HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010_02_09 Board Minutes
IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT 91
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
BOARD MEETING
DISTRICT OFFICE BOARD ROOM
February 9, 2010
7:00 PM
Present from the Board of Trustees: Present from the Administration:
Dave Lent, Chairman George Boland, Superintendent
Jerry Wixom, Vice Chair Gail Rochelle, Director of Secondary Education
Ernest Jensen, Treasurer Debbie Wilkie, Recording Clerk
Deidre Warden, Clerk
Lisa Burtenshaw, Member
Board Chair, Dave Lent called the meeting to order.
Pledge of Allegiance was led by Lisa Burtenshaw.
SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY:
a.Volunteer of the Month – Debbie Woodard and Gail Ochi, teachers at Skyline High School, introduced
Myra Takata as the recipient of the Volunteer of the month award. The two shared with the Board
that Myra is an extraordinary volunteer with a calm, willing and able attitude. Myra works well with
students and can ease their fears of a challenging chemistry lab and someone whom the two teachers
can truly count on for support in their classrooms. Myra’s extraordinary volunteerism and countless
hours of help could not have been timelier said Mrs. Ochi and she thanked Myra for being there for
her. Mrs. Woodard stated that it is rare to have a parent or patron volunteer at the high school level
that is as dedicated, reliable and creative as Myra, she is truly deserving of this award. Dave Lent and
the other members of the Board thanked Myra for all of her time and effort as a volunteer and
presented her with a certificate and gift card.
b.Emissary of Excellence – Heidi Crouch, Emerson High School Principal, introduced Chris Manley as
recipient of the Emissary of Excellence award for this month. Mrs. Crouch stated that Chris is a true
example of excellence in his teaching, in his internship in counseling and as a new father. Chris did
his student teaching at Idaho Falls High School and has been teaching math at Emerson for the past
three years. Chris is amazing to watch in the classroom, he goes above and beyond to engage
students making math exciting and kids wanting to be there. Dave Lent and the other members of
the Board thanked Chris for the excellent job he is doing and presented him with a certificate and gift
card.
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ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA:
Deidre Warden moved to adopt the agenda as written.
Ernest Jensen seconded the motion. Motion carried.
REPORTS/INPUT/INFORMATION:
a.Student Report
Wade Lenon, Student Rep. Idaho Falls High School, reported:
Next week is gender week - the girls and boys dress up each day.
Boys Basketball team is going in to district tournament in first place.
Wade stated that he had taken the Board up on their invitation of getting to know what
decisions the District and the Board are currently facing. Wade said he had spoke with
other students and Mr. Hurley, the principal at IFHS, to get ideas of what others would
do if they were faced with making those decisions. Wade recognizes that the Board has
a very difficult job but is confident that they will make the right decisions.
Ethan Hansen, Student Rep. Skyline High School, reported:
Last week was the first time students at Skyline High School held the gender week
activities and it went well.
Skyline boys basketball team hosted Idaho Falls last week and even though Skyline
didn’t get the preferred outcome it was still fun.
The Debate and Scholastic teams are doing very well this year.
Student Government is planning their After-Hours Party again this year. It was very
successful last year and with that experience behind them it should go well.
Ethan shared that he has been thinking about the decisions facing the Board and
doesn’t envy them. He stated that everyone is feeling the crunch right now and hopes
that the Board can find the balance, for present and future students, that are needed to
make those decisions.
b.Patron Input - no patron input.
c.IFEA Report – Michelle Sakota reported:
The Association is in the process of selecting delegates to send to the upcoming
th
Delegate Assembly on February 16.
State IEA Presidents are going to meet in Boise on February 18-19 and will be able to
speak with legislators at that time.
A survey will be conducted again to get feedback, regarding the concerns that staff
members have, before negotiations start. The negotiations team consists of Nancy
Caldwell-Spokesperson, Nick Kimmet, Terry Belnap, Angela Gilman and Emily McCoy.
th
Lobby day is schedule for March 24.
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d.Education Foundation – Cami Smith reported :
The Foundation is working on the “Support My School Campaign” which provides
patrons with a list of specific items needed in a classroom.
The Foundation is also working on the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund and taking applications
for The Senior Scholarship, The Promise Award and The Overley Scholarship.
Applications are due by Friday, February 12, 2010 at the close of business. Scholarships
st
will be presented on April 21 at the annual dinner; funds raised to date for the
scholarships are $42,600.00.
The District 91 Education Foundation website has recently been updated by volunteer
Shari Laney. Cami thanked Shari for all her hard work and encouraged everyone to
check it out.
e.E-rate Update – Camille Wood, Director of Technology Services reported:
District 91 participates in a Federal reimbursement program called E-rate. The program
provides reimbursement to the district for basic telecommunication services such as
local phone services, long distance services, cell phones and internet service provider.
Bids are put out for each school rather than as a district. The committee will review the
proposals and make a recommendation to the Board. A phone poll, for Board approval,
will be held this Friday due to the deadline set by the Federal Government.
f.The Key Work of School Boards – Standards, Deidre Warden
Standards need to be set at the right level, high enough that they encourage a challenge
but not defeat. The language should be easy for parents to access and understand.
District 91 Standards are on the website for patrons to access. State Standards can also
be found online. Deidre stated she felt the administration is doing a good job hiring
teachers that know what the standards are and that they will teach to those standards.
g.Superintendent’s Report
Three District 91 students have excelled, with regards to Standards, and have been
selected as finalists for the Presidential Scholars Program. Shaunagese Brown and
Trevor Casper from Skyline High School and Brian Berger from Idaho Falls High School
will receive applications to compete for one of the 141 Presidential Scholar scholarships
being awarded.
The Land Board will be meeting tomorrow with respect to the Endowment Reserve.
This is a key part of State Superintendent Luna’s budget proposal and with the
Governor’s recommendation for a reduction of 135 million we will be watching to see
what impact that will have on the budget. Superintendent Boland was in Boise for the
State Superintendent’s Conference last week and had the opportunity to meet with
several legislators regarding the budget situation. Budget numbers are still all over the
board and it’s very difficult to anticipate what the outcome will be at this time. There
was also some discussion about rolling everything up in to two-line item appropriation,
salary and benefits and discretionary, providing districts more flexibility when setting
their budgets. He will continue to monitor the daily happenings of the legislature and
keep the board informed.
Superintendent Boland also reviewed the outcome of the voter survey that was recently
conducted regarding the bond and commended Lisa and Deidre for getting it done. The
results should help provide information for the Board to make a decision about going
forward with the bond this spring. The facility committee will be meeting to review the
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revised scope and should have a recommendation ready for the next scheduled
meeting.
CONSENT AGENDA:
Jerry Wixom moved to adopt the consent agenda as written.
Deidre Warden seconded the motion. Five aye votes, motion carried.
Items approved include:
Meeting Minutes January, 8, 12, 20 and 26, 2010
Payment of February 9, 2010 Claims $ 3,139,186.93
Matching Funds
A H Bush Elementary $ 10,011.92
Skyline High School $2,730.40
Total Matching Funds $12,742.32
Student Travel:
Idaho Falls High School – Orchestra Club
Friday and Saturday, March 5-6, 2010
Utah Symphony Concert
Salt Lake City, Utah
Erickson Elementary – SMARTer Kids
Wednesday – Monday, May 26-31, 2010
SMARTer Kids Camp
Calgary, Alberta
Early Graduation Request:
Student 2009-2010 E
Jerry Wixom moved to adjourn. Deidre Warden seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Meeting Adjourned.
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