Consolidated High School District 230 (CHSD 230) makes a significant impact on the community it serves. Their mission is to prepare their more than 7,000 students across three high schools for the real world. They’re responsible not only for the education of the community, but for bringing many families together through the various events put on by the district throughout the year.
A Solution They Couldn’t Refuse
Despite the outstanding aptitude and attitude of their staff, CHSD 230 lacked the resources to handle the HR needs of nearly 1,000 employees. Managing labor costs alone is a feat, let alone the benefits. So, when a trusted broker recommended isolved to them to help reduce costs and save time, there was no question they were interested in learning more.
Phyllis Besbekos, Payroll and Benefits Manager of CHSD 230, met with her benefits broker to understand everything that isolved could do for them. When she heard how much money she could save, she was sold. Since CHSD 230’s budget to pay employees is completely taxpayer funded, it’s imperative that they watch their labor very tightly and focus on ways to reduce costs.
A Significant Reduction in Time and Money
Within five years of working with isolved, CHSD 230 has saved a significant amount of time and money on administration fees and labor costs with electronic feeds. Besbekos and her team used to spend 15 hours a week managing the continuation of health coverage (COBRA) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and they’ve now reduced that amount by at least 50 percent.
This has opened time for Besbekos to manage other tasks, like negotiation cost projections for 225 employees, ACA Act 1095 c reporting, insurance plan design and rate renewals all without having to work 12 hours a day as a salaried employee. Not having to hire additional HR support has had a positive impact on payroll costs.
According to Besbekos, the biggest selling point is the cost savings. “Whether you work in corporate America or for a nonprofit, you’re watching your budget. isolved has lower prices for amazing services. It’s the reason I decided to make the switch to isolved.”
A Significant Boost in Retention
Having the ability to offer employees the right benefits can make a big difference when it comes to hiring and retention. In fact, according to isolved’s 2022 Benefits’ Big Impact on Employee Experience report, 82 percent of the 800+ full-time employees surveyed consider benefits part of their total compensation.
Working with isolved has given CHSD 230 the ability to offer COBRA and an FSA to employees. For employees within the school district, they can use the FSA to offset tax costs. With the FSA limited, their employees can use that money for dental and vision costs so that they can put more into their health savings account (HSA) and build up their retirement savings.
FSAs for dependent care make the rising costs of daycare more manageable because of the tax benefits of the plan. Many staff have noticed how these pretax benefits have given them more take-home pay. They continue to increase their FSA annual which saves both employees and employers money.
Providing their employees with the opportunity to choose how to spend or save their (HSA) earnings has been a complete game changer.
A Positive Impact on the Environment
A self-proclaimed tree hugger, Besbekos hates the idea of wasted paper. Working with isolved has allowed CHSD 230 to eliminate paper notices for COBRA and HIPPA as she can now manage everything electronically.
This not only reduces the amount of paper, but it also further saves them time and money, Besbekos’ overall goal for the organization. CHSD 230 needed a solution to help them reduce labor costs and offer better benefits. isolved exceeds their expectations and continues to help them achieve their objectives today.
“Working with isolved has been a blessing. To anyone afraid to make the leap, do it, just do it. Jump in. It’s been such a positive experience for me. I just never realized what I was missing,” said Besbekos.
The Bottom Line
By working with isolved, CHSD 230 was able to:
- Reduce administration costs by $2 per employee
- Reduce time spent and paper costs by 50%
- Boost attraction and retention through better benefits
While these savings are great for their bottom line, it’s even better for the community they serve. Employing residents, educating the next generation and having the time to host events for the community have all been made possible by working with isolved.