New Haven Independent

He’s Carl Carangelo. Carangelo is with the Board of Education (BOE) business office and is in charge of purchasing the BOE’s insurance policies. He had good reason too for smiling at the recent meeting of the Board of Education (BOE) Administration and Finance Committee. Carangelo was seeking BOE approval to renew the contract between the board and Bollinger Insurance Company. For the last seven years the company has been providing the BOE with its student accident and athletic insurance coverage. And for the seventh year in a row that premium has remained unchanged, at $55,000.

The policy covers some 20,000 students in 50 buildings, athletes as well as everyone else at all school activities. In making his renewal request to the committee — like all contracts, it is then forwarded to the full BOE for approval — Carangelo said he found that the company was terrific to work with. “We used to have separate policies,” Carangelo said in an email message, “one for athletes, and one for other students if there’s an accident, say on field trips or other school activities.” Six years ago he combined the coverages into this one policy with Bollinger, a company that operates out of Short Hills, N.J. The result? “We have saved approximately $7,000 per year.”

Between 2002 and 2005, Carangelo said, there were 109 claims, with total payouts amounting to about $120,000. From 2006 to date there have been 14 claims, and payouts of $35,786.

Robin Golden, the BOE’s chief administrative officer, said that each year the contract goes out to bid, but each year Bollinger’s bid and history of service appear to win it the board’s business. In case of accidents, the affected student’s personal or family coverage kicks in first. The BOE’s policy is supplemental, an insurance, Golden said, of last resort. Still, everyone agreed the deal was a good one. It was approved, along with a long list of other matters, and sent on to the full BOE.