By James Lomuscio
Upon the recommendation of Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon, the Westport Board of Education tonight unanimously approved hiring Lockton Companies, Inc.‘s Northeast U.S. operations as the school system’s new health insurance and risk management consultant for a three-year period at an annual fixed cost of $45,000.
According to Landon, who with Elio Longo, school business administrator, and Marge Cion, human resources director, interviewed respondents to an RFP (request for proposals), Lockton fit the bill as the best consultant to refine the schools’ best practices and guide the administration through the complexities of the Affordable Health Care Act.
The selection of Lockton came on the heels of the school board unanimously accepting the final report of its Health Insurance Fund Review Committee. The board subcommittee was formed early this year to grapple with what was thought to be a $2 million shortfall in it health insurance budget due to exorbitant claims, a shortfall that upon careful scrutiny actually turned out to be a surplus.
Longo noted that Lockton initially asked for $75,000 per year, but the amount was reduced to $45,000 after it was agreed that the town would also engage Lockton as a consultant.
Karen Kleine, school board member, asked Longo if contracting Lockton would violate an agreement with the the schools’ current consultant, the Segal Company.
“We’re not under contract; we are working day to day with them,” Longo said.
Speaking as a member of the public, First Selectman Jim Marpe lauded the selection of Lockton.
“I’m very impressed with their experience and scope of service,” said Marpe, saying that having Lockton work for both the town and the school board offered “the opportunity for shared learning,”
“What this is about is the opportunity to save the taxpayer $30,000 collectively,” Marpe said.
School board member Paul Block, who sat on the health fund review committee, congratulated Landon for choosing Lockton because of its reputation as a top national firm.
Earlier, David Mann, chair of the town’s Green Task Force, outlined a plan to apply for state funding to install solar panels on the roofs of school buildings with the potential savings of $2.1 million over 20 years.
“We believe that there is a great opportunity for the schools to both advance the environmental missions of the town as codified in the 2007 Plan of Conservation and Development but also significantly to ensure price stability for energy in our schools going forward and realize savings with little or no upfront costs,” he said.
Mann said the town had already installed solar panels on town buildings that should save $600,000 over 20 years.
The proposal will undergo further study by school administrators.
