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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020_07_15 Board Minutes IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 91 BOARD OF TRUSTEES -- BOARD MEETING COMPASS ACADEMY AUDITORIUM 955 GARFIELD STREET, IDAHO FALLS, ID 7:00 P.M. -- WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 At 6:30 PM Trustee Wilson made a motion to go into Executive Session pursuant to Idaho Code §74-206 (1) (f) Litigation. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. A roll call vote was taken: Lara Hill – yes Hillary Radcliffe – yes Larry Wilson – yes Paul Haacke – yes Elizabeth Cogliati – yes EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board of Trustees met in Executive Session for a discussion regarding Litigation. BUSINESS MEETING Present from the Board of Trustees: Present from the Administration: Lara Hill, Chair George Boland, Superintendent Hillary Radcliffe, Vice Chair Gail Rochelle, Director of Student Achievement & Larry Wilson, Treasurer School Improvement Paul Haacke, Clerk Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance Elizabeth Cogliati, Trustee Margaret Wimborne, Director of Communications & Community Engagement Others in Attendance: Shannon Taylor, Director of Student Services Michael Keith, Piper Sandler & Co. (via telephone) Camille Wood, Director of Technology Doil Clements, Bateman-Hall, Inc. Ralph Frost, Director of Transportation Mike Clements, Bateman-Hall, Inc. Brandi Moreno, Recording Clerk Chairman Hill called the business meeting to order at 7:03 PM. ADOPT AMENDED AGENDA Trustee Radcliffe made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. REPORTS/INPUT/INFORMATION a. Superintendent’s Report Superintendent Boland reported we are working diligently to prepare for the opening of the school year and with information changing on a daily basis, we are working to incorporate those changes as they come. Superintendent Boland stated he’s had a couple of conversations with Idaho Senator Dave Lent, in regards to how the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) will be calculated going into the 2020-2021 school year. Based on the parent survey that went out, we have a number of parents who, for various reasons, would prefer to keep their children at home rather than sending them to 07/15/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 1 of 7 school. Currently in Idaho Code, there isn’t a mechanism in place to determine the ADA based on an alternating online attendance day format. We’re hopeful the Idaho Legislature will address this in a special legislative session before the general session to calculate what ADA funding will be going forward. Typically, our salary based apportionment is driven by our ADA on the first Friday in November and we just don’t know what our attendance will be at that time. b. Patron Input (emailed) – if provided, written comments are attached Chad Judy provided comments regarding safety, teacher compensation, and reopening plan details. c. IFEA Report – Angela Gillman, IFEA President stated IFEA will video stream her report on IFEA’s Facebook page for members to watch. Angela’s written report is attached. d. Piper Sandler Bond Refinance Recommendation – Superintendent Boland stated on July 13, 2020 Piper Sandler & Co. received bank proposals for the bond refinance, he stated Michael Keith with Piper Sandler has provided paper copies of his presentation with the board and is joining this evening via speakerphone to review these proposals. Michael Keith shared the Preliminary RFP and Refunding results which included a summary of Bond Refunding Proposals from five banks including interest rates and up-front fees. He stated the recommendation would be to use US Bank at a 0.84% interest rate, he then reviewed the series 2012A Bond Redemption comparing the bond review from last May 2020 with an estimated interest rate at 1.74% and the July 2020 preliminary final review with US Bank’s 0.84% interest rate which will produce an expected net taxpayer savings of $2,039,887 million dollars and accelerate the repayment of the District’s bonds to September 15, 2023. Finally, Michael reviewed the next steps to finalize the bond refinance. There was no further discussion. e. Fall 2020 Reopening Plan – Getting Back to School Superintendent Boland stated he appreciates the comments made earlier that this plan is a framework. There are admittedly a number of items that aren’t specifically addressed in an actionable format and that is somewhat deliberate because of the pace at which new information is coming forth, we know there will be changes between now and the point in time when we anticipate opening school on August 26, 2020. It is stated that this is a living document and understand there will be modifications made. He acknowledged the time and participation of the six different committees that worked to provide input for this plan with the focus primarily on the instructional aspect. We want to educate our students with minimal risk to staff, students and their families. Eastern Idaho Public Health has endorsed the plan. As we look at the stage we will start