The Trust was formed early 1984 as the combined effort of District Superintendents and labor representatives of both the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the California School Employees Association (CSEA). With medical health care costs skyrocketing, the smaller school districts hoped to pool their resources through the Trust in order to achieve benefits similar to those available to larger districts.

With the full cooperation of labor and management representatives, the goals of the Trust were realized quickly. With more than fourteen years of experience working with the Trust's concepts and programs, the trustees command a wealth of expertise in the management and direction of self-insured health, dental and vision programs.

Year after year, the trustees have refined the programs and continue to work toward maintaining the full funding available under the trust concept. Members and their districts have relied on the fact that, under the trust arrangement, their only financial responsibility is their contribution for the programs selected. The Trust cannot return to the members or the member districts for additional funding--it must be fully funded for expenses and reserves. Never, in our years of operation, have Trust members or school districts paid additional contributions or surcharges for their health, dental or vision coverage.

The Trust office handles all enrollment, eligibility and billing functions for its members. Additional complex processes involving COBRA and retiree coverage are also removed from the member district responsibilities and dealt with by Trust office personnel. The staff's performance of these duties has ensured the quality of service members and member districts have come to expect from this organization.

The Trust's initial and continued marketing philosophy is that for the long-haul, it is in the best interest of the Trust, to have our own dedicated staff. This enables us to be in the position of not having to rely on brokers or insurance company representatives marketing our concept and benefit programs when it suits their needs.