Choosing between using an insurance provider or being
self-insured was one of the big decisions Forest Hills School District (FHSD)
in Cincinnati, OH, was considering in 2010. While deciding to go self-insured
can be a scary endeavor for school administrators, using an effective safety
management system provides a safety net.
FHSD was looking to save money by going self-insured, but needed the
safety net of to ensure their entire safety program was being implemented,
managed and sustained, and they did so with PublicSchoolWORKS.
To begin the process, FHSD began evaluating two parts of its
safety program: staff training and accident management. The district had
implemented an online training service several years before that it had
received for free; however, the service did not meet the district’s needs for
safety or compliance. Additionally, this
program did not offer an accident management mechanism - a service the district
needed. FHSD was using a paper- and pen-based reporting process, resulting in a
waiting pattern for the claim to be processed and zero accountability for
whoever processed or investigated the claim.
Based on these evaluations, FHSD knew the free staff
training service would not be enough to meet the requirements of an effective
safety program for a self-insured district. To serve its need for compliance,
FHSD decided to switch to PublicSchoolWORKS in December of 2011.
With PublicSchoolWORKS’ EmployeeSafe Suite, FHSD was able to
effectively implement its safety program. The online accident reporting and
training systems auto-notify administrators via email when actions need to be
completed in order to stay in compliance with mandates. Additionally, the
EmployeeSafe Suite automatically produces forms required by the Public
Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP) to keep FHSD in compliance with state
workers’ compensation mandates.
The move to being self-insured, although considered a leap
of faith by some, was a well-planned and executed venture for FHSD. The
district is able to more swiftly make necessary safety changes and stay on top
of compliance. After just one year of implementation, the district saved
$211,000 in insurance costs.
“The connectivity
PublicSchoolWORKS provides is huge,” said Rick Toepfer, treasurer at FHSD. “The
implementation paid for itself and then some. It is managing processes for us
and was worth the money because we feel much more in control of what is
happening in our administrative processes. It was results driven - it had to
work and it did.”
To learn more about how your district can use
PublicSchoolWORKS to go self-insured, email sales@publicschoolworks.com.
