The Board of Trustees of School District No. 58, Bingham County, Idaho met in regular session at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 14th, 2023 at the Aberdeen School District Office in Aberdeen, Idaho.
CALL TO ORDER AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUORUM
Chairman Todd Lowder opened the regular Board meeting at 4:10 p.m. Present were Amy Burusco, Sherrie Mauroner, Brian Rowlan and Elaine Blik. A quorum was established.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Those present recited the pledge of allegiance.
DELEGATION AND PATRON INPUT
James Patten discussed board policy 218 – Code of Ethics for Trustees of the school board.
Tara Pratt gave an update on upcoming events with the PTO and asked about board meetings being recorded or streamed online.
Erin Johnson discussed STEM activities that the students are working on and presented Christmas ornaments that were made with our school 3D printers.
SUPERINTENDENT and ADMINISTATOR REPORTS
Superintendent Ward discussed her written report. The safety inspector came on December 14th. Mrs. Ward added the inspector said the buildings are in wonderful shape and are well kept. Mrs. Ward thanked Troy Reynolds and Jesus Vargas for keeping the buildings maintained. The Bingham County Police Department held a training in our schools. This was done in an effort to familiarize the officers with the school buildings. Mrs. Ward added that when you see police cars at the school, this is due to ongoing training. The overhead door at the bus garage is broken. Buck is trying to find someone to come and fix this. The snow blade has been put on the new maintenance truck and the district is ready for snow removal. Mrs. Ward was out of the office December 11th for superintendent meetings and December 12th to attend Middle School District Sports. The district office will be closed December 15th and will reopen on January 2nd.
Travis Pincock discussed his written report. The students from Aberdeen High School donated over $3,700 and many cans of food to the Aberdeen Food Bank. The student council spent 4 hours on December 4th helping to organize the food and to get everything cleaned up afterwards. Seniors toured ISU on November 29th. Winter sports have all started and Mr. Pincock thanked all the student athletes, coaches, parents and community members who make the seasons successful. Mr. Pincock added that Glenda Brien’s last day of work was December 14th and she had worked 30 years with the school. Mr. Pincock thanked her for her work and making the high school a better place for the students and staff. Mr. Pincock added that the cheerleaders did well in their competition and took first place in Show and second place in the Pom and Sideline categories.
Marina Taylor provided a written report. Mrs. Bradly and Ms. Johnson have expanded our chain link contest for the Aberdeen Food Bank. This year they added in Royal Theater Discount Cards. The cards sell for $20 and $10 from each sale goes to the school. The purchaser will receive 2 cards – one for businesses in Idaho Falls and one for businesses in Blackfoot. Boys’ basketball will start on January 2nd, 2024. Darren Hall will be coaching the 8th grade boys and Alex Cerna will be coaching the 7th grade boys’ team. Phillip Klassen and Cesar Cerna will also help coach the two teams. The Aberdeen Music Department performed A Christmas Celebration at the Aberdeen Performing Arts Center on Monday, December 11th at 7:00 pm.
Robi Jo Colton provided a written report. The STEM family night was held on December 4th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The 5th grade DARE graduation was held on December 11th at 5:30 pm. Our librarians attended the Barnes & Noble’s book fair on December 2nd from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm and received 20% of the profits for the day for our school. Mrs. Colton added that she would like to table adopting the new social studies curriculum this year until the approved list is available and to instead renew the current social studies curriculum subscription with the publisher for three years. Mrs. Colton would also like to move forward with adopting the health curriculum that was approved and tabled by the school board last fiscal year, 2022-2023. The Board approved of Mrs. Colton’s recommendations for curriculum adoption.
David Vaughn provided a written report. Mr. Vaughn attended the Directors Advisory Committee meeting on 11/28/23. Mr. Vaughn participated in the monthly Special Education Directors webinar on 12/6/23. They discussed the General Supervision File review process, the importance of meeting invitations, procedural requirement for the discontinuation of special education services and final Child Count data information. Mr. Vaugn certified our Child Count numbers for the department of education.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve the agenda. The motion passed.
CONSENT ITEMS
The following consent items were presented:
Approval of November Regular Meeting Minutes
Approval of November 20th Work Session Minutes
Approval of November 2023 Claims
November 2023 Financial Report
County Tax Report
Building Budget Reports
Out of State/Overnight Trip Requests
High School: All-State Choir – Nampa, ID 1/31/24 – 2/3/24, Varsity Boys’ Basketball, Salt Lake City UT 12/13/23 – 12/14/23, Cheer – Boise, ID 2/23/24 – 2/24/24
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve consent items – actions 7A-F as listed on the agenda. The motion passed.
