HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007_04_24 Board Minutes
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Idaho Falls School District No. 91
Board Work Meeting Minutes
April 24, 2007
Administration Building
Idaho Falls, ID
12:00 Noon
Present from the Board of Trustees: Present from the Administration:
Jerry Wixom, Chairman George Boland, Superintendent
Tracie Miller Craig Ashton, Director of Curriculum
Mary Ann Smith Karla LaOrange, Director of Personnel
David Lent Guy Wangsgard, Director of Business
Caroline Meagher, Recording Secretary
Chairman Jerry Wixom called the board meeting to order.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by George Boland.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
Tracie Miller moved to adopt the agenda as written; Mary Ann Smith seconded the motion.
Motion passed.
WORK SESSION
a. Hawthorne Phase II Bids
The bids received for the Hawthorne project have come in and they are significantly
above projections. These bids are presumed to be high because the time to complete the
project is short that the contractors will need to pay overtime. There is also low
coverage for subcontractors during this spring window. Brent McFarland from JRW and
Associates was present and described three options that he proposes to the school district.
1) To open the job for bids again in December or January.
2) Split the project into two phases. The first phase will remodel the 1957 addition,
and the second phase will remodel the original 1938 portion of the building.
3) Open the project to bids in September after reducing the work scope.
George Boland recommended that we consider a conglomeration of all three suggestions
and rewrite the scope of the job, open it for bids in August and work on the 1957 addition
in the Fall/winter timeframe.
Anne Seifert, Principal of Hawthorne Elementary, feels that the recommendations made
by George are acceptable. There will be no academic interruption because they have
enough classroom space. Safety is and always will be the top priority of the staff at
Hawthorne.
David Lent asked if there has been any increased risk to the kids at Hawthorne due to
construction. Anne said there is not. The construction areas are well blocked off. Brent
McFarlane said that there is asbestos tile in the 1957 addition, but it is contained and it is
not expected to be airborne. Abatement was scheduled for 5/18-5/30 and the area will be
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4/24/2007
blocked off with Visquine (tarpaulin) and duct tape and they will use a HEPA filter to
create a negative air flow.
This item will be proposed on the 5/8 agenda as an action item. We will need to open
this project to bids again. We have five other schools that will be requiring similar
upgrades and we may be able to bundle some of this work to reduce the costs. Anne
Seifert gave the board of trustees a thank you note from the staff at Hawthorne school.
They are very grateful for the upgrades and they are willing to endure whatever is
necessary to do the job cost effectively.
b. Community Education:
The Community Education program was started in the early 70’s by Craig Ashton. At
that time there were no other venues offering evening classes. Idaho Falls now houses
EITC, Home Depot, many craft stores, the internet and many other sources for classes
that compete with the program. Three years ago the program operated with a substantial
deficit. The program has restructured twice and has recently been cut back to the point
that the coordinator is no longer willing to manage the program. Even with the severe cut
backs, the program still operates at a deficit. EITC has expressed an interest in offering
the classes that Community Education has offered in the past. The Administration hopes
to make a recommendation to the board of trustees during the May meeting and either re-
write or eliminate Board Policy 607.0. To change policy there would need to be three
readings of the policy, and there would be steps taken to ensure that the instructors and
frequent students are informed and presented with alternatives.
The mission of Idaho Falls School District 91 does not address adult education. Mary
Ann Smith recognizes the goodwill that the program offers to the community and wants
to be sensitive to those patrons. She welcomes feedback in the form of emails. Her
email address is listed on the district web page under board of trustees. Mary Ann Smith,
a member of the community involvement committee would like to study this issue more,
recognizing the public relations that the program brings to the district. Most of the
patrons are seniors who tend to vote for levies when they come up because of their
connection to the school.
David Lent moved to adjourn and Mary Ann Smith seconded the motion. Motion passed.