Board of Education (BOE) members voted to approve the Medical Self Insurance Fund (MSIF) Strategic Plan in a unanimous vote at their Tuesday, January 13 meeting.

The MSIF Strategic Plan outlines how the Town replenishes the fund and can get it back to a healthier state, according to BOE Chair Alison Plante.

It was previously discussed at the Board’s Tuesday, December 16 meeting, when Finance Director Glenys Salas presented a revised version of the fund’s strategic plan along with an explanation of premium plans.

This version of the strategic plan has been approved by the Board of Selectmen and the Employee Medical Benefits Board. With approval from the BOE, it will now go to the Board of Finance and Legislative Council.

Salas attended the BOE’s January 13 meeting virtually to discuss the MSIF further, looking for the BOE’s action to signify their approval and that they are in agreement with the plan.

BOE member Melissa Beylouni asked if they could purchase insurance for the astronomic medical claims. She also noted self-insured organizations can purchase stop-loss insurance, and asked if that is something the district has.

Salas said the Town does purchase stop-loss insurance, with it kicking in at $175,000. However, because their claims over stop-loss were so high, their renewal for stop-loss premiums gradually increased over the years.

This is because the insurance company wants to make sure they do not take losses on Newtown’s stop-loss premium, according to Salas.

When asked by Beylouni if employees were told about stop-loss, Salas said employees pay their share of the premium. Premiums are set every year, and are supposed to be set high enough to cover forecasted medical claims in addition to stop-loss premium and administrative fees.

Looking at the last seven years of financial data, Salas said the Town simply was “not collecting enough.”

She continued, “The premiums weren’t high enough to bring in enough revenue to cover the cost of medical claims, the cost of stop-loss premium, and the cost of admin fees.”

The reason their medical costs are so high now, Salas said, is a combination of increasing medical claims and how they are paying more on stop-loss premiums than they used to.

Beylouni asked how many of their young employees are purchasing the insurance or are opting out. Whether employees are opting for no insurance is not something Salas said she has insight in.

However, she theorized that, more commonly, employees may be opting for a spouse’s insurance if the premium cost is lower.

“We have had population decline, but it’s not significant,” Salas said. “We’ve had about four population decline on the Board of Education side in Fiscal Year 2026, and the Town enrollment was about flat.”

BOE member Christopher Gilson asked if a report goes out for the insurers regarding the status of the fund, fund health, and projections. If there is a report, he asked if it has been going out to people in previous years.

Salas said the MSIF forecasts are reviewed with the Employee Medical Benefits Board, which has met quarterly for years. She encouraged anyone who wants to understand more details about the MSIF to attend one of the Employee Medical Benefits Board’s meetings.

In terms of the fund’s financial status, Salas said it has been reported every year in the Town’s audited financial statements.

Gilson asked if people who pay into the fund get something in the mail regarding the fund’s status and projections in an easily digestible form.

Salas said that is not something they provide. However, she noted the information is publicly available to those who are interested, adding that she does not think it is a common thing.

Gilson then asked if that is something they can do to alleviate people’s confusion.

“This way, people don’t go, ‘Oh my God, what’s going on?’ And then we say, ‘Well if you went to this meeting at this time or ... went to this other meeting for the report ... you could find out,’” Gilson added.

Salas said the audited financial statements are available, and they could certainly provide a link to them. She noted that the forecasts require narrative and explanation, which is not something that can be easily sent out.

What they do notify employees of, she said, is what the premiums are and what they will be paying.

“And then if they want additional information about the financial health of the fund, that information is available and I’m happy to answer questions,” Salas said.

Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti said she agreed with Salas in that it is very difficult for the average person to understand. She said they recognize as a district that they need to do more to communicate with their stakeholders.

Last week, Uberti said she and Director of Human Resources Suzanne D’Eramo met with all the union presidents trying to explain the MSIF in plain language.

“I didn’t even present them with any charts because, what I find, is initially people need to have a general understanding of how self-insurance works, what the history has been with our fund, and how we got to this point,” Uberti explained.

She noted the union presidents made suggestions about how they would like to receive more communication. Uberti, who said she and Salas meet every other month or so to get an update, promised union presidents that “no news is good news.”

“Like if we are receiving information that needs to be passed along to them, then we will do that,” Uberti said. “So I think we’re on the right path.”

Other Topics

In her Superintendent’s Report, Uberti discussed contractual obligations related to the shortened day prior to the winter break.

Tuesday, December 23 was an early dismissal day. However, school was canceled that day due to snow. Uberti said they are wondering how best to restore that day to the calendar as a result.

She noted it does not seem equitable to restore it as a full school day, and that she is working with D’Eramo to make sure they are not in any contract violations.

They are also working with union leaders to determine when it is best to put that day in the calendar, according to Uberti. This would eventually come to the BOE — likely in February — because it would reflect a change in the calendar.

Uberti acknowledged the passing of Abigail Greene, a senior at Newtown High School. She passed away unexpectedly last week on Thursday, January 8.

“On behalf of the district, I extend our deepest sympathy to Abby’s family, friends, and to the Newtown High School community,” Uberti said.

She continued by saying the high school has been coordinating support for students and stuff during this difficult time. Afterwards, Uberti asked everyone to take a moment of silence to remember Greene.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.