HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017_03_08 Board Minutes
IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 91
BOARD OF TRUSTEES – BUSINESS MEETING
DISTRICT OFFICE BOARD ROOM -- 7:00 P.M.
690 JOHN ADAMS PARKWAY
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Present from the Board of Trustees: Present from the Administration:
Lisa Burtenshaw, Chair George Boland, Superintendent
Deidre Warden, Vice Chair Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance
Dave Lent, Trustee Margaret Wimborne, Director of
Larry Haws, Treasurer Communications and Community Engagement
Larry Wilson, Clerk Debbie Wilkie, Recording Clerk
Bobbi Finlayson, Professional Technical Coordinator
Chairman Burtenshaw called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Danny Resendiz,
Emerson High School Student Representative.
ADOPT AGENDA
Trustee Warden made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Trustee Lent provided the second. Motion
carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
REPORTS/INPUT/INFORMATION
a.Student Reports – written comments, if provided, are attached.
i.Compass Academy – Representative Tessa Tirrell reported.
ii.Idaho Falls High School – Representative Tessa Williams reported.
iii.Emerson High School – Danny Resendiz reported.
iv.Skyline High School – no report.
b.Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Boland shared information regarding the following items:
ISBA’s Day on the Hill Participant Survey
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5 Grade Patriotic Program to be held on Wednesday, March 15 at Skyline
Post Legislative Tour in Idaho Falls on April 13 with State Supt. Ybarra and staff
Legislative Update - JFAC followed through with the K-12 appropriation as
anticipated and supported the career ladder. The Governor’s recommendation for
15 million to help offset insurance costs was embedded in the appropriation.
Uncollected Child Nutrition Charges Update - implementation of the current policy
seems to be working well, charges at the end of February this year were $1,609.68
and the same time last year charges they were $5,625.53.
ThoughtExchange –812 people shared 2757 thoughts in Phase 1 of the process.
Phase 2 runs from March 10 -19 which allows participants to star, or prioritize, all
of the shared thoughts. A discussion was held.
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The Facilities Committee recently toured the locker rooms at Ravsten Stadium and
discussed some needed improvements. The Superintendent stated they are
hoping to address some of the issues this summer, he will know more when the
pricing is done and will keep the Board informed.
c.Patron Input – written comments, if provided, are attached.
Patron Suketu Gandhi shared comments regarding Board Policy 204.2 – Superintendent’s Staff.
d.IFEA Report - No report.
Superintendent Boland gave kudos to the Representative Organization, he sees no report as a
positive thing. The district and the organization have been working together to send a consistent
message about addressing issues at the lowest level and it seems to be working.
e.First Reading – Board Policy Revisions, Sections 301.0, 302.4, 303.0, 304.1, 304.2, 306.2, 306.3,
306.6, 306.7, 306.8, 306.9, 308.0, 308.1, 308.2, 801.3, 802.3, 807.0 808.4, 808.5, 808.6, 808.7,
809.1, 809.1.1, 809.3, 810.3, 811.0, 815.0
Superintendent Boland stated Carrie Smith and the HR and Business department staff members
have been reviewing Board Policy, Sections 300 and 800 to clean-up them up. The superintendent
invited Carrie to summarize the proposed changes. Carrie stated proposed changes are based
upon changes to Idaho Code, State Rules and current practices used in the district. There are a
couple of pieces that require more review and will be added at a later date. A discussion was held
regarding clarification of the proposed language for the bidding process before the next reading.
All of the proposed changes will be placed on the district webpage for review and brought forward
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to the April 12 agenda for the second reading.
f.Other Items
i.Board Committee/Community Conversation Updates:
Facilities Committee – Trustee Warden and Trustee Lent, as part of the facilities
committee, shared that they participated in a walk-through of the visitor’s locker
room at Ravsten Stadium. The group had some good ideas for improvements that
could help for now. Kevin Klingler, Director of Operations, is currently working on
cost estimates to see if any of the work can be done this summer.
ii.ISBA Day on the Hill: No discussion.
iii.Board Meeting Schedule:
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Wednesday, March 29 Work Session – a noon meeting scheduled with the
district administration to review the FY18 budget development.
April 11 Committee Meeting – a meeting with City of Idaho Falls officials and
other entities to discuss ideas for repurposing Idaho Falls High School.
iv.Budget Status Report – hard copy provided. No further discussion.
