SW Washington Risk Management Insurance Cooperative (SWRMIC)

SW WA Risk Management Insurance Co-op2021-10-12T10:27:58-07:00

The Risk Cooperative provides property and liability insurance coverage for its members.

About

Our Mission

The Cooperative’s mission is to support member districts by providing long-term protection from financial loss through proactive prevention and high quality risk management response, programs and services.

About the Risk Cooperative

The Risk Cooperative was formed September 1986 when school districts in southwest Washington State joined together through an Interlocal Governmental Agreement to self insure, self administer and group purchase excess insurance to cover their losses. Twenty-seven school districts, the Educational Service District 112, the Educational Service District 105, the KWRL Transportation Cooperative and the Washington Schools Information Processing Cooperative belong to the Risk Cooperative.

The Risk Cooperative is an Enterprise Fund established for the purpose of providing claims handling and risk management for property and casualty liabilities to its membership through group funding. The Risk Cooperative provides the following forms of group purchased insurance coverage for its members: property, vehicle and mobile equipment physical damage, equipment breakdown, crime, electronic data processing equipment, and general liability, automobile liability, employment practices liability, errors and omissions liability and statutorily required bonds.

The Risk Cooperative is fully funded by its members. Educational Service District 112 is contracted to provide financial, loss control and claims services for the Cooperative.

The Risk Cooperative is governed by a Board of Directors, which is comprised of one designated represented from each participating member, with delegated authority to a five member Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is responsible for conducting the business affairs of the Cooperative.

Member Benefits

Benefits of Membership

Local control. Regional support. That’s the key to successful cooperatives and school services. By working together, districts are able to leverage financial and operational resources to provide high quality and efficient programs. The ESD 112 Risk Cooperative is one example of this successful concept.

Why Choose Us

  • Schools are our only business, the only clients we serve.
  • The Risk Cooperative’s Executive Board are Superintendents and Business Managers who are familiar with – and responsive to – local district needs. They are the policy-makers for the Risk Cooperative.
  • We offer assistance before a formal claim is presented.
  • School-tailored coverage follows an excess manuscript policy written for schools.
  • The Assistant Superintendent, Director, Fiscal Officer, Claims Adjuster and Loss Control Specialists are highly experienced and familiar with school challenges and issues.
  • The Risk Cooperative is one of just 48 pools across the nation to earn Association of Governmental Risk Pools (AGRiP) recognition for excellence of internal operational procedures.
  • The Risk Cooperative works with member districts to reduce loss, focusing on a specific target area each year.

Long – Term Stability

  • The Risk Cooperative is financially stable and well-funded.
  • Rates are set by the Executive Committee and based on actuarial analysis.
  • The Risk Cooperative has no deductible on liability claims and a $1,000 deductible on property claims. Other school insurance cooperatives may require larger deductibles out of district funds.
  • Loss control services, as well as claim handling costs and legal services, are included in the yearly contribution costs.
  • A member district with excellent loss experience could save up to 30% (of the base rate).

Coverage and Pricing

The cooperative makes no profit from schools.

  • Our pricing is transparent and consistent among all members. We have no hidden costs.
  • The Risk Cooperative covers some defense costs for Special Education disputes.

What Our Customers Are Saying

“To me this relationship and level of support is critical to our total operation.”

Susan Barker, Former Superintendent of Castle Rock School District

“Most importantly is that I trust the people I work with in the ESD 112 Insurance Cooperative.”

Doug Dearden, Former Superintendent of Trout Lake School District

“The Risk Cooperative is proactive in providing training to keep our district in compliance with regulations and has been an advocate for providing safe and secure schools. East Valley appreciates the Risk Cooperative’s legal support and response during unfortunate circumstances.”

John Schieche, Superintendent East Valley School District

Member Services

Member Services

Members of the ESD 112 Risk Cooperative can access attorney and experienced school administrator consultation services at no additional cost to their districts. These services were initiated by the Risk Cooperative’s Executive Committee as part of its strategic planning for the Risk Cooperative.

These services were initiated by the Risk Cooperative’s Executive Committee as part of its strategic planning for the Risk Cooperative.

Attorney Consultation Services

The attorney consultation service provides member districts with up to 60 minutes of advice on a single legal matter via phone consultation with any panel attorney.

Your Attorney Consultants

Stevens Clay, P.S., ext. 4
Office: 509-838-8330
Cell: 509-993-4272
Email: pclay@stevensclay.org

Paul Clay is a founding partner of Stevens Clay, P.S. with over 30 years’ experience representing school districts. His firm has served as trusted counsel to over 100 school districts. He is a frequent trainer with legal and practical experience on a variety of topics, including open meetings, public records, employment law, collective bargaining, contract drafting/reviewing, and student rights/responsibilities.

