FASTfacts - August 12, 2025 (Vol. 21, Issue 03)

Answer to "The $64 Million Question" May Surprise You

Following two summertime work sessions that discussed MCPS's self-funded insurance plan for employees, School Board members were asked to approve a $64 million expense on tonight's agenda.

That is the projected cost of employee health insurance coverage for 2026.

Based on current claims projections for next year's medical trends, the total -- a 7% increase over last year -- will help fund potential medical and pharmacy claims.

The School Board provides free health insurance for all employees, and tonight's approval absorbs next year's additional costs so they will not be passed on to employees. That said, some employees pay optional charges for higher-level coverage.  

The decision also allows the district to meet the 60-day safe harbor requirements for high-dollar claims along with a more conservative 120-day fund amount for the same reason. 

More details on the 2026 self-funded health plan are available at this link. 

Board Approves Changes to Nine Job Descriptions

District administrators have specifically worked to revise many job descriptions over the past few years.

Tonight, School Board members approved revisions to nine more job descriptions, most often citing responsibility changes and more accurate language. 

This latest round of revisions includes the following positions:

• Clerk Specialist - Professional Practices 5.123
• Coordinator II - Custodial Services 1.11
• Director of Employee Relations 1.86
• Director of Facilities and Construction 1.57
• Food Service Specialist - Meal Benefits 4.93
• Supervisor - Maintenance 1.97
• Secretary - Professional Practices 4.701
• Director of Technology and Information Services 1.43
• Warehouse Helper/Courier Driver 6.25

Click on individual job titles above for more details. 

Revisions to the Food Service Manager 4.62 position will be approved at an upcoming meeting. It was removed altogether from tonight's agenda due to a clerical error. 

Various Contract Approvals Impact ESE, Food Service, and Technology Plans

Several items on tonight's School Board agenda were moved to discussion so additional information could be shared during the livestreamed meeting.

Some of these items included:

• Seventh Amendment to Agreement with Instructure, Inc. - $400,000 to continue CANVAS, the district's preferred online learning management platform. 
• Special Data Share Agreement with Everway LLC - $92,189 to continue subscription to web-based curriculum aligning with the Florida Standards Access Points for nearly 350 students with significant cognitive disabilities.
• The Stepping Stones Group LLC - Additional $93,342.75 for a total of $459,312 for Speech Language Pathologist Assistants for the 2025-2026 school year. 
• Citrus Hearing Impaired Program Services, Inc. - Additional $6,384 for a total of $1,619,028 to provide specialized services to comply with students' Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). 
• Heartland Payment Solutions, LLC - $750,000 for annual license fees, equipment purchases, and online meal payment service fee collections for the next six years (2025-2031). 

School Board members and Interim Superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer recognized representatives from Maintenance, Custodial, Groundskeeping, and Warehouse Services for their summertime efforts to make campuses polished and presentable on the first day of school Monday.