NMASBO 4th Quarterly Newsletter April - June 2022

| VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 4 |

President's Message

Teresa Casias , President

"Welcome to Wherever You Are" – Bon Jovi

If you haven't heard this song, you ought to consider googling it and spending the next three and a half minutes listening to it. (My best friend shared it with me, and it has since become one of my go-to songs.)

I shared it with you today because the lyrics and the melody resonate with me. They reminded me of 1995 when I graduated from high school when the world didn't seem as "busy" as it is right now. I remember writing my Valedictorian speech and wanting to make sure that the words I spoke to my classmates (10 graduating seniors in total) would mean something to them; that the words would help them leave the safety and comfort of home to become members of the great unknown.

I can't believe that's almost 30 years ago. With graduation season up us, I recognize that this is an exciting time for our seniors and their families and all of us working in the education system. We've all worked together to ensure that the graduates had the tools to succeed when they called our schools home.

In some ways, high school graduation is the first time we know the importance of gratitude in a person's life. Valedictorian speeches are laced with thanks for the people that helped get the seniors to graduation. Then, after that, we go through the rest of our lives expressing gratitude to those who help us throughout our day, the good ones, and most especially the bad ones. We're also expressing gratitude for the places and spaces we occupy.

I find myself leaning on gratitude now more than ever.

I am thankful for the micro-school where I work and the people who work there. I am grateful for the little faces that I see when they pass by the office and the older faces that pop in for M&Ms.

I am thankful for the people that I work with daily. We find a way to come together when our unity is needed most. And I am most grateful for the people who continue to believe in me even when I don't believe in myself.

This time of year has always been difficult, building a budget with limited resources and making sure that everyone gets what they need. With the help of my NMASBO Community, I can think through different scenarios and put together a budget that I am proud to submit.

Thank you for being an important part of my journey; I am learning and growing through each of you.

Did you know that living your life with gratitude leads to a calmer, more peaceful you? I have found that when I take the time to appreciate the current moment, situation, or people I am with, I am happier regardless of the outcome.

So here's my advice to you today, practice the acts of thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation. Be present in the moment and absorb the good things in your life. Appreciate and be grateful for the not-so-good moments because they are designed to highlight the good in every situation.

Peace, love, and harmony, my friends.

"Right here, right now, you're exactly where you're supposed to be." – Bon Jovi

From the Executive Director's Desk

Terry Dean, Executive Director

Leadership During Crisis

New Mexico is in desperate need of some rain. This point is evidenced by all the wildfires over the past several weeks. As of the writing of this article, a major wildfire rages in the Santa Fe National Forest close to Las Vegas and Mora. A few weeks ago, the McBride fire in the Ruidoso area consumed 207 homes and burned up to the edge of Ruidoso Middle School.

On April 12, the Ruidoso schools were in session with the buildings full of staff and students. The fire started off Warrior Road, close to the high school, and Ruidoso Middle School was directly in the path of the fire. With the superintendent being out of the district, the district’s leadership was thrust upon Clint Taylor, Director of Business and Finance. Clint acted quickly to evacuate the buildings, provide support services to students once relocated to safety, and communicate the status of the situation to parents. Due to Clint’s leadership, the students and staff were evacuated safely.

Although this account of the Ruidoso fire and Clint’s actions is exceptionally abbreviated, Clint is the superhero of this story. As a superhero, what is Clint’s superpower? Some may say he can build cool Excel spreadsheets, which is true, but that is not the correct answer. Clint’s superpower is trust. We are not born with nor do we magically receive the power of trust from a fairy godmother. Trust must be earned. So what are our key takeaways:

• Trust is built when culture, communication, and behaviors reflect promises made.
• Trust impacts employee engagement and is rooted in relationships and communication.
• Trust is built through competence, humility, accountability, honesty, and consistency of actions.

Clint was prepared to assume the leadership during this time because he had developed the trust of the staff and community. He did an incredible job of keeping the students safe during the crisis.

2022 School Business Official of the Year Roadrunner Award

Ludym Martinez, Region 5

NMASBO is committed to developing public awareness and appreciation of public school business leaders and the value they add to the daily operations of schools. We do this by recognizing the School Business Official of the Year, which is awarded annually during the Spring Budget Workshop. NMASBO recognized this year's award recipient during the general session of the 2022 Spring Budget Workshop. Kerri Gray from Hobbs Municipal Schools is the 2022 School Business Official of the Year Roadrunner Award recipient.

