​

Visit the SELF Risk Services Clearinghouse to see all the valuable tools and resources vetted by the Board for SELF Members!

 

Do you have a superior risk management solution that you would like to share with the membership? Contact our office with details. 
 

 

SELF Resource Center - Has tons of free risk management resources and training tools for our members. Check out the recordings of our most recent Good Schools Workshop Webinars "Volunteers & Liability Issues"; "Special Education Issues and School District Liability: Transportation Liability - Protecting Our Most Vulnerable Students"; Special Education and School District Liability: Litigation War Stories and the Lessons We Learn From Them". Don't have a log-in? Click here to learn how to make one!

A Message from SELF CEO Dave George

 

I’m remembering two themes that I have been running into the past few months in news and other sources; spring and the change it brings and using the year 2020 as a symbol of vision and seeing clearly.  COVID-19 has certainly rapidly emphasized the idea of change and mocked our ability to see into the future with anything close to 20/20 vision. 

​

Nearly all of our habits, patterns and ways of working have had to be redefined and continue to evolve.  Zoom is now a common noun, sometimes a verb and a daily part of our lexicon.  Donning a face mask and deciding when is the best time to visit the grocery store is what is on our minds now.  And of course, we are all absorbing the economic impact this will have on our schools and the economy of California and the nation in general. 

​

In times of uncertainty, we look for things that are familiar and anything that may remind us of “normal”.  What is familiar, even if fuzzy at times, is people coming together and being creative, defining new norms and adapting.  Education is going to experience this perhaps more than anything. 

​

At SELF, we take pride in the motto, By Schools, For Schools.  While this has been an especially challenging year for property and liability insurance in California, many insurance pools in California continue to collaborate on how we can better support schools.  The school insurance climate has been significantly affected by the passage of AB 218 (Gonzalez, D-San Diego), which is set to raise insurance costs substantially.  Beyond this, large verdicts and social inflation have quickly added to your insurance costs as well.  Timing is, to say the least, BAD.  Just as the finances of schools are being hit hard, the legislature and courts’ decisions are stressing your costs for things that don’t help you in the classroom.

​

While I do not pretend to know what the future holds as we move through a global pandemic and a very challenging insurance market, what I do know is that SELF’s board will remain focused on guiding an organization that has been By Schools, For Schools for nearly 35 years.  We do this by navigating the insurance markets on your behalf, working with the Legislature, Department of Finance and Governor’s office so they understand the consequences and impacts of their actions and managing claims to allow your organization to move forward and focus on education. 

​

Stay well and be safe as we navigate our new future together.