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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 91
Board Work Meeting Minutes
September 27, 2005
Administration Building
Idaho Falls, ID
12:00 Noon
Present from the Board of Trustees: Present from the Administration:
Jerry Wixom, Chairman John Murdoch, Superintendent
Jared Fuhriman George Boland, Supervisor of Instruction
Ernest Jensen Craig Ashton, Supervisor of Instruction
Tracie Miller Guy Wangsgard, Business
Jerry Shively Lanae Jensen, Recording Secretary
OPENING CEREMONIES
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Jerry Shively.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
Jerry Shively moved and Tracie Miller seconded the motion to adopt the agenda as written.
Motion passed.
WORK SESSION
Community Education Review – Craig Ashton, Supervisor of Instruction and Assessment,
discussed the history of community education in the district. He began his career in 1974
supervising Community Education. He reported that vocational classes focused on adult
education and eventually those classes were handled by Vo Tech. The philosophy of
Community Education is that the school facilities belong to the community and should be used by
the public, with the courses offered decided by the needs of the public. Guy Wangsgard reported
that in 2003, with organizational budget cuts in the district, the number of administrative
personnel in Community Education was reduced, and Caroline Meager serves as the program
manager and Jennifer Tuck as the evening coordinator. Mrs. Meager presented an overview of
the community education program. Classes are developed through supply and demand. If classes
do not fill, they are cancelled. Many classes have waiting lists and continue with each session of
classes. The classes have attracted combined family members and as many as 1000 individual
attend classes through the year.
2006-07 & 2007-08 Calendar Review – Dennis Griffeth, Chairman of the Calendar Committee,
discussed the history of the calendar committee. He presented the proposed 2006-07 and 2007-08
calendars, which reflect basically the same schedule as in the present calendar and will end the
school year before Memorial Day. This calendar schedule gives the students maximum study
time before ISAT testing begins in the fall.
The administration will review student attendance to see if the earlier start has included more
students from the beginning of the school year, and the calendar committee will review the
Veteran’s Day observance of both years, before presenting the calendar to the Board for board
action.
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School Board Meeting – September 27, 2005
Page Two
Business Management Software Bid Review – Guy Wangsgard discussed the history of the
present business management software used by the district. He reported on the committee’s
activities in seeking software vendors, and distributed a handout showing detailed summaries of
the computer applications and pricing for three companies: 3-D Apecs, Computer Software
Associates, and Skyward. Mr. Wangsgard reported that the committee unanimously
recommends Skyward in fulfilling the district’s needs. Funding for business software was
approved as part of the FY 06 SPFF budget.
Financial Update – Guy Wangsgard distributed a handout detailing the financial update. The
district expects declining enrollment to continue for approximately five years.
Proposed Policy Amendments for review – Policy 1002.2.1 Attendance, and Policy 1003.4.3C
Student Admissions were reviewed.
Superintendent’s Report - Dr. John Murdoch discussed the High School Reform Summit in
Boise the previous week, and reported that Craig Ashton, George Boland, and Tracie Miller had
testified at the State Board of Education public hearing in Idaho Falls regarding the State Board’s
plan to add additional physical education requirements and teaching time in the elementary
schools. The meeting was well attended and many there were opposed to the proposal.
Dr. Murdoch will address the State Board of Education n Oct. 5 in Idaho Falls regarding High
School Redesign. He will address the State Board’s Taskforce Recommendations.
IFEA – Jan Lang, President of the IFEA, reported that the IFEA is proposing an initiative to
return to the 6% sales tax. Peggy Park noted that the initiative could provide 10% of the budget
received from the state. Mrs. Lang presented a video supporting the addition of the sales tax.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Ernest Jensen moved and Jerry Shively seconded the motion to move to executive session.
Motion passed.
Jerry Shively moved and Jared Fuhriman seconded the motion to return to open session. Motion
passed.
Jared Fuhriman moved and Jerry Shively seconded the motion to approve participation in spring
2006 sports for Student 2005-06A at Idaho Falls High School. Motion passed.
Ernest Jensen moved and Tracie Miller seconded the motion to adjourn. Motion passed.
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