Fall 2024

MSGIA Emergency Operations Management Planning App Reimbursement Program

The MSGIA recognizes how important Emergency Operations Management (EOM) planning can be for school district staff and administrative teams.  To improve communication and to increase understanding of emergency plans – as well as overall emergency awareness – school districts are beginning to use mobile technology apps. In response, we at MSGIA are now offering a partial-expense reimbursement grant program, which we expect will help significantly decrease the cost of implementing and maintaining EOM apps. Click here to read more

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MSGIA/SEC: Why Tabletop Training is Crucial for EOM Preparedness

The MSGIA is working closely with Secure Environmental Consultants (SEC) to develop tabletop training exercises that MSGIA school district members can use to assess and improve their emergency response plans. Read more

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New and Current Employee Orientations – Safety – It Really Does Matter

As an employer, prioritizing new employee orientation (and current employee refreshers) topics can be challenging. Increasingly tight school budgets caused by unprecedented employee shortages, astronomical medical inflationary costs, increasing insurance premiums, and increasing costs of operating schools (as just a few illustrative points) can hamper how well you can serve students and employees. In this context, the best approach to combat workplace injuries and associated costs is to create and maintain a foundational culture of workplace safety – it really does matter. Read more

What’s Something New in the Workers’ Compensation Law?

As we start back to school, and as positions are being filled throughout the school districts, we wanted to touch base with you on a relatively new statute. This is typically tied to occasionally coming up with questions as part of the hiring process.  Passed during the 2021 Legislative session, Section 39-71-108 addresses the issue of job candidates providing false statements on employment questionnaires and the potential impact those false statements may have on subsequent liability decisions if the worker is injured later. Read more

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Preventing Wildlife Collisions: How Can Drivers Reduce the Chances of a Wildlife/Vehicle Collision?

According to the Montana Department of Transportation, Montana is ranked second in the nation among states where you are most likely to have a collision with wildlife.  MSGIA’s claims data supports that statement, and in fact, we are seeing an increase in both the number and cost of these claims.  When comparing the previous two policy periods, we have seen an 86% increase in the number of vehicle/animal auto comprehensive claims, and the cost to repair those vehicles involved has increased 71% to an average of $9,148 per claim. Click here to read more