Patterson Buchanan Fobes and Leitch
Office: 206-462-6704 Direct
Cell: 206-418-9783
Email: dkf@pattersonbuchanan.com

Mr. Fobes primarily advises and defends public entities, including school districts and counties. He is an experienced litigator who has tried a number of cases to verdict. His representation has resulted in defense verdicts, favorable settlements and successful appellate decisions. His cases have involved issues of negligence, education law, employment, discrimination, civil rights claims, law enforcement, and corrections claims. He has practiced in both state and federal courts. As an arbitrator in both King and Snohomish Counties, Mr. Fobes has arbitrated many cases.

Porter Foster Rorick LLP
Office: 206-622-0203, ext. 124
Cell: 253-209-0409
Email: lorraine@pfrwa.com

Lorraine Wilson advises and represents school district clients on a wide spectrum of issues with an emphasis on collective bargaining and human resources concerns. Lorraine also has extensive administrative and policy experience at both the statewide and local level.
Prior to joining Porter Foster Rorick in 2013, Lorraine served as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources with the Puyallup School District, Director of Labor and Legislative Relations for the Tacoma School District, and Associate Executive Director for the Washington State School Directors’ Association.

Karr Tuttle Campbell
Office: 206-224-8097 Direct
Cell: 206-390-9584
Email: tmiller@karrtuttle.com

Ms. Miller’s practice focuses on labor and employment litigation and advising and school law. Ms. Miller has twenty years of experience advising and representing public school districts and private schools in all aspects of their operations, including but not limited to special education, student discipline, civil rights, public records, open public meetings, labor, and classified and certificated employment.

To Request Services

Contact the Attorney consultant of your choosing directly. Simply identify yourself as a Risk Cooperative member when you call.

School Administrator Consultation Services

Administrator Consultants are retired school administrators available to assist superintendents with sometimes challenging operational and personnel issues. They provide a unique service to school district CEOs, offering options for consideration taken from their own experience. They provide a valuable perspective to current administrators on a variety of issues. This is a peer consulting service for school superintendents.

How Administrator Consultants Can Help Members
  • Administrator Consultants can assist member districts with personnel issues, administrative mentoring or to serve as hearing officers for disciplinary hearings.
Your Administrator Consultants

M.S. in Science, Eastern Washington State University

  • Continuing Program Administrator and Psychologist Certificates
  • Former Associate Superintendent, ESD 112
  • Experienced Arbitrator and Mediator

Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, WA State University

  • Continuing Superintendent, Principal, and Teaching Certificates
  • Former Superintendent, Kelso S.D.
  • Former Program Chair, WSU-V Superintendent Certification Program

M.A. in Education, Western Washington University

  • Continuing Administrator, Principal, and Teaching Certificates
  • Former Superintendent, North Kitsap and Coupeville School Districts
To request services, contact:

Marnie Allen

Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, Legal Services & Insurance Programs

Contact

Phone: 360-952-3495

Email: marnie.allen@esd112.org

Claims

How to File a Claim

Notice of any claim or occurrence likely to give rise to a claim shall be given to the Risk Cooperative in writing immediately upon notice to the member district. The notice should identify the District, the time, place and circumstances of the occurrence or wrongful act, the nature and extent of any property loss, names and addresses of injured or involved person(s) and all witnesses. In addition, the member district shall immediately forward to the Risk Cooperative every demand, notice, summons or other process received by the member district or any of its representatives.

For more information, contact:

Marnie Allen

Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, Legal Services & Insurance Programs

Contact

Phone: 360-952-3495

Email: marnie.allen@esd112.org

Reporting Forms

Foundational Documents

Meetings

Meeting Agendas and Minutes

Contacts

Who to Contact

Rana Karabay

Property/Casualty Claim Administrator

Contact

Phone: 360.952.3572

Email: rana.karabay@esd112.org

Wendy Niehaus

Risk and Member Services Manager

Contact

Phone: 360-952-3574

Email: wendy.niehaus@esd112.org

Trista Greenwood

Loss Control and Underwriting Manager

Contact

Phone: 360-952-3585

Email: trista.greenwood@esd112.org

Submit an Employee Incident Report

Have an Accident? Near Miss?

Click on a logo below to report an employee injury.

ESD112 Online Employee Incident Report
ESD123 Online Employee Incident Report

Insurance Questions

If you have a question about the insurance programs or services we offer to districts, please reach out to:

Insurance Department
Phone: 360-750-7504
Email: insurancedepartment@esd112.org

Visit our Website

We have recently launched a new website for members. Stay tuned as invitations to the new website roll out this summer.

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