(Griswold) The Griswold School Board voted to join approximately 70 other schools in a Natural Gas Insurance Pool.
Griswold Shared Superintendent Dave Henrichs says members of the Risk Pool would pay upfront for the district’s natural gas, along with an insurance component. “This would ensure a district would not have to pay more than the agreed-upon rate for natural gas,” said Henrichs. “If the price or usage comes in lower than expected, districts have the possibility of receiving a refund.”
Henrichs says the agreement with Wood River Coop is based on a formula from a district’s five or 12-month usage and applied to the current rate plus 25-percent for the insurance piece. The Griswold School District got hit with a $20,000 gas bill during the cold snap last February, and Henrichs says this will prevent this from happening, along with the possibility of a refund.
Henrichs says there are currently 70-schools enrolled in the program, with another 12 school districts expected to join by the first of the year. Henrichs says member school superintendents are the board of directors of this 28E agreement. “They’ll have the best interest of the pool and watch out for school districts to ensure a fair formula,” said Henrichs. “If there is excess money in the pool, the board will make sure it gets back to its member schools.”