Edinburg CISD Board Approves Health Plan Changes for 2026
Arnoldo Mata
EDINBURG, TX — The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees on Thursday, Sept. 18, and approved changes to the district’s employee health plan and adopted new premium rates for the 2026 plan year, one of only two items discussed in the special called meeting.
Trustees voted unanimously to move forward after a presentation from district officials outlined proposed adjustments and the rollout strategy for staff. Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Rolando Garza said the district’s insurance committee reviewed the plan the previous week, comparing current rates to other similarly sized districts and reviewing benefit enhancements made since 2018.
The specifics of the plan were not detailed during the meeting.
Trustees voted unanimously to move forward after district officials outlined proposed adjustments and the rollout strategy. Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Rolando Garza told the board the district’s insurance committee had already reviewed the changes and compared them to other school districts.
“We showed them a full presentation of data, other school districts in comparison to premium rates, and trends over the last couple of years,” Garza said. “We also showed them many enhancements that we have made to the plan design. Since 2018, we’ve added many customized benefits to help our members on the medication side and the benefits side.”
Board members sought clarification on whether employees would understand the changes. Trustee Carmen Gonzalez asked, “Did the campus committee have the opportunity to review the plan?” Garza confirmed they had, noting that staff were also told Edinburg CISD remains among the lowest in employee contribution rates.
Garza emphasized the district’s position compared to others in the region. “We’ve also had two premium reductions in the last six years, which no other district, probably, has done,” he said. “Obviously, with inflation and rising health care costs, we have to propose a change. But we did stress that we’re giving them an alternate, which is still a very rich plan design.”
Trustee Dominga Vela pressed for details on how employees would be informed. “So how are you going to tell our staff that?” she asked. “Are you going to do individual meetings at campuses during conference periods?”
Garza said communication would be widespread. “We’re going to have FAQs in English and Spanish, and we’re going to target maybe not every campus, but we’re going to go to the auxiliary departments to really help them understand and guide them through it,” he said. “It’s going to be a massive effort to educate, and we’re ready to do that.”
The new plan will include both the current design and an HMO option, which directs care through primary care physicians before employees see specialists. Garza said employees who already follow that process “will see no changes to their health care.”
After approving the health plan changes, trustees also awarded a sealed proposal for district banking services to Lone Star National Bank, the highest-ranked vendor.