Taking care of our staff and their families means providing quality and accessible health care. Parkway is committed to maintaining high-quality health benefits, even as rising health care costs put pressure on our budget.

In April, we shared with staff and our community the proactive measures we are taking in the 2025-26 school year to address budget challenges driven by rising healthcare costs, the Senior Citizen Tax Freeze, and economic uncertainties.

Like many school districts across Missouri and the nation, Parkway is experiencing significant increases in the cost of healthcare.

Healthcare expenses increased 14%, or $5.3 million, in 2024 compared to the previous year. As healthcare costs continue to rise, we anticipate this trend will continue.

Chief Financial Officer Carrie Nunn shared more about the challenges of healthcare costs in this budget webinar for staff, which you can watch here. More information was posted on Inside Parkway with answers to questions.

The Benefits Advisory Committee is reviewing and recommending health insurance offerings for staff for 2026 in light of rising costs. The committee is made up of teachers, operations staff, principals, nurses, retirees, district admin, and the PNEA President.

April 15, 2025

The committee met on April 15 to begin reviewing potential changes to district health insurance plans in response to a significant rise in claims and expenses.

The 22-member committee is a cross-section of certified and operations staff. Between now and July 22, it will meet four more times to explore various plan options to maintain quality coverage while addressing budgetary pressures. In July, the committee will vote on a recommended plan to go to the Parkway Board of Education on August 6.

If no changes are made to our health insurance plans, we estimate an $11 million deficit in 2026, which means $11 million of healthcare claims for our employees could not be paid.