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CONSENT AGENDA
Trustee Warden made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Haws provided the
second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Items approved included:
a.Approval of Minutes
i.February 6, 2017 – Board Work Session
ii.February 8, 2017 – Business Meeting
b.Payment of Claims
i.February 2017 Bill List $3,065,338.17
ii.February Checkbook List $27,731.15
iii.IFEA Leave Invoices $194.99
c.Staff Actions
Leave Without Pay Requested:
Employee Name Position Location
Allison Tolman 7 th Grade Reading Eagle Rock Middle School
Katie Wheeler Resource Room Theresa Bunker Elementary
d.Matching Funds
i.Ethel Boyes Elementary
Chromebooks and Carts $16,944.42
ii.Longfellow Elementary
Chromebooks $7,029.24
iii.Eagle Rock Middle School
Chromebooks, Carts & Desktops $21,040.00
iv.Taylorview Middle School
Chromebooks and carts $5,550.00
Total Matching Funds Requested $50,563.66
e.Early Graduations
i.Student 2016-2017F
Idaho Falls High School
ii.Student 2016-2017G
Idaho Falls High School
f.Other Items
i.Surplus Equipment - (1) Multicom 2000 Intercom/Paging System will be sold to Madison
School District for $1000.00 as requested.
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PROPOSALS
a.Eastern Idaho Professional Technical High School Name Change
Superintendent Boland introduced Bobbi Finlayson, Career and Technical High School Coordinator,
who shared that the State of Idaho changed the name of the program from Professional Technical
Education (PTE) to Career and Technical Education (CTE). Bobbi stated they surveyed students
and staff of the consortium and would like to propose a name change to Career and Technical
Education Center (CTEC). The local consortium consists of Idaho Falls, Shelley, Firth and Ririe
school districts. A discussion was held regarding current classroom space and student demand for
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the technical programs. This item will be brought forward as an action item at the April 12
meeting.
ACTION ITEMS
a.Final Reading - Board Policy Revisions, Section 204.2 – Superintendent’s Staff
Superintendent Boland reviewed this is the third and final reading for this policy. The policy
identifies positions of the superintendent’s staff as previously approved by the Board, so it is a
clean-up piece.
Trustee Wilson made a motion to approve Board Policy, Section 204.2 – Superintendent’s Staff as
presented. Trustee Lent provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
b.Final Reading - Board Policy Revisions, Section 1003.0 – Student Admissions
Superintendent Boland stated it is the recommendation of the administration to strike Item 11
within Policy 1003.0 that reads, “Students from Swan Valley, District 92, or Country Club Estates
would be considered under the same rules as resident students.” The policy is dated, Swan Valley
only buses students as far as Ririe now and there is no legal entity called Country Club Estates. The
term “same rules” has enough ambiguity that it could potentially put the district at risk financially.
Trustee Warden made a motion to accept the revisions to Board Policy, Section 1003.0 – Student
Admissions. Trustee Wilson provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
c.Award Bus Bid
Superintendent Boland stated a bid opening was held on March 2, 2017 for the purchase of three
new buses, two standard 77-78 passenger buses and one special needs bus with a wheelchair lift.
It is the recommendation of the administration to purchase two 77-78 passenger buses from Rush
Truck Center for $86,335 each and one special needs bus from Rush Truck Center for $89,255 for a
total of $261,925 for all three buses. A brief discussion was held.
Trustee Haws made a motion to approve the purchase of two 77-78 passenger buses from Rush
Truck Center for $86,335 each and one special needs bus from Rush Truck Center for $89,255 as
presented. Trustee Lent provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Trustee Lent made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Meeting adjourned at 8:25 PM.
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LEARNING REDESIGNED
Prompt: As student government leaders, how do you get the word out to students?
What ways do you think adults should disseminate information?
Getting Word out to Students:
- As the same as most schools, we make flyers and posters that are creative and
eye-catching to get the word out
- Each students has a laptop so we utilize email
- Major announcements are put in the announcement board on our school's platform
called "Echo"
- We have created videos as forms of announcements
- At the beginning of and end of assemblies we set aside time to make announcements.
This can be effective because we have assemblies 1-2 times a month.
Getting Word out to Parents:
- Kelli, our school secretary makes all emails to parents to give out information
- Meetings at the school have been held for parents about different events and things
going on in the school (Costa Rica Parent Meeting, Compass Expo, and Parent Tours)
Solutions:
- Creating a user-friendly way to make text messages between the school and parents
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IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT #91
PUBLIC INPUT SHEET
Guidelines for Patron Involvement in School Board Meetings
School Board meetings are meetings of the elected Board of Trustees held in public for the
purpose of conducting the business of the Board. Patron input is invited during board meetings
on the following basis:
To request to speak to the Board of Trustees:
In order to be recognized, the patron must sign and complete the Public Input portion below prior
to the beginning of the meeting. The Public Input Sheet should be located on a table at the back
of the boardroom.
