Spring/Summer 2019

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Upcoming Educational Opportunities

By Shawn Bubb, MTSBA/MSGIA Director of Insurance Operations

School is winding down, but the number of upcoming educational opportunities is not.  MTSBA will be providing some great upcoming training for continued education on behalf of our school board trustee and administrative school officials in the coming months.  Here is a preview of what is coming up and an overview of how it can help support good risk management within your school districts:

  • May 22, 2019 – Orientation for Newly Elected trustee video series. This will be an easy way for newly elected trustees around the state to participate using a video link option from anywhere they have internet access. Trustees will be introduced to the various roles and tools to succeed in them as school board trustees. Topics such as board policy, working effectively with your administration team, collective bargaining, human resources, legal guidance for board members and impactful court cases, and a wrap up of the 2019 key legislative issues facing our K-12 public schools.
  • June 7, 2019 – MTSBA’s Leadership Symposium. This one-day leadership symposium held in Helena at the MTSBA/MSGIA building at 863 Great Northern Blvd. will provide training to school board and administration team leaders in board governance best practices, effective community communication strategies, and strategic planning to support student achievement. In addition, MTSBA will again recap key legislative milestones recently achieved and will also more fully share ways to leverage the legislative successes found in the 2019 legislative session to maximum student achievement in the coming school year.
  • July 10-11, 2019 – Summer Symposium, sponsored by ISBC. This two-day symposium is very popular and is held in one of Montana’s beautiful locations, Polson. Registration will open soon.

Click here to register!

Your school district risk-management efforts are very important to us at the MSGIA.  Please give us a call at (877) 667-7392 if there is any way we can assist with any of your school plans for this coming school year.

Pre-Employment Physicals

By Kevin Bartsch, Assistant Director Workers’ Compensation Pool Operations and Harry Cheff, Risk Management Associate

Hiring the right custodial, food service, or maintenance staff person can be a tricky endeavor.  Due to low unemployment rates, many schools are competing with local businesses to hire the best candidate for job openings. These HR situations associated with high demands and scarce supplies lead to certain challenges and, in turn, certain temptations, most notably among them the temptation to simply “fill the position.” Read more

School District Boiler Inspections

By Matt Komac, MSGIA Assistant Director for Property & Liability Pool Operations  

The summer break is an excellent time to have your school district’s boilers inspected.  Montana Law requires that all automatically fired boilers in schools must be inspected once each year. http://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/50/74/50-74-209.htm School Districts that are part of MSGIA’s Property and Liability program receive annual boiler inspections at no cost.  Matt Komac, MSGIA’s Assistant Director for Property & Liability Pool Operations, coordinates these inspections with Hartford Steam Boiler, the company that handles the inspections. Read more

Put Your Back into It

By Annette Satterly, Risk Management Associate and Harry Cheff, Risk Management Associate

Once proper body mechanics are understood, this statement should be enough to make you cringe.

Between 7/1/15 and 4/2/19, there were four hundred forty-eight (448) back injuries reported that cost $1,236,506.00. During the same time period, there were two hundred ninety-five (295) shoulder injuries reported that cost $2,713,803.00. Workers compensation funds come out of the general fund. This is money that would have been better spent elsewhere. More importantly than the cost, this is seven hundred thirteen (713) people who were hurt! Read more


Summer Sports Camps and Insurance

By Matt Komac, MSGIA Assistant Director for Property & Liability Pool Operations 

 As summer approaches, many of our members receive requests for the use of their facilities for summer sports camps. These camps may be sponsored by the member school district’s coaches and/or staff, or they may be presented by outside organizations. If the camp is not being sponsored or presented by the school district, or if the proceeds are going to the coach rather than the school district, then MSGIA strongly recommends that the district require the sponsors/coaches to purchase and provide proof of a liability insurance policy covering the event. Read more