Category Archive

As of May 4th, 2018 the teachers’ strike has ended with the signing of the State Budget Plan. A plan that provides more than $300 million to improve Arizona Schools. Over the course of the upcoming years, the bill is said to provide funding to classrooms, as well as, give teachers a predicted raise of 20% over the next 5 … Read More

With the #RedForEd statewide protest happening, many of Arizona school districts have closed due to the movement. Despite these districts being closed, the healthcare enrollment period remains open. The majority of school districts do not offer automatic re-enrollment, so re-enrollment is the responsibility of the individual employees. For many schools, it runs congruent with the fiscal year of July 1st … Read More

With 4 major healthcare companies in the state, and a multitude of voluntary benefits vendors, how does a school district or public entity know which one is the best fit for your budget and employee’s needs? Schools districts traditionally follow a bid cycle that requires them to send out a request for proposal (RFP) every five years. This process was … Read More

If you are a school district employee in the State of Arizona, your district will designate a set period of time each year for you to choose your benefits package for the next plan year. For many schools, it runs congruent with the fiscal year of July 1st through June 30th each year. Open Enrollment education meetings and opportunities typically … Read More

Having sick employees is never ideal for your business. Employers can have little or no control over lifestyle choices of their employees, which can be a helpless feeling. Here at Valley Schools, our WellStyles program has produced positive results in improving the healthy employees. WellStyles provides coaching to employees through health news, step challenges, preventive programs, and incentive rewards to … Read More

For the first time in human history, children are projected to have shorter lives than their parents. A staggering statistic, especially given the fact that we spend 110 billion dollars a year on exercise clubs, supplements and diets, and 2 trillion dollars a year on medical costs for preventable diseases. So what is considered healthy? We can get closer to … Read More

Private companies like Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced that they would form an independent health care company for their employees in the United States.  The three giant firms employ over one million employees.  Increasingly, large employers are forming alliances to purchase benefits for their employees.  The formation of this joint venture negatively impacted health stocks as they will … Read More

In a time where schools are underfunded and resources are scarce, it is vital that every dollar is allocated to the core mission of educating children. if you invest in yourself you can ensure your own success. One of our Board of Directors members Mike Barragan, has seen many school districts save money from being self insured. His expertise being … Read More

With the attempts to phase out the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA), small business and individuals are now suffering to provide health care that they can afford. The insurance world has become complicated and time consuming when trying to provide employees with basic health, dental, and life policies. It is a critical time where groups need to ban together to … Read More

Valley Schools is honored to announce that we have received the highest level award for the Healthy Arizona Worksites this year! At the platinum level, we have been recognized with evidence-based efforts that has tackled health challenges in the community. We have previously won the silver level award when we first started, then received gold for the past 2 years, … Read More