Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020_10_07 Board Minutes IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 91 BOARD OF TRUSTEES -- BOARD BUSINESS MEETING COMPASS ACADEMY AUDITORIUM 955 GARFIELD STREET IDAHO FALLS, ID 7:00 P.M. -- WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2020 At 6:33 pm Chairman Hill called for a motion to go into Executive Session. Trustee Cogliati made a motion to go into Executive Session pursuant to Idaho Code §74-206 (1) (b) Personnel. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. A roll call vote was taken: Elizabeth Cogliati – aye Paul Haacke – aye Lara Hill – aye Hillary Radcliffe – aye Larry Wilson – aye EXECUTIVE SESSION Superintendent Boland and the Board of Trustees met in Executive Session pursuant to Idaho Code §67- 2345 (1) (b) Personnel regarding personnel matters concerning Employee 2020-2021 G and Employee 2020- 2021 H. BUSINESS MEETING Present from the Board of Trustees: Present from the Administration: Lara Hill, Chair George Boland, Superintendent Hillary Radcliffe, Vice Chair Dan Keck Assist Supt Secondary Education Larry Wilson, Treasurer Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance Paul Haacke, Clerk Gail Rochelle, Director of Student Achievement & Elizabeth Cogliati, Trustee School Improvement Margaret Wimborne, Director of Communications & Community Engagement Brandi Moreno, Recording Clerk Chairman Hill called the business meeting to order at 7:00 PM and reminded everyone this is a meeting of the board held in public not a public meeting. She stated there is an opportunity for patron input so everyone who filled out the patron input sheet will have 3 minutes this evening and she asked everyone be respectful and please silence their cell phones during the business meeting. ADOPT AGENDA Chairman Hill requested a motion to adopt the agenda. Trustee Radcliffe made a motion to adopt the agenda. Trustee Wilson provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. REPORTS/INPUT/INFORMATION 10/07/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 1 of 6 a. Student Reports i. Skyline High School - Representative Ashlee Fransen reported Student Government has undertaken Operation Gratitude where they write 200 letters of support and encouragement to fire stations and fire fighters in California. They are preparing for the Emotion Bowl where they gave away 1,400 customized game day shirts to students, teachers, staff and sponsors, painted windows in businesses around town and decorated the school. They’ve started their sources for strength training to promote mental health within the school and their first project is creating positive affirmation boxes placed around the school so students, teachers and staff can fill out affirmations that will be read aloud for a positive booster for the school. They held Homecoming week where they held spirit week and held coronation ceremonies for royalty. ii. Idaho Falls High School - Representative Crew Peterson reported – a written report is attached iii. Compass Academy - Representative Katrice Jacobson and Kailey Johnson reported the past two months have been filled with immeasurable joy despite the current conditions. Their first project was a one-shot video capturing all of their students in safety protocols including a drone shot showing students standing 6 feet apart holding paper that spelled out Rise Up. This past week the school has shown school spirit by decorating and will hold events on Thursday as well as the Emotion Bowl. This year they’ve faced challenges with COVID restrictions but Compass has handed it very well, the Compass Director sends guidelines in a weekly email. Every Tuesday & Wednesday food vendors have come to campus and commented how well Compass students are doing with the restrictions and wearing masks. b. Superintendent’s Report Superintendent Boland reported he was approached this afternoon by a coalition of parents and businesses who are interested in the feasibility of creating a private public partnership to develop th athletic fields on the property on 49 street, just east of Holmes Avenue which the district purchased a few years ago. The district will bring forward a proposal from that group at a future board work session. At the last board meeting, there were questions and discussion with respect to social, emotional and mental wellness of our students and what we have in place and perhaps areas we might need to expand. Superintendent Boland reported we have three trained groups within our current configuration of secondary counselors that include a Crisis Team, a Suicide Team and a Threat Assessment group that deals with situations where we may have a threat with respect to students or the student body. These structures have been in place for some time and are ongoing groups to address those issues. Also, within our high schools, we have a number of initiatives or groups that are active in terms of being proactive with respect to social, emotional, and mental health needs with the focus at this time on QPR which stands for Question Persuade and Refer and you may have seen something on Idaho Education News that referenced the state had purchased 10,000 licenses of which 8,000 are still available, this is a program our district has been engaged in for a couple of years. We do have counselors that are certified trainers within that program and we did undergo staff training in January and will do so again in December. Also, within the schools we have a program called Sources of Strength that focuses on the social and emotional needs of students. At Compass Academy, a program that’s been underway for a number of years is More Than a Stigma again which is another mental health awareness program to address needs of students. The district 10/07/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 