school in and when we look at transitioning into other stages, we will work closely with the public health department to align with their plan at that time. The plan is broken down into three stages of Green, Yellow, and Red, similar to many other school districts across the state. This plan has been open for review by the public. In the initial survey sent out to patrons, parents, students, and staff, there were over 4,000 survey responses. After the plan was shared with another brief survey, there were over 1,600 survey responses with 500 of them adding comments. We have had significant input from our school community with regards to our plan and we will continue to gather input. Discussions were held including who and what conditions determine transitioning between stages, masks on busses, online school options, communicating student schedules for the alternating days, one-to-one device plan, teacher expectations, preparations, and training for the different stages, possibilities of closing one or more buildings at a time, student cohorts in 07/15/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 2 of 7 buildings, individual building plans, lockers, backpacks, music, choir and PE classes, sanitizing classrooms, and paying attention to the staff’s wellbeing. Chairman Hill thanked everyone involved in this planning process, stating they’ve been working all summer on this plan and know their time has not gone unnoticed. Trustee Haacke stated you’re never going to eliminate the risks, you can only mitigate the risks. Superintendent Boland then read aloud the Eastern Idaho Public Health endorsement letter that is attached. f. First Reading – Board Policy Revisions & New Policies i. Section 118 Policy of Non-Discrimination in the Workplace Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance, stated this is a general policy and has been brought forward for revision recommendations by the Idaho School Board Association (ISBA) partially due to new Title IX and partially due to Supreme Court cases. The revisions have been vetted by the ISBA and their attorney and this is the first reading of those revisions. The policy updates will be posted on the district’s website for patron review and feedback. This item will be placed on the August 12, 2020 board meeting agenda for the second reading. No further discussion. g. Other Items i. Board Training & Retreat August 4, 2020 Superintendent Boland invited the board to extend their previously scheduled ISBA training on August 4, 2020 to include a Board Retreat to pursue the district’s Continuous Improvement Plan that incorporates the High Reliability School framework and invited the board to work on setting board goals for that plan. It was decided to schedule a Board Retreat on August 4, 2020 at 3:00 pm with the ISBA board training to immediately follow at 5:00 pm with the location to be determined. CONSENT AGENDA Trustee Wilson made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. Discussion was held concerning the student travel request which is contingent upon COVID-19 restrictions at the time of travel. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. Items approved included: a. Approval of Minutes i. June 10, 2020 Board Business Meeting ii. June 24, 2020 Budget Hearing b. Review of Payment of Claims i. June 2020 Bill List $4,952,462.29 c. Staff Actions New Hires: Name Position Location rd Kathleen Harris 3 Grade Temple View Elementary Brannon Harmer English Eagle Rock Middle School Tyler Commons Social Studies Idaho Falls High School 07/15/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 3 of 7 Emergency Hires: A hiring emergency exists, as declared by the Board of Trustees, for the following positions: Name Position Location Kailena Ransom Teacher to New Skyline High School Resignations: Name Position Location Megan Walker Social Studies Idaho Falls High School Sarah Sanders Director Curriculum & PD District Wide Retirees: Name Position Location Jerrilynne Wood Counselor Westside Elementary d. Student Travel i. Idaho Falls High School – Cross Country Arlington, WA October 9-11, 2020 e. Other Items i. Surplus/Discarded Equipment  Custodial Department – recycle/discard Tomcat 297 Sweeper ii. Employee Acquisition Disclosure  Idaho Falls High School – employees purchase two lathes and one scroll saw ACTION ITEMS a. Bank Lender For Bond Refinance Superintendent Boland stated this action is to authorize Piper Sandler & Co. to move forward with the recommended lender of US Bank to refinance the 2012A bonds. Trustee Radcliffe called for a resolution of School District No. 91, Bonneville County, State of Idaho, awarding the refunding bond sale to US Bank National Association. Trustee Haacke provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. b. Idaho School Board Association School District Contract Authorization Superintendent Boland stated this item is brought to the board annually and it is the recommendation of the administration to authorize the payment of the Idaho School Board Association annual membership dues in the amount of $15,564.00. Trustee Radcliffe made a motion to authorize the payment of the Idaho School Board Association annual membership dues as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. c. 2020-2021 Student Teacher/University Relations Contract Authorization Superintendent Boland stated this item is brought to the board annually. The district receives a number of Institutions of Higher Education that request student teacher placements in our district and these institutions all have individual contracts, this action would authorize the Superintendent or his designee to sign the Student Teacher/University Relations contracts. 