PRIEST RIVER — The West Bonner County District will make monthly payments to cover its $117,200 contribution toward the Idaho School Benefit Trust's $13 million shortfall. 

The district is using its contingency funds and plans to have the contribution paid off by June 2027, said WBCSD business manager Kendra Salesky. 

The self-funding trust contracts with Blue Cross of Idaho and relies on participating groups to provide health, dental and vision benefit plans for Idaho's public-school employees and their dependents, according to the trust's website. 

However, more than 24,000 participants were at risk of unpaid medical claims after the Idaho Department of Insurance disclosed that the trust announced last August that it was unable to pay the claims promised to member district employees for the 2025–26 plan year. 

As of July 2026, there are 108 school districts across the state participating in the trust, including the Lake Pend Oreille and the West Bonner County school districts.  

Consequently, both districts share a responsibility in paying a portion of the shortfall to combat the significant loss in funding. 

The trust gave participating members until Sept. 10 to either pay their share through a lump sum or monthly installments. Members not meeting the deadline are considered delinquent, and employee medical claims will go unpaid, according to the Idaho DOI. 

Districts that chose monthly payments entered into financing agreements, requiring payments of $21.74 per member per month. Districts that pay their share in full are not required to finance the payment and will not incur interest. 

Since WBCSD is experiencing an audit backlog, its November 2026 foundation payment was withheld, prompting the district to opt for monthly payments, said Salesky. 

The trust's depleted assets come after its fund balance fell from $22.5 million in August 2021 to $2.1 million in August 2025, according to Idaho Education News. 

In February 2025, the DOI and the trust attempted to remedy deficiencies after the trust's remaining funds no longer met the legal requirements to operate. 

Six months later, the trust notified member school districts, informing that they were responsible for replenishing the shortfall, according to an Idaho Education News timeline of the DOI's14-page court filing. 

Districts have since spoken out about the unforeseen decision, sending letters to the Blue Cross of Idaho and Gov. Bradd little that questioned the trust's integrity, according to Idaho Education News. 

The Fourth District Court has shifted the trust's control to Idaho DOI Director Dean Cameron, who was appointed as the rehabilitator of the depleted funds.