2 of 6 has a number of things in place with regard to addressing the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students. Another question that came up at the last board meeting had to do with an employee assistance program. Superintendent Boland reported in the past, we did not have a formal employee assistance program and it was handled more on a case by case basis as needed. The district is looking into programs that are currently used by the City of Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, and other school district and are investigating those programs and has requested quotes with regard to those programs. What we are seeing is not only would they address the individual needs of employees but also the employee families as well and we will have more information coming to the board with respect to those. Obviously, this is a time that is very stressful for everyone and if there is a resource that we can provide to our employees and their families then we would want to make that available. The district is also in a continued partnership with Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and looking at expending the program where we have virtual presentations with a Q &A’s on topics that could include “What to do if a parent thinks their child has become isolated”, “Making healthy connections”, “Teaching children resiliency”, “Normal teen rebellion and dangerous behaviors”, and “How to help children when the world around them seems out of control”. The district is continuing to network with Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center to provide these resources for parents and families. Superintendent Boland stated the Governor’s office received monies with respect to providing assistance in terms of dealing with COVID and our portion would be about 3.2 million dollars that has to be expended by the end of this calendar year, he then turned the time over to Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance to provide more information. Carrie Smith shared a handout that included the Coronavirus Funding including ESSERF (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds) and Coronavirus Relief Funds. Carrie also presented the Governor’s Special Distribution - Spending Plan that included proposed expenditures and identified expenses that could be allocated to ensure all funds are obligated by December 30, 2020. Trustees requested clarification from Superintendent Boland that included internet connectivity, teacher workload providing face-to-face and online learning at the same time, attendance reports for trustees and meals served to the community. c. Education Foundation Report – written comments, if provided are attached. Margaret Wimborne reported the District 91 Education Foundation is a 5013c that’s supported by donations from individuals as well as community partners like EIRMC, Fluor Idaho, INL, Teton Auto Group, and the Maeck Family Foundation. Like every organization, they’ve had to change some of the things they’ve done this year, but they are still very focused on their mission of supporting teachers and inspiring students in the district. Recent projects include, awarding $90,000 in teacher grants from the Maeck Family Foundation and rolling out applications for the Fluor Idaho teacher mini grant program. They also support a number of student scholarship programs with last spring, awarding $19,000 where all six of the scholarships were claimed and are currently being used. The foundation continues to support a number of different special events including, the Drive-In graduations last May, Welcome Back bags for all teachers this fall and the cost to live- stream the Emotion Bowl through Idaho Sports for the entire community this weekend. d. IFEA Report – a written report is attached. 10/07/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 3 of 6 e. Patron Input (Sign-in required) – written comments, if provided, are attached Patrons provided comments including the district’s hybrid Yellow Phase, COVID restrictions, expectations of the board, teacher status, support of the board, split sessions, returning to the district’s Blue Phase, improvements to online learning, safety in schools, close contact guidelines, home learning day, and quarantine time. CONSENT AGENDA Trustee Radcliffe made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Wilson provided the second. Discussion was held concerning surplus property – discarding a centrifuge at Idaho Falls High School. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. Items approved included: a. Approval of Minutes i. September 9, 2020 Board Business Meeting ii. September 17, 2020 Special Board Meeting iii. September 23, 2020 Work Session iv. September 30, 2020 Special Board Meeting b. Review of Payment of Claims i. September 2020 Bill List $4,133,827.59 c. Staff Actions New Hires: Name Position Location Sarah Chapman Sped Ed Eagle Rock Middle School Emergency Hires: A hiring emergency exists, as declared by the Board of Trustees, for the following positions: Name Position Location th Tyler Belnap Alternate Authorization 5 Grade Hawthorne Elementary Transfers: Name Position Location Jennifer Luu From: S pec Ed From: Eagle Rock Middle School To: Reading Interventionist To: Eagle Rock Middle School d. Early Graduations i. Student 2020-2021 A Idaho Falls High School ii. Student 2020-2021 B Idaho Falls High School iii. Student 2020-2021 C Compass Academy 10/07/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 4 of 6 e. Other Items i. Surplus/Discarded Equipment  Idaho Falls High School – discard outdated centrifuge  Idaho Falls High School – donate bookcase ii. Employee Acquisition Disclosure  Bush Elementary – catering from an employee’s spouse PROPOSALS a. Second Readings – Board Policy Revisions and New Policies i. Section 118 – Sexual Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation (New) ii. Section 813.4 Employee Sexual Harassment (Revised) iii. Section 1005.8 Student Rights & Responsibilities (Revised) iv. Section 1005.17 Education & Discipline Student Conduct (Revised) Superintendent Boland stated this is the second reading of these four policies, no public comments have been received to date. These four policies will be placed on the November agenda for the third and final reading. ACTION ITEMS a. Employee 2020-2021 G Superintendent Boland stated it is the recommendation of the administration the board approve the request to release Employee 2020-2021 G from their contract. Trustee Wilson made a motion to approve Employee 2020-2021 G be released from their contract. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. b. Employee 2020-2021 H Superintendent Boland stated it is the recommendation of the administration the board approve the request to release Employee 2020-2021 H from their contract. Trustee Wilson made a motion to approve Employee 2020-2021 H be released from their contract. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. c. Home Learning Day – November 3, 2020 Superintendent Boland stated it is the recommendation of the administration the district work with the Bonneville County Elections Office to conduct the elections in a manner that allows for appropriate social distancing by having a Home Learning Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Discussion was held including shifting the learning day to Friday and the election office working with building principals for locations within the schools for polling. 10/07/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 5 of 6 Trustee Wilson made a motion to approve Tuesday, November 3, 2020 as a Home Learning Day to accommodate the Bonneville County Elections. Trustee Cogliati provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. d. Governor’s Special Distribution Spending Proposal Superintendent Boland stated during the Superintendent’s Report Carrie Smith walked the board through the different designated allocations for the funding associated with COVID monies. He stated it is the recommendation of the administration that the board adopt the spending plan as presented this evening. Trustee Radcliffe made a motion to adopt the Governor’s Special Distribution Spending Proposal as presented. Trustee Cogliati provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. e. York and Osgood Property Disposal Proposal Superintendent Boland stated that at the Osgood property, which we currently lease to Migrant Head Start, it has come to our attention there are a number of upgrades that are necessary at this facility, we have ongoing issues including well water quality, HVAC, and roofing issues. We are at a point where we are questioning whether the value of the lease is worth the retention of the property in terms of the time and recourse necessary to maintain it. The other property is the York property where our south bus lot was and we’ve vacated that property. We did entertain a company leasing the property but we haven’t had contact with that company in a long time. We are asking the board to proceed with the process to dispose of these two properties per required statute. Trustee Wilson made a motion to authorize the administration to proceed with the disposal process of the York and Osgood properties. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. Chairman Hill asked for clarification from trustees on the date of the next board work session. Discussion was held to move the work session from October 21, 2020 to October 28, 2020 at 4:30 pm. Trustee Cogliati made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Radcliffe provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays, the meeting adjourned at 9:33 PM. 10/07/2020 D91 Board Minutes Page 6 of 6 D91 Education Foundation Update 10/7/2020 Appreciate the opportunity to provide updates from the District 91 Education Foundation The foundation is a 5013-c supported with contributions from individuals and community partners such as EIRMC, Fluor Idaho, INL, Teton VW & Teton Toyota and the Maeck Family Foundation. we remain focused on our Recent projects include: o GRANTS: Through our partnership with the Maeck Family Foundation we just awarded $90,000 in grants to schools, teachers and programs around the district. wide range of STEM and literacy projects In the next few weeks we begin accepting applications for our Fluor Idaho Teacher Mini Grant program, and hope to get those grants awarded around Thanksgiving. o SCHOLARSHIPS: The foundation manages three different scholarship programs that provide scholarships to D91 graduates or former graduates. This spring we warded $19,000 in scholarships through our partnerships with the Maeck Family Foundation, Odd Fellows and the Rahl Family. All six of the scholarships awarded this spring have been claimed, and those students are currently enrolled in college, which is especially rewarding considering all the challenges those seniors faced in the spring. o SPECIAL EVENTS & PROGRAMS: The foundation has tried to support the district with some of the unexpected challenges this year has brought including: Underwriting the major costs like AV, Fireworks, etc, of the drive-in graduation ceremonies in May In collaboration with the district, we provided Welcome Back Gift Bags for all our teachers in lieu of our annual Back to School BBQ This weekend we are very pleased to underwrite the costs of streaming the Emotion Bowl so everyone will have an opportunity to watch the game in spite of the limited numbers of vouchers and tickets available this year. Ms. Angela Gillman nd Westside 2 Grade IFEA President ifeapresident@gmail.com 208-270-2989 IEA Region 6 BOD