Congratulations to Kerri Gray from Hobbs Municipal Schools as the 2022 NMASBO/Equitable's School Business Official of the Year Roadrunner Award. Her colleagues, superintendent and other staff recognize her as an exceptional leader. Here is an excerpt from her nomination letter:

"To be in Kerri’s presence is a joy that everyone should experience. Her cheerful personality and willingness to educate over adjudicate is a primary reasons for her success in her role within Hobbs Municipal Schools. Kerri sees the dollars within a budget as students first and foremost. With that lens on the dollars, the decisions made make “Sense!” According to Think New Mexico, from the operational budget, HMS has had the highest percentage of funds (81%) going to the classroom. Kerri’s leadership within NMASBO is realized by her willingness to educate others regarding the appropriate use of public dollars. She has led multiple sessions across the state and will always answer the phone for a colleague."

It is an honor to serve on the committee that chose this outstanding professional for this award. I want to express a special thank you to the full committee that assisted in this process: Claire Cieremans, Los Lunas Public Schools; Thad Phipps, Artesia Public Schools; Martin Romine, Zuni Public Schools; and Carmen Spann, REC 9 Ruidoso.

Welcome NMASBO 2022/2023 New BOARD Members

Stan’s Straight Talk FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

Stan Rounds, Executive Director, NMCEL

The 2022 Session of the New Mexico State Legislature has finished and important legislation for public schools in New Mexico has headed to the Governor’s desk. The general themes of those bills fit into three categories: 1. The recruitment and retention of teachers and other educators; 2. Increased instructional time (ELTP/K-5+/K-12+); 3. Increases in Funding for Transportation and Capital Improvements. Key legislation is found in SB1, HB2, HB73, HB13, HB57, HB60, HB119, SB76 and SB140.

Within this newsletter is the final legislative report from our friends at NMSBA. I want to thank both Joe Guillen, Executive Director, and Lilliemae Ortiz, Legislative Liaison, for their partnership and hard work during this session.

High level overview of the effects of this key legislation includes an immediate (last quarter of this fiscal year) 3% disbursement of the last quarter of each public school employee’s salary that also sets a new “base.” For the new fiscal year (FY23), there is additional compensation of an additional average 4% increase (3% from third quarter and the additional 4% which yields 7%) in compensation minimums for all school personnel. Additionally, the minimum base salary for teachers (in the three tiers) increase to $50,000, $60,000, and $70,000, respectively, commencing with FY23 (July 1, 2023). And finally, for those hourly compensated individuals in public schools, the minimum hourly rate of pay must meet a $15/hour minimum. To fund these compensation increases, the Legislature has funded the State Equalization Guarantee (SEG) with an additional $267.83 million.

Additionally, funding for teacher mentorship programs, ERB employer increased match, increased health insurance costs, increased elementary physical education, increased fixed costs, and increased instructional materials funding were included in the SEG. All in, the SEG was increased by just under 12% from last year.

ELTP and K-5+ were maintained ($64 million) as optional programs rather than mandatory (as was initially designed into HB2) and an added K-12+ program element ($41 million) was added into the learning environment on an incentive basis. For those employees and schools involving themselves in the K-5+ and ELTP, the legislature provided an additional incentive that adds an additional 3% increase in salary.

HB73 provided for a new provision to the ERB Law allowing for school personnel to lay out 90 days and then return to work at full pay for 36 consecutive or non-consecutive months. This was in response to our legislative platform request for shortening the layout period to 91 days or less. All-in-all, we were very successful in having our 2022 Legislative Platform enacted.

Overall, this was a productive session and I urge you to thank your legislators for their support in enacting this legislation.

NMPSIA Update

Chris Parrino, Charter Rep

The following represents an overview of the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority’s (NMPSIA) programs and a financial update. Should you desire more information, please contact Mr. Chris Parrino, NMPSIA School Business Official Board Representative, at cparrino@mrgcharter.org. You may also contact Mr. Patrick Sandoval, Interim Executive Director, at Patrick.Sandoval@state.nm.us or call 1-800-548-3724.

