The Board of Trustees of School District No. 58, Bingham County, Idaho met in regular session at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 at the Aberdeen School District Office in Aberdeen, Idaho.
CALL TO ORDER AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUORUM
Chairman Brian Rowlan opened the regular Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Present were Amy Burusco, Sherrie Mauroner James Patten and Aimee Elliott. A quorum was established.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Those present recited the pledge of allegiance.
DELEGATION AND PATRON INPUT
There was no delegation or patron input.
SUPERINTENDENT and ADMINISTATOR REPORTS
Superintendent Ward discussed her written report. The windows are scheduled to be replaced on February 18th and 19th for the old high school gym building. The school district is projected to lose almost $300,000 if our enrollment continues to decline as it is over the next two years. The state department of Education sent an e-mail stating that our district was over on our FTE’s (Full Time Equivalent) allotment. This can cause funding issues if not corrected. It looks like the state will fund Professional employee’s a 5% increase in salaries and classified will increase $1.05 per FTE. For some of our classified employees, this is more than a 10% increase. Mrs. Ward would like to thank all the coaches that have worked with our students. The coaches of all the teams put in a lot of time to help the students succeed. Letters of intent to certified employees will be going out on February 18th.
Robi Jo Colton provided a written report. Kindergarten registration is March 14th during parent/teacher conferences from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. A birth certificate and up-to-date immunization records are required. Our annual bookfair is scheduled for March 10-14th in our library. The school celebrated reaching their AR goals by playing a dodgeball game with the police force. Sargent Henrie made the arrangements to have several officers play against our 60 students who earned their goal. Mrs. Colton added the students had a good time playing dodgeball with the police. The 4th and 5th graders will have the opportunity to participate in the Battle of the Books challenge again this year. The curriculum adoption this year is ELA. Teachers are reviewing each piece of curriculum. All ELA teachers will have a parent representative during the adoption process. The elementary building attended two zoom meetings covering two of the top curriculum pieces and they are on track to present a decision to the board in March. Mrs. Colton added that the Idaho Ed News reported on schools that have improved after the learning loss of students during the Covid-19 pandemic, and Aberdeen was on the list of schools that has shown improvement.
Marina Taylor provided a written report. Data Day was held on February 7th. This valuable time is spent discussing students and how the teachers can help keep them on track in their learning. Erika Ingersoll had coordinated a Blood Drive. Portneuf Medical Center performed blood tests from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm on Friday, February 7th at the high school library. The middle school held a Valentine’s Dance on February 14th that was put together by Marci Bradley and the student government. Only students with remaining points and no “F’s” for a grade were eligible to attend the dance. Ms. Taylor added that the dance went well. Erin Johnson and Marci Bradley will be taking some of their STEM students on a field trip to Bengal STEM Day on Thursday, February 20th 2025 hosted by Idaho State University’s College of Science and Engineering. The Boys Basketball team is in the middle of their season. Both teams are competing and continue to improve. The middle school is currently looking for two new track coaches. Heidi Brown and Heather Giesbrecht have been coaching for a lot of years and the staff, students and parents appreciate all they have done to help build the track program. The middle school track will start on March 3rd.
Travis Pincock provided a written report. The Girls Basketball season ended with a close loss to Westside. The girls played very well and fought until the end. Mr. Pincock would like to thank coach Jolley and his staff, the players and parents and fans for a wonderful season. The Boys Basketball team had their final game on February 11th and the district tournament was held on February 15th. The wrestling district tournament will be held on February 19th at Westside. The cheerleaders qualified for state and will be competing on February 28th in Boise. The high school was awarded the new GEAR UP grant which will begin next year. GEAR UP will be taking interested seniors on a tour of St. Alphonsus hospital, Micron, Boise State and the lineman school in Boise on March 6-7th. State BP competitions will be held on March 3rd-5th. Seniors have been presenting their senior projects.
