Dear Valued Employee of East Baton Rouge Schools,

We would like to invite you to preview the proposed 2026 employee benefits. The benefits highlighted below will be presented to the Board during the August 7 Committee of the Whole meeting. Our consultants, Gallagher, will be offering a virtual meetings in advance of the August 7 meeting to preview these benefits. You have the opportunity to learn more and ask any questions you may have!

Virtual Meeting Option:
Wednesday, July 30 at 2-3 PM

Here is a brief summary of what’s being proposed for 2026:

Health Plan

• • No increase to current employee rates for all health plans
  • New Plan Options:
    • Current Core and Buy-Up health plans will now offer the choice of a narrow network. While you will still have the ability to see your provider of choice in Louisiana, you will save seeing the narrow network providers.
      • Option 1: Community Blue (which is focused on Baton Rouge General and Ochsner)
      • Option 2: Precision Blue (which is focused on Our Lady of the Lake and Woman’s Hospital)
    • Introduction of a new High-Deductible Health Plan (which will replace the existing Community Blue plan)
      • This plan offers the ability to open a health savings account to put payroll deductions aside tax free to pay for medical expenses

Pharmacy

• • Enhanced benefits for generic maintenance medications at $0 to members.
  • Examples: specific high blood pressure medications, cholesterol medications, etc.

Your Dental & Vision Benefits

• • Dental plan is experiencing a 5% rate increase with Metlife
  • The monthly impact of this increase ranges from less than $1 to $5 depending if you have dependents enrolled or not.
  • Vision rates remain the same.
  • Eyeglass frame allowance is increasing from $120 to $130

Your Short Term Disability Benefits

• • Rates will reduce 5%