Patrons will be recognized by the Chairman of the Board. Public input should not exceed three
minutes. The Board will listen to public input without comment except to ask germane questions.
Expressions must be appropriate to the public setting. Discussion of personnel matters or
personal attacks are not appropriate.
Board Policy 506.0 item 5 states that complaints against a particular teacher or District
employee shall be in writing. The contract between District 91 and the teacher's
association, as well as traditional concepts of the due process of law, require that the
affected employee be notified of a written complaint.
The Chair has the authority to control the meeting whenever necessary.
PUBLIC INPUT SHEET
Name: A �; Date: "Ori ' '. Zo 17
Address:' a" h Sf - Phone:
E -Mail Address: Gh,r,rQ`. , ® Q cot,
Do you have children attending School District #91 schools? S.
If so, which schools do your students attend:c�,(se
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Suketu Gandhi Is Comments Proposed Board Policy 204.2 March 8, 2017
The proposed policy, 204.2, expanding Superintendent's Staff to 10 standing members
needs an additional sentence for them to become effective in their duties. The staff impacting the
academics must engage with the public having knowledge on specific subject matter. At the
moment, any engagement with the public is at the discretion of an individual academic staff
member. Some of them have chosen to engage with the public. Through this, the administration
has learned the intricate details in the area of mathematics education.
Some have consciously avoided responding to the public. This ignorance or avoidance
with the public has accumulated in providing defective mathematics curriculum experienced by
students throughout the District. When advanced students have difficulties in understanding the
content, as was clearly shown in the past, it becomes impossible to those students who need extra
help to learn the same materials. Public has interest in the academic offering by the district as it
makes a significant impact on their children receiving and accessing rigorous education, which
includes generating a large pool of students eligible to take advanced courses.
When parents have concerns about their child's performance, it is appropriate that they
talk with the child's teachers. When parents have serious concerns about the curriculum, which
includes the textbooks, or additional resources, they need to talk with an authority that impacts
relevant instructional materials. In several instances, decisions on the instructional materials are
made before their child takes specific courses and without the public's participation.
When there is no gap between the curriculum in place and that should be in place, then a
need to discuss with the public does not arise. When there are substantive differences between
the curriculum in place and that should be in place, then there is a compelling need for such
discussions. In mathematics, the differences occur because one group consists of mathematics
educators (i.e., professors of mathematics education), and the other group has mathematics,
science and engineering background. Through interactions in the past, differences at the
elementary grades level has been eliminated, but problems persists in secondary mathematics.
There are a number of differences between the groups on mathematics teaching: Should
the mathematical relationships or theorems be quoted, illogically derived, or rigorously derived?
Should a topic be taught in isolation, or integrated with previously learned material? Should
there be inclusion of additional topics that are left out from the Common Core Mathematics?
Should the exercises be limited to simple to provide practice on those topics learned, or must
include complex that have multi -step approach and reinforce previously learned material?
Should students be asked challenging problems that provoke thinking? If so, what are the
references for these problems? Should teachers' access to resources be limited to the textbooks in
use, or be complemented by supplementary materials. These are substantive issues, and require
very detailed persuasive discussions with a concerned staff to reduce the gap.
All the decisions are made at the local level, without the benefit of a think tank. The
consultants that the District staff members rely on do not have the needed background that that
instills confidence. The only credible way to mediate issues requires a thorough discussion with
the public with subject matter knowledge. Staff engaging with the public with subject matter
knowledge is both cheap, and leads to improvement in the quality of education. Thus, there is a
compelling need to revise Board Policy 204.2 as suggested.
Suketu Gandhi's Comments Proposed Board Policy 204.2 March 8, 2017
204.2 — Superintendent's Staff
In accordance with board authorization, seven (7) ten (10) standing members comprise the
superintendent's staff. The superintendent shall have sole responsibility for the organization and
functioning of the superintendent's staff and may add additional members in an ex -officio
capacity. Each standing member of the staff has been designated with major administrative
assignments and is responsible directly to the superintendent. The superintendent's staff
positions are shown in policy 204.2.1.
The policy need to add sentence: Those staff members concerned with school academics must
engage with the public with the subject matter knowledge.
Superintendent's Staff Members concerned with academics based on 204.2.1:
1) Director of Elementary Education
2) Director of Secondary Education
3) Director of Student Achievement & School Improvement
4) Director of Curriculum & Professional Development
2