Board

The next Board meeting is at 9:00 A.M., Thursday, June 2, 2022. The meeting will be held both in-person and virtually. The agenda, location, and login/dial-in information will be available on https://nmpsia.com.

Administration

Mr. Richard Valerio is no longer with NMPSIA. We want to thank him for his contributions and wish him the best of luck with his future endeavors.

Mr. Patrick Sandoval serves as the Interim Executive Director and Deputy Director and oversees all NMPSIA-related services.

Ms. Martha Quintana serves as Chief Financial Officer and oversees the Financial Division.

Benefits Division

COVID-19

NMPSIA is working diligently through the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health and safety of all members. NMPSIA continues to cover the cost of testing and treatment for COVID-19 at no cost-sharing for members enrolled in a medical plan. All COVID-19 claims will be covered until further direction from the Superintendent of Insurance.

The Biden Administration announced that starting January 15 private insurance companies will be required to cover at-home COVID-19 tests. This means consumers with private health insurance coverage will get these tests for free. Insurance companies and health plans are required to cover eight free at-home tests, per covered individual, per month. NMPSIA will cover a limit of eight over-the-counter (OTC) tests per 30-day period (or per calendar month) for each member, or dependent enrolled under the plan. Tests will be reimbursed, regardless of whether the individual has an order or individualized clinical assessment from a health care provider. This includes eligible tests purchased online or at a retail pharmacy. NMPSIA is not required to cover testing (including an OTC COVID-19 test) for employment purposes, travel, or surveillance testing. Please visit https://nmpsia.com for additional information.

Senate Bill 317

Senate Bill 317 (SB317), titled “No Behavioral Health Cost Sharing,” was signed into law by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on April 8, 2021. The Bill became effective on January 1, 2022. SB317 prohibits member cost-sharing for behavioral health (“BH”) services covered by any health care plan. Members will not incur costs for professional, outpatient, inpatient, ancillary, behavioral health services, or covered prescription drugs. Please visit https://nmpsia.com for detailed information.

Prescription Benefit Manager Transition

Effective July 1, 2022, CVS Caremark will be replacing Express Scripts as NMPSIA’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager. Welcome packets and new ID cards will be mailed to medically enrolled members on May 23, 2022. Please be on the lookout for communications from CVS Caremark.

Medically enrolled members, who are currently enrolled in the Livongo Digital Health Diabetes and Hypertension Program, will be transitioned to the Next Generation Transform Diabetes Care and Comorbidity Program. This new program will support members with medication adherence, monitoring blood glucose and blood pressure, preventive screening, lifestyle, and comorbidity management, while optimizing medication and or reduction. Members will be provided with in-person, telephonic, virtual, and digital touchpoints to communicate gaps in care. The Next Generation Transform Diabetes Care and Comorbidity Program will begin for NMPSIA medically enrolled members on July 1, 2022.

Effective July 1, 2022, medically enrolled members who fill their Specialty Medications through the Express Scripts Specialty Drug SaveOn Program will be transitioned to the CVS Caremark Prudent Rx Program. As part of the seamless transition, members will receive a welcome letter with information on how to enroll. PrudentRx will then contact the member to finalize the enrollment to ensure a $0 out-of-pocket cost to the member. Members will also have access to a PrudentRx Advocate for ongoing support and in order to avoid renewal delays.

Premium Rate Increases

Effective October 1, 2022, the NMPSIA Board approved a 6.0% increase to current monthly premiums for the High and EPO Option medical plans and a 3.2% increase for the Low Option medical plan. Please visit https://nmpsia.com for Premium Rates and Contribution Table.

Wellness At Work Program

NMPSIA, in conjunction with the medical plans, continues to work to improve member engagement and health outcomes. Consider implementing wellness at work program by volunteering as a wellness ambassador. Wellness strategic plan support is also available. Programs are designed to fit the needs of your district/school. If you would like more information on how to develop your wellness at work program, please contact Ms. Katherine Chavez, Benefits and Wellness Operations Manager, at Katherine.Chavez@state.nm.us at 1-800-548-3724, ext. 1011.

