Note 15 – Retirement Plans

The Company has defined contribution profit‑sharing plans covering substantially all of its full-time U.S. employees. Participants may voluntarily contribute a percentage of compensation, but not in excess of the maximum allowed under the Internal Revenue Code. The plans provide for a matching contribution by the Company. The Company’s total contributions charged to expense under the plans were $1.7 million, $1.7 million, and $1.5 million for the years ended August 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively.

A supplementary non‑qualified, non‑funded retirement plan for five former executives is also maintained. Plan benefits are based on the executive’s average total compensation during the three highest compensation years of employment. This unfunded supplemental retirement plan is not subject to the minimum funding requirements of ERISA. While the plan is unfunded, the Company has purchased life insurance policies on certain former executives named in this supplemental retirement plan to provide funding for this liability. The cash surrender value of these insurance policies are recorded as other noncurrent assets.

As of August 31, 2018 and 2017, the funded status of the supplemental retirement plan was recorded in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company utilizes an August 31 measurement date for plan obligations related to the supplemental retirement plan. As this is an unfunded retirement plan, the funded status is equal to the benefit obligation.

The funded status of the plan and the net amount recognized in the accompanying balance sheets as of August 31 is as follows:

	August 31,
($ in thousands)	2018			2017
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	6,825		$	7,426
Interest cost		243			236
Actuarial (gain) loss		(134	)		(287	)
Benefits paid		(530	)		(550	)
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	6,404		$	6,825

Amounts recognized in the statement of financial position consist of:

	August 31,
($ in thousands)	2018		2017
Other current liabilities	$	530	$	530
Pension benefit liabilities		5,874		6,295
Net amount recognized	$	6,404	$	6,825

The before-tax amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss consists of:

	August 31,
($ in thousands)	2018			2017
Net actuarial loss	$	(3,561	)	$	(3,901	)

For the years ended August 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company assumed a discount rate of 4.00 percent and 3.70 percent, respectively, for the determination of the liability. The assumptions used to determine benefit obligations and costs are selected based on current and expected market conditions. The discount rate is based on a hypothetical portfolio of long-term corporate bonds with cash flows approximating the timing of expected benefit payments.

For the years ended August 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, the Company assumed a discount rate of 3.70 percent, 3.30 percent, and 4.10 percent, respectively, for the determination of the net periodic benefit cost. The components of the net periodic benefit cost for the supplemental retirement plan are as follows:

	For the years ended August 31,
($ in thousands)	2018		2017		2016
Interest cost	$	243	$	236	$	281
Net amortization and deferral		206		241		209
Total	$	449	$	477	$	490

The estimated actuarial loss for the supplemental retirement plan that will be amortized, on a pre-tax basis, from accumulated other comprehensive loss into net periodic benefit cost during fiscal 2019 will be $0.2 million.

The Company’s future annual contributions to the supplemental retirement plan will be equal to expected net benefit payments since the plan is unfunded. The following net benefit payments are expected to be paid:

Fiscal years	$ in thousands
2019	$	518
2020		511
2021		504
2022		496
2023		487
Thereafter		3,889
	$	6,404