The Board of Trustees of School District No. 58, Bingham County, Idaho met in regular session at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 at the Aberdeen School District Office in Aberdeen, Idaho.
CALL TO ORDER AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUORUM
Chairman Brian Rowlan opened the 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.
SUPERINTENDENT AND ADMINISTRATORS’ REPORTS
Mrs. Ward discussed her written report. She thanked the trustees that attended the ISBA conference and said she enjoyed the sessions and hopes those that attended did as well. Mrs. Ward talked to the Mayor of Aberdeen and the canal company about a practice field for the school district. She discussed some of the options between creating a new practice field on school grounds and using a city park. Using Posse Park for a practice field would be the cheapest option. Mrs. Ward also talked about cell phone use at the school. The Governor has put out a statement to ban cell phones from the classroom and Mrs. Ward will be discussing this with the administrators. Legislation will begin in January. Mrs. Ward would like to know if there will be a change on who will be on the district negotiations team representing the school board. Mrs. Ward received a bid from Nu-Vu Glass for the windows in the old gym that are leaking and discussed the options in replacing the windows. Mrs. Warded added that Simon Bercier received a technology grant of approximately $400,000 that will be used to upgrade technology for the school district.
Mrs. Ward discussed a letter that the city has sent out regarding the water quality in older pipes in Aberdeen. Those that have older water lines should run the water for 30 seconds before drinking. Mrs. Ward discussed the scheduled December regular board meeting being held on Wednesday, December 18th at 5:30 pm. Turkeys will be handed out to staff on the last day before Christmas break on Thursday, December 19th at 3:30 pm. After further discussion, the regular December board meeting was changed to Thursday, December 19th at 4:30 pm.
Mr. Pincock discussed his written report. Cody Park received a $10,000 IQPS grant from the state for his Ag program. The IQPS grant is given to schools who meet a certain standard of quality. There were more schools than ever that applied for the grant and the Aberdeen Ag program was still awarded the grant. This shows the quality of Cody’s program. Heather Clark and Mr. Pincock attended the GEAR UP West Conference. This is the last year of the program and Mr. Pincock will apply for the new grant at the end of this year. High school student Marlen Morales did well at the National FFA Convention. She ranked in the top third of the participants. The students had fun attending the convention and were able to experience many new things. Mr. Pincock congratulated the football team for doing well this season. They placed 3rd in the state for division 2A.
Marina Taylor provided a written report. Teresa Torres held the first Migrant PAC meeting for the year. Heather Clark presented information about high school, credits and graduation opportunities. Marci Bradley and the AMS Student Government planned fun Halloween activities for our teachers and students which included a “clue”-like game throughout the week and a rotation of activities in the afternoon of Halloween day. The Girl’s basketball team will travel to Grace for Districts on Friday, December 13th.
Robi Jo Colton provided a written report. Parent/teacher conferences were held on November 1st with about 85% in attendance. Our teachers were able to communicate academic successes and concerns, get parent representatives for our ELA curriculum adoption and talk about our lockdown drills this year. Mrs. Colton thanked the Education Foundation for the grant money to those teachers who qualified. STEM family night will be held on December 9th from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Our building is working with a city council representative to paint designated student drop-off areas around campus. This year’s Professional Development book study is Teach Happy-Small Steps to Big Joy – by Kim Strobel, for those teachers who sign up.
Mr. Vaughn reviewed his report. Mr. Vaughn and the Special Education teachers attended a training titled “Essential Components of the IEP” on October 17th at ISU. This training was a very helpful refresher and included new information for our team to use. “Child Find” for potential Early Childhood Special Education students was held on 10/25/24. Students who were screened and qualified for more testing are now being assessed. Parent/teacher conferences were successful for our Special Education Teachers. Several parents came and visited with teachers about their child’s progress.
DELEGATION AND PATRON INPUT
Deanne Nelson asked about the practice field to see if the district needed help. Chairman Rowlan commented that when the board has a plan in place for a practice field, they will reach out for help with getting it in place.
Amber Tilley provided a handout from The Atlantic and discussed an article on how colleges are not reading whole books. By the time our students finish high school, they will have read at least fifteen books in class and sixteen books out of class. Our students are benefitting from this as they gain many skills in high school.
Erin Johnson discussed the proposed school board field trip policy 576 and employee conduct policy 412 with questions and concerns she has on how it is currently written. She was asked to read through the policies and provide input on changes she would like to see by the next board meeting.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
A motion was made by trustee Burusco and seconded by trustee Mauroner to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed.
