HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-18-2024 Minutes Work MeetingDr. Scott Woolstenhulme, Superintendent
3497 North Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401 (208) 525-4400 Fax (208) 557-6800 www.d93schools.org
Board of Trustees Paul Jenkins Carissa Coats Randy Smith Mindy Clayton Richard Hess
Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Work Meeting
February 18, 2024
7:00 PM
Home 2 Suites by Hilton
202 South 6th Street
Boise, ID 83702
I. Chairman Jenkins called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
II. Roll Call
Carissa Coats present
Randy Smith present
Mindy Clayton present
Richard Hess present
Paul Jenkins present
III. Opening Board Business
A. Approve/Amend Agenda (Action Item)
Motion: Carissa Coats moved to approve the agenda. Randy Smith seconded. Motion carried.
IV. Discussion Items
A. Day on the Hill Priorities
Scott and the Board reviewed the Day on the Hill agenda. Dr. Woolstenhulme set up appointments with the local
legislators. The Board and Dr. Woolstenhulme reviewed the following bills that are being looked at during the
legislative session. They had three categories of how they feel about each bill. The three categories are Neutral
Stance, Oppose, and Support.
• Neutral Stance
o S1289: School Library Materials Review
▪ D93 has already established a library material review process that meet the
requirements of the bill.
• Oppose
o S1306 MicroSchools: The bill is using our Online schools as a model. However, there is false
information. The correct information is as follows:
▪ Bonneville Online Elementary and High School do not function according to this bill. All
D93 students are taught by an appropriately certified and endorsed teacher in each
subject area.
▪ D93 teachers are available to provide instruction to students in-person or online during
school hours
▪ Teachers are responsible to identify learning objectives for each course and monitor
student’s progress towards those objectives
▪ Parents may choose to curricular materials to support their student’s learning: any
instructional materials paid from public funds must be approved by the Board of
Trustees and should not be religious texts pursuant to Idaho Code.
o H415: Concealed Weapons at School: This bill would force school district’s to allow untrained,
and unqualified employees to carry firearms at school.
▪ Our Board policy already allows authorized individuals to carry firearms on school
grounds.
2
▪ Without local authorization, we cannot ensure that individuals have the necessary
training and qualifications to respond to an active shooter
▪ The lack of training puts the lives of our students and staff at a higher risk of death and
serious injury
• Note: The district and Board are not opposed to legislation encouraging
school boards and law enforcement agencies to develop policies and plans to
train and qualify employees to respond to active shooter situations.
o Tax Credits without Accountability – Tax credits for private schools vioate the legislature’s duty
to establish a uniform and thourough system of free public schools unless those schools are
required to adhere to state laws and rules
▪ Accountability & transparency for expenditures or public funds
▪ Criminal background checks for employees
▪ Required certifcations and licensures
▪ Academic accommodations as requested by parents
▪ Drug-free and tobacco free campuses
• Support
o $161 Million Supplemental Appropriation - This supplemental appropriation of budgeted funds
would help District 93 to make up a $6-million shortfall from decreased funding.
▪ §33-1004 mandated D93 to hire 98% of allocated FTEs based on student enrollment in
the 2022-2023 school year.
▪ The shift to enrollment in 2023-2024 school year resulted in losing funding for 55
teaching positions at a cost of approximately
▪ $5 million dollars plus an additional $1.5 million in support funding.
▪ ESSER funds delayed the need to make drastic cuts in staffing, but those cuts are
inevitable. This appropriation will help to slow these reductions.
o School Choice with Accountability – The district recognizes the importance of providing choice
and options for students. All publicly funded school choice options must meet the same standards
to ensure a uniform and thorough system of education.
▪ School Choice in D93
• Two online schools (K-8 and 7-12) that support individual students and
families’ needs
• Praxium Mastery Academy to provide project-based learning and individual
