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Insurance costs that schools are facing have risen an average of 28 percent over the past year and at a recent school board meeting in Pawhuska, Steve Tolson, with Tolson Agency Insurance and Realty said both the frequency and severity of claims that schools submit are rising.

Most all schools go through the Oklahoma Schools Insurance Group to insure their campus. Tolson says OSIG is a financially stable business, but the problem comes when OSIG goes out to buy re-insurance to mitigate risk.

Tolson says that OSIG is about the only insurance company schools have the option of using across the state. Superintendent David Cash talks about their one competitor and his satisfaction level with OSIG.

For the 2021-2022 school year, Pawhuska's premium will cost just over $178,000. That is an increase of $43,000 from a year ago.