voted June 15 to approve commercial insurance renewals that include a new violent-event response coverage and reflect an overall premium increase of about 4% compared with the prior year.

Superintendent Hank and the administration told the board their broker, Assured Partners, solicited proposals after Liberty Mutual declined to renew the district's policy. Only one insurer provided a quote: the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust, a long-running risk pool that writes coverage for public entities in Illinois.

"This trust has been established in Illinois for over 40 years, and they only supply insurance to public entities," the administration reported. The broker recommended adding a violent-event response endorsement to cover limited expenses tied to a violent incident — for example, costs for temporary facilities, contractors, or bringing in social-service supports. The administration said the cost of the recommended package, including the new coverage, represented an approximate 4% increase from last year.

Board members asked whether the district had sacrificed coverage to secure the price. Administration replied that coverage limits and deductibles were comparable or improved in some areas and that some deductibles went down. The district has partnered with neighboring District 58 for years to pursue competitive pricing through pooled purchasing; that relationship remains in place.

The board moved, seconded and approved the renewals by roll-call vote. The administration recommended the package as comprehensive; the board did not attach additional conditions during the meeting.

The renewal secures property and liability coverage for the district; transcript discussion did not provide dollar totals for premiums or a full list of policy limits. The board also discussed market constraints in the public-entity insurance marketplace and the district’s reliance on risk-pooling to obtain coverage.