David Vaughn provided a written report. Mr. Vaughn attended the Online Team meeting for the State Directors advisory committee on 1/21/25 and the State Directors webinar on 2/5/25. Testing is being done for students for the WIDA access for ELL’s. this testing involves all students who are designated as English Language Learners. They are being assessed in Reading, Speaking, Language and Writing. Paraprofessional trainings are being done. The next one is scheduled on 2/20/25 after school. The State Department will be sending someone to monitor our ISAT testing at some point during our testing window. Mr. Vaughn is working with them and the building administrators to set up a date. This is a routine visit, and it is our year to be observed. The State Department is seeking approval from the legislature for funding for High Cost students that can be awarded by grants to districts that need them.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
There were additions to the agenda under Consent Items 7H to add a jazz and convert band trip to Farmington, Utah on 5/2/25 to 5/3/25 and state cheerleading in Nampa, Idaho on 2/27/25 to 2/28/25. A motion was made by Trustee Patten and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve the agenda is amended. The motion passed.
CONSENT ITEMS-ACTIONS
The following consent items were presented:
Approval of January Regular Board Meeting Minutes
Approval of January 13th Work Session Minutes
Approval of January 16th Work Session Minutes
Approval of January 2025 Claims
January 2025 Financial Report
County Tax Report
Building Budget Reports
Out of State/Over Night Trip Requests:
High School: BPA- Boise, ID 3/2/25 – 3/5/25, Gear Up – Boise, ID 3/6/25 – 3/7/25, Jazz and Concert Band Farmington, UT 5/2/25 – 5/3/25, State Cheer Nampa, ID 2/27/25 – 2/28/25
A motion was made by Trustee Patten and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve Consent Items -Actions 7 A-H as presented. The motion passed.
BUSINESS ITEMS-ACTIONS
Approve Monthly Staff Changes
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Elliott to approve the monthly staff changes. The motion passed.
Approve 72 Passenger Thomas School Bus Purchase Through Sourcewell
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve the purchase of a Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 340TS 72 passenger school bus from Western Mountain Bus Sales for $144,831 through Sourcewell. The motion passed.
Approve Proposal for the High School Gym Floor Painting & Finishing Project
A motion was made by Trustee Elliott and seconded by Trustee Burusco to approve the proposal from Highlands PM Holdings for $35,083.80 to sand and rebrand the Aberdeen High School gymnasium hardwood floor. The motion passed.
Approve Proposal for the Elementary School Gym Ceiling Project
A motion was made by Trustee Mauroner and seconded by Trustee Patten to approve the proposal from Ace Hardware for $31,321.50 for the elementary school gym ceiling project. The motion passed.
Approve Proposal for the High School Football Field Project
A work session was scheduled for Monday, 2/24/25 at 5:30 pm to approve the high school football field project proposal. No motion was necessary, for discussion only.
Approve Proposal for the Athletic Practice Field Project
A work session was scheduled for Monday, 2/24/25 at 5:30 pm to approve the athletic practice field project proposal. No motion was necessary, for discussion only.
BUSINESS ITEMS-DISCUSSION
2025-2026 School Calendar
Superintendent Ward provided the vote tally of the staff and employees from each building from the district council meeting. The two calendars with the most votes were number three will eleven votes and number four with fifty-seven votes. Trustee Mauroner suggested to ask the employees of the potato warehouses in town for which school calendar they would choose for next year. Trustee Burusco suggested that the other Trustees of the board should contact patrons in their zone for input on their preferences for the school calendar as well and to discuss this at the March regular board meeting.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 7:38 p.m., a motion was made by Trustee Elliott that the Board of Trustees of School District No. 58 recess from an open meeting into executive session pursuant to Section 74-206(1), Idaho Code, in order to discuss Section 74-206(1): Subsection (b) and that following the executive session the board will reconvene in public session for the purpose of conducting further business or for adjournment of the meeting.
The purpose of executive session under subsection (b) is to consider the evaluation, dismissal, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or agent, or public school student.
A roll call vote was held with the following results:
Brian Rowlan – Yes; Amy Burusco – Yes; Sherrie Mauroner – Yes; James Patten – Yes and Aimee Elliott – Yes. The motion passed.
ADJOURNMENT
The regular session reconvened at 9:30 p.m. With no further motions needed, the meeting adjourned at 9:31 pm.