Risk Division

The Risk Services Division of NMPSIA provides insurance for Property, Liability, School Board Legal Liability, Crime, Cyber Liability, and Workers’ Compensation coverages. NMPSIA members consist of K-12, Charter Schools, and Educational Entities (including several colleges and universities). Insurance is provided by a Memorandum of Coverage. NMPSIA maintains large, self-insured retentions/deductibles, which means that NMPSIA pays losses on most cases filed on behalf of its members. NMPSIA purchases excess insurance from carriers that provide significant limits of liability in case a claim exceeds retentions. NMPSIA contracts with various professionals that provide services for the following: brokerage, consulting, administration, actuarial, driver information retrieval, and claims management. These groups, along with staff, meet once a month to review coverages, claims, loss trends, and loss prevention services to ensure NMPSIA provides the broadest coverage available and the best service possible.

NMPSIA is currently out to Request for Proposal (RFP) for the procurement of cyber security risk assessment and consulting services. As soon as a vendor is selected, communication will be sent out to members to request that a cyber security assessment be completed due to the high volume of cyber and ransomware attacks. The NMPSIA excess carrier is requiring an assessment to mitigate against these attacks.

Premium Increase

Determining the Risk Premium for each Member begins with collecting data or what is properly called “exposures.” This process is completed through an online system administered by Poms & Associates. Once received, the data is compiled, verified, and checked against the prior year’s data. The estimated annual premiums are released each year at the Spring Budget Workshop and presented on the “Budget Notice” located within the Spring Budget Booklets provided by Poms and Associates. Accuracy is important as your reported information is one of the factors used to properly allocate premiums among the Members to avoid premium discrepancies on final risk-related coverage invoices. If the data changes for anyone Member, then the entire group’s premiums are affected. After each Member receives their respective premium calculations, they have an opportunity to review the data and premium to discuss any discrepancies with the Poms Insurance team.

The NMPSIA Board recently passed a 6.73% increase to Risk premiums for FY23. This is cumulative to the risk pool. The increase/decrease will vary by each district/charter school depending on the experience and exposure.

Budget booklets were distributed via email before the Spring Budget Workshop. Please email Jo Anne Roque, Poms & Associates, at rservices@pomsassoc.com if you did not receive your budget booklet or have questions. For reporting exposures, changes, or operation concerns, please email Jennifer De Jesus, Poms & Associates at rservices@pomsassoc.com. Annual Risk Premium Invoices will be available on July 1, 2022, on the NMPSIA website.

Training

Please contact Ms. Julie Garcia, Poms & Associates, at jgarcia@pomsassoc.com for any risk-related training you wish to bring to your district/charter school. A summary of trainings can be found at https://nmpsia.com under the Risk section. There is no cost for these trainings!

Vector Solutions

House Bill 128 School Personnel Background & Training (HB128) introduced new requirements for New Mexico Public Schools to address investigation, reporting, and documentation of ethical misconduct and child abuse issues. Much work went into the passage of this new law geared toward protecting our students.

All school district personnel, school volunteers, contractors, and contractors’ employees (with unsupervised access to children, i.e., contract bus drivers, contract coaches, and contract therapists) are required to complete training in the detection and reporting of child abuse and neglect, ethical misconduct, professional responsibilities, sexual abuse, and assault. Your training requirements can be fulfilled using the current mandatory Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect eLearning course provided by NMSU, in addition to Vector Solutions’ Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Schools Series, which also includes a module on the new mandatory reporting requirements for all Districts and Charter school employees. NMPSIA purchased the Vector Solutions series in 2021 to alleviate any additional expense for NMPSIA members.

If you have been using Vector Solutions/Safe Schools, please be aware that the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Schools Series is an add-on that does not automatically come with your subscription. To access the mini-course package, you must inform Vector that you also want to be included in the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Schools Series and that you are a NMPSIA member to avoid being charged and ensure you appear in our database.

If you are already enrolled in Vector Solutions or are in the process of enrolling in the Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect eLearning course provided by NMSU and Vector Solutions’ Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Schools Series, please be advised that every employee, volunteer, contractors, and contractors’ employees (with unsupervised access to children, i.e., contract bus drivers, contract coaches, and contract therapists) are required to individually complete the training. This requirement currently applies to all employees regardless of the date of hire.

If you are already enrolled or are in the process of enrolling in the Vector Solutions’ Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Schools Series and/or your employees have viewed the required training, please email rovermier@pomsassoc.com. Please specify the date you added your employees’ names and the dates your employees viewed the training modules in the email.

