District leaves its insurance trust after a 17.5% rate increase

What happened

The Rhode Island Local Risk Management Trust, which had been handling the district's employee health insurance, proposed a 17.5% increase in health care costs. The School Committee voted to move to WB Community Health instead, subject to contract, and approved the contract and the related union agreements in June. Blue Cross Blue Shield stays as the insurer; the pharmacy benefit changes from CVS Caremark to Prime Therapeutics, and some GLP-1 medications would not be covered.

Why it matters to families

Employee health insurance is one of the largest costs in any school budget, so a 17.5% rise would have squeezed money away from classrooms.

The evidence

The March 26, 2026 approved minutes record the Trust proposing a 17.5% increase, the district holding about $1.4 million in health-related reserves, and a 3-0 vote to issue 90-day notices. The April 16, 2026 minutes record the WB Community Health presentation, the stop-loss attachment point of $225,000, the pharmacy change from CVS Caremark to Prime Therapeutics, the note that some GLP-1 medications would not be covered, and a 4-0 vote to enter a contract subject to negotiation. The June 11, 2026 minutes record approval of the WB healthcare contract and the union agreements that go with it.

The source