07/15/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 4 of 7 Trustee Wilson made a motion to approve the 2020-2021 Student Teacher/University Relations Contract Authorization as presented. Trustee Haacke provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. d. Bingham Memorial Athletic Trainer Agreement Superintendent Boland stated this agreement was brought to the board previously where the board reviewed the agreement and requested clarifications be addressed. Superintendent Boland reviewed the agreement specifically where it addressed the board’s clarification requests. He stated it is the recommendation of the administration that the board approve the Bingham Memorial Athletic Trainer Agreement as presented. Trustee Haacke made a motion to authorize the Bingham Memorial Athletic Trainer Agreement as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. e. Board Policy Revisions – Section 1002 Attendance – COVID-19 Modification Superintendent Boland stated this was brought up by parent concerns about the current attendance policy and this did not go through three readings. Shannon Taylor, Director of Student Services worked with a team to review the current policy and make revisions specifically to address the current circumstances at which we find ourselves. There is a significant portion where we eliminate policy going from 11 absence designations to down to 3 designations of Verified, Unverified, and School Activity Absence to simplify and align with our proposed framework plan. Trustee Cogliati made a motion to approve the revisions to Board Policy – Section 1002 Attendance – COVID-19 Modifications as presented Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. A discussion was held concerning how long the revision would be in place and tardiness. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. f. Board Policy Revisions – Section 805.5 Payroll Deductions Superintendent Boland stated this revision is simply a date change to address the open enrollment period for employee insurance benefits. Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance stated this year employees gave three options they can choose from and this revision will allow employees to take advantage of those insurance plans as early as possible. Trustee Wilson made a motion to approve the revisions to Board Policy – Section 805.5 Payroll Deductions as presented. Trustee Haacke provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. g. Board Policy Revisions – Section 210.2 Vacation: District Level Administrators Superintendent Boland stated it came to our attention that this board policy had the incorrect number of vacation days and they were not corrected when the district had budget cuts and furloughed days back in 2011. He stated revisions align with the 12-month contract and include changing 250 vacation days to 241 vacation days and clarified the Holiday days to include the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. 07/15/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 5 of 7 Trustee Radcliffe made a motion to approve the revisions to Board Policy – Section 210.2 Vacation: District Level Administrators as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. h. Administrative Calendars Superintendent Boland stated this is a request to approve revisions to the Administrator Calendars. There is a reduction in the number of days in the revised calendars for each classification. The request is due to the state freezing Administrative and Classified entities and also to align our Administrator calendars with those of our neighboring district to retain Administrators. There is no net additional cost to the district, the advantage to the employee is an increase to the daily rate of pay. Trustee Haacke made a motion to approve the Administrative Calendars as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. i. Skyline High School Track Bid Superintendent Boland acknowledged that with us tonight are Mike Clements and Doil Clements from Bateman-Hall, Inc. who is our construction management consultant. Superintendent Boland stated there was a request to add two lanes to the existing six lane track at Skyline High School and there was already a need to resurface the existing six lane track. When we looked into the feasibility of adding two lanes verses resurfacing the existing six lanes, we also contemplated the costs associated with a totally new track facility. The bids were included in the board packet with a cost summary. Superintendent Boland turned the time over to Doil Clements and Mike Clements who answered questions from the board concerning the