Financial Overview

The NMPSIA Board of Directors approved a total budget of $443,615,900. The budgeted amount for Benefits is $354,846,700, Risk $87,249,100, and Program Support $1,520,100. NMPSIA is also in the process of budgeting an appropriation of $15 million received from the legislature to help cover the cost of testing, treatment, and vaccinations associated with COVID-19.

How to Renew Your 2022-23 Membership

Jessica Montaño, Deputy Director

Renew your NMASBO membership early at nmasbo.org. Below are some quick, easy instructions on how to renew today!

• Your membership will expire on 06/30/2022. You will sign in under your MASTER ACCOUNT LOGIN and a "Renew now!" notification will appear on the screen.
• You will first need to update your Profile and click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the screen.
• After updating your Profile, you will land on the Membership Dues screen.
• Please NOTE under the Membership Information the Dues Modifiers.
• Complete your information and scroll to the bottom of the page.
• Click Submit.

Member Benefits

1. Discounts on all NMASBO events.
2. Access to member-only content on nmasbo.org.
3. Access to the NMASBO Connect online community
4. Job posting permissions in the Career Center on nmasbo.org.

NMASBO is your source for school business official certification and licensure training.

Associate Member Corner

Jaryn Schaumburg, Office Manager/Admin. Assistant

Membership renewal for the 2022-2023 fiscal year is open. As we prepare for the new year, we will be seeing a few changes. NMASBO would like to keep everything as simple as possible for you to renew your yearly membership and exhibit at our conferences. See Jessica’s article on “How to Renew Your 2022-23 Membership.”

Renew your membership now to receive discounted conference fees and the first chance to register for an exhibit booth for our events. An email will be sent out to all associate members when a conference registration opens.

Upcoming Event Schedule:

• 2022 Fall Conference: September 28-30, 2022 at Crowne Plaza in Albuquerque, NM
• 2022 Winter Conference: February 15-17, 2023 at Embassy Suites by Hilton in Albuquerque, NM
• 2022 Spring Budget Workshop: April 2023 and location TBD in Albuquerque, NM

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to maintaining a great relationship with your company for many years to come. Please send any questions or changes to your account to jaryn@nmasbo.org.

2022 High School Scholarship Recipients

Sarah Stubbs, SFO, Region 4

NMASBO is continuing to support graduates who are attending NM Universities and Colleges in the fall of 2022. Scholarships, for many students, are the only way they can go to college. NMASBO has made a long-term financial commitment to continue to offer multiple scholarships to graduating high school students and now college students throughout New Mexico.

This year, there were over 82 high school applications submitted and, of those, only 25 were complete and eligible for evaluation. The scholarships were divided by Region and the online Reviewr application was utilized for the fourth time for the high school scholarships, drastically streamlining the process and saving time for our volunteers.

Each student has a unique story and, no doubt, a need for this scholarship. It was a very hard to score each of them and I thank our Scholarship Committee, who graciously volunteered their time to fairly score these applications.

• Joni Heinsogn Memorial Scholarship: Taylor Aragon, Raton High School
• Region 1: Charles Aguirre, Miyamura High School/McKinley Academy
• Region 2: Melaki Jones, Española Valley High School
• Region 3: Anastacia Armijo, Volcano Vista High School
• Region 4: Karen Avila, Roswell High School
• Region 5: Destiny Camacho, Chaparral High School
• Region 6: Irene Cruz, Dexter High School

If you are interested in serving on the Scholarship Review Committee next year, please let me know at sstubbs@portalesschools.com so I can get you added to our committee! We could not complete this job without the contribution of your time and thank you to the following volunteers: Erica Benally, Central Consolidated School District; Marie Bouma, Alamogordo Public Schools; Sherrita Fluhman, Roy Municipal Schools; Evelyn Garcia, Aztec Municipal Schools; Bonnie Hoke, Socorro Consolidated Schools; Patrick Kelly, Media Arts Collaborative Charter; Ludym Martinez, Gadsden Independent School District; Thad Phipps, Artesia Public Schools; Katy Sanchez, Coral Community Charter School; Carmen Spann, REC 9 Ruidoso; Cristina Thomson, Rio Rancho Public Schools; and Anna Wastchak, Quemado Independent Schools!