A motion was made by Trustee Mauroner and seconded by Trustee Blik to approve the high school overnight trip requests for All-State Choir in Nampa, Idaho on 1/31/24 to 2/3/24 and Cheer in Boise, Idaho on 2/23/24 to 2/24/24. The motion passed.
A Motion was made by Trustee Mauroner and seconded by Trustee Blik to ratify the out of state and overnight trip request for the Varsity Boys’ Basketball trip request to Salt Lake City, Utah from 12/13/24 to 12/14/23. The motion passed.
BUSINESS ITEMS-ACTIONS
Board Policies for Approval: 218 – Code of Ethics, 652 – Library and Resource Center Materials
There was further discussion with patron James Patten on Board policy 218 for clarification on conflict of interest, item #9 which reads:
“Avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest and refrain from using my board position for personal or partisan gain. Board members volunteering to be in classrooms could be a conflict of interest. Being involved daily in a building is considered overstepping and appears as being the supervisor. A board member may not serve as a volunteer in the classroom on a daily basis. On a special occasion a board member may be involved as a volunteer when asked by the teacher or administrator.”
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve Board policy 218. The motion passed.
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve Board policy 652. The motion passed.
Monthly Staff Changes
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve the monthly staff changes. The motion passed.
Approve Music Curriculum Supplements
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Blik to approve the music curriculum supplements. The motion passed.
Approve Quest CPAs PLLC Proposal for the FY 23-24 Financial Audit
A motion was made by Trustee Burusco and seconded by Trustee Blik to approve Quest CPAs PLLCs proposal for the FY 23-24 financial audit. The motion passed.
Approve Changes to Middle School Bank Account Signers
A motion was made by Trustee Blik and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to approve adding Geraldin Partida and Marina Taylor and to remove Betty Enriquez and Ann Mennear as signers to the middle school bank accounts. The motion passed.
Approve Changes to High School Bank Account Signers
A motion was made by Trustee Mauroner and seconded by Trustee Burusco to approve adding Brandy Powell and Heather Clark and to remove Glenda Brien and Cody Park as signers to the high school bank accounts. The motion passed.
Harvest Break – When to Review Again
There was consensus among the board to review Harvest Break again in August of 2027. No motion was made.
Board Meeting Options
A motion was made by Trustee Mauroner and seconded by Trustee Rowlan not to record or broadcast board meetings. The motion passed.
BUSINESS ITEMS-DISCUSSION
A.Board Policies for December Review, January Approval 224 – Membership in State and National Associations. 226 – Compensation for Expenses. 276 – Access to Public Records. 443 Certificated Employee Evaluations. 445 – Probation of Certificated Employees. DELETED 465 – Employing Retired Personnel (formerly Employing Retired Teachers). 520 – Enrollment and Transfer (formerly Proof of Age and Identification). 523 – Enrollment and Attendance Records. 558 – Accommodating Students with Seizure Disorders or Epilepsy. NEW 565 – Immunization Requirements. 624 – Participation in Statewide Assessments. 639P – Parental Rights in Education – Procedures. 639F1 – Parental Rights in Education – Notification Reporting Form. NEW form 658 – Social Studies. 680 – Transfer of Student Records. 686 – Permanent Student Records. DELETED 690 –Student Learning Plans. DELETED 870 – Board of Trustee Records. DELETED 871 – Storage and Retrieval of Business Records. DELETED 908 – National Motto. NEW
For discussion only. No motion was necessary.
Review Aberdeen School District 2024-2025 Board Meeting Schedule
Dates and times for the board meeting schedule were reviewed and will be finalized at the January regular board meeting. No motion was necessary, for discussion only.
Harvest Break Personnel Release
There was discussion on the school calendar, board policy 350. The policy reads “The school calendar will be drafted and submitted through administrative channels for staff input. The board will approve the calendar for the upcoming school year, harvest break is flexible and may be changed at any time”.
From the Negotiated Handbook page 13 number 5: “The Board retains the right to establish the starting date for harvest vacation. Once harvest begins teachers shall not be recalled”.
After further discussion, staff that worked during Harvest Break and had to take more days off from school to continue working will not have an excused release. Harvest Break is flexible and may be changed at any time according to board policy 350 and the Harvest Break dates were changed prior to the starting date for harvest vacation and the teachers were not recalled.
No motion was necessary, for discussion only.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 5:35 p.m., a motion was made by Trustee Rowlan 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:
Todd Lowder – Yes; Amy Burusco – Yes; Sherrie Mauroner – Yes; Brian Rowlan – Yes and Elaine Blik – Yes. The motion passed.
The regular session reconvened at 7:40 p.m.
A motion was made by Trustee Blik and seconded by Trustee Mauroner to leave the contract for Superintendent Ward as is. The motion passed.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting and the meeting adjourned at 7:49 pm.