bid package and seven alternates. Superintendent Boland stated it is the recommendation to approve the bid package for the base project and include additional alternates. Superintendent Boland stated this project would be funded through the Plant Facility Fund and not the General Liquid Fund Balance. Trustee Haacke made a motion to approve the Skyline High School Track Bid including the base bid and including alternates 1A, 2, 5 and 7 as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. j. West Stadium Bid Superintendent Boland stated this project is a redesign of the West Stadium which previously housed our bus shop. We have an outstanding Automotive Program at Idaho Falls High School that has been in an unsatisfactory class setting for a number of years. This project does three things, one – provides an adequate classroom for an exemplary automotive program, two – combines the existing shop with the expanded three bays, and three – it enhances the space so the automotive program can utilize equipment that was donated a couple of years ago. This project will provide a facility that this automotive program is deserving of and enables us serve the students at a higher level but also expands the capacity with more space. Doil Clements and Mike Clements of Bateman-Hall, Inc. answered board questions including the location of the project, structural integrity and a project timeline. Superintendent Boland stated this project would be funded through the Plant Facility Fund and not the General Liquid Fund Balance. 07/15/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 6 of 7 Trustee Wilson made a motion to approve the West Stadium Bid as presented. Trustee Haacke provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. k. Fall 2020 Reopening Plan – Getting Back to School Trustee Haacke stated it is essential to know that schools are fundamental to a child in adolescent development and well being and to provide our children and adolescents with academic instruction, social and emotional skills, safety, reliable nutrition, physical speech and mental health therapy, and opportunities for physical activity, among other benefits. Beyond supporting the educational development of children and adolescents, schools play a critical role in addressing racial and social inequity. Trustee Haacke made a motion to approve the recommendation by the steering committee and by Superintendent Boland as it stands today, the Fall 2020 Reopening Plan as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. Trustee Haacke made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays, the meeting adjourned at 9:11 PM. 07/15/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 7 of 7 July IFEA School Board Report 2020 I am here tonight speaking to you on behalf of the members of the IFEA. Out of respect for everyone’s health and safety, including our members and any other patrons in attendance, we are exercising social distancing by speaking as one unified voice tonight. We have some real concerns and questions for your consideration as we move forward towards safe and sustainable reopening of schools for our students, our staff, and our community. 1. What is the district doing to protect staff against infection? What PPE will be used? Is hand sanitizer available? 2. If a teacher tests positive, do all his/her students need to isolate for 14 days? And vice versa- if one of our students tests positive, do the staff also need to isolate? 3. What happens if a student who tests positive has a sibling who attends school in another building? 4. If a parent tests positive and still sends his/her kids to school, what will be done? 5. Are teachers going to be required to offer full in-class AND online instruction? Is 100% of the in-class material to be made available online, and vice versa? If so, how will staff be compensated for their time? 6. Can individual teachers mandate that students wear masks in their classroom, just as we can say no food, no phones, etc? 7. Will the district be providing masks for staff and students? Hand sanitizer? Disinfectant sprays and wipes? 8. What happens when there are not enough subs to cover classes for teachers who are required to stay home? 9. How do teachers effectively distance themselves from students when there are 25+ students in the classroom? How do we enforce social distancing between students in our classroom (how do we keep everyone 6 feet apart) when there are 25+ students in one room? What will be done with students who refuse to comply? 10. What will the procedure be for disinfecting rooms between classes? 11. What will be done to prevent students from congregating in common spaces such as the cafeteria, hall, restrooms, etc. We understand that the task of reopening schools during this global pandemic weighs as heavy on your shoulders as it does on each and every one of ours. Our primary goal will always be our students, their health, safety, and most importantly their education. No one wants our schools to reopen more than the teachers, but we want to do so safely. We appreciate you hearing some of the questions/concerns that are weighing heavy on every educators’ mind.