CONSENT ITEMS- ACTIONS
The following consent items were presented:
Approval of October Regular Meeting Minutes
Approval of October 2024 Claims
October 2024 Financial Report
County Tax Report
Building Budget Reports
A motion was made by trustee Burusco and seconded by trustee Mauroner to approve Consent Items-Actions 7 A-E as listed on the agenda. The motion passed.
BUSINESS ITEMS-ACTIONS
Board Policies for October Review, November Approval:
412 – Employee Conduct (Formerly General Personnel Regulations). 418 – Personnel Conflict of Interest. 540 Maintenance of Orderly Conduct. 564 – Health Records and Emergency Care. 576 – Field Trips. 576F1 – Extended Field Trips: Preliminary Approval Form. 576F2 – Extended Field Trips: Description and Itinerary Form. 576F3 –Field Trip: Parent/Guardian Consent Form (Formerly, Extended Field Trip Parent/Guardian Consent Form576F4 – Field Trips – Volunteer Driver Checklist (Formerly, Extended Field Trips – Volunteer Driver Checklist). 576F5 – Field Trip Volunteer Chaperone Guidelines (formerly Extended Field Trip Volunteer Chaperone Guidelines). 576P – Field Trip Procedures. NEW, OPTIONAL, 577 (and all related forms) – Extended Field Trips. DELETED.639 – Parental Rights in Education. 639F2 – Parental Rights in Education – Health Care Services Consent Form.850 – Purchasing. 934 – Trespass on School Property. 1044 – Advertising and Distributing Materials in the Schools (Formerly Advertising and Distributing Materials in the Schools by Non-School Related Entities).
A motion was made by trustee Elliott and seconded by trustee Patten to approve board policies 412 with modification, 418, 540, 564, 639, 639F2, 850, 934, 1044 and to delete board policy 577 and to table board policies 576, 576F1, 576F2, 576F3, 576F4, 576F5 and 576P for further review. The motion passed.
Approve Monthly Staff Changes
A motion was made by trustee Elliott and seconded by trustee Mauroner to approve the monthly staff changes. The motion passed.
Approve the Purchase of a New 14 Passenger Activity Bus
A motion was made by trustee Elliott and seconded by trustee Burusco to approve the purchase of a 14-passenger Minotour DRW 051MS bus for $103,762 from Western Mountain Bus Sales. The motion passed.
BUSINESS ITEMS-DISCUSSION
Nu-Vu Glass Commercial Windows
Mrs. Ward discussed the proposal from Nu-Vu Glass for options in replacing the windows in the old high school that leak. No motion was necessary, for review only.
Ruling Our Experiences (ROX) Facilitator Certification Training Curriculum
School counselors Nichole Shackelford and Ashley Trafford discussed an opportunity for Ms. Trafford to attend the Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX) Facilitator Certification training for free and to receive materials and curriculum to address the unique needs of teenage girls that receive parent or guardian consent. The curriculum would be delivered in a small group format for girls to develop healthy relationships, have empowering experiences and to develop crucial skills in a safe, all-girl setting. The program would be at no cost for the 24-25 school year and then $100 per student in the 25-26 school year. There will be approximately twenty students expected to participate per year divided into two groups that the district would be responsible for paying for the program costs starting with the 25-26 school year.
After further discussion, a motion was made by trustee Patten and seconded by trustee Elliott to approve Ashley Trafford to attend the ROX program training at no cost to the school district and to approve the program and curriculum for one year. The motion passed.
Aberdeen Music Department APAC Microphone Upgrade Packages
Music teacher Isaac Lowder discussed the need for upgrading the wireless microphone system in the auditorium. This would improve the communication and experience for our students that participate in musicals and performances. The Aberdeen Arts Council will contribute to the purchase of the new wireless microphone system and Mr. Lowder was trying to determine if the school district could contribute funds to purchasing the new system.
No motion was necessary, for discussion. Only.
Review Curriculum for Dual Credit Terminology Course
Mr. Pincock discussed curriculum that Mrs. Ingersoll will use to teach a dual credit medical terminology course through the College of Western Idaho. A motion was made by trustee Elliott and seconded by trustee Burusco to approve the curriculum for the medical terminology course. The motion passed.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 8:15 p.m., a motion was made by trustee Elliott and seconded by trustee Patten that the Board of Trustees of School District No. 58 recess from an open meeting into an emergency 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.
The regular session reconvened at 9:10 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by trustee Patten and seconded by trustee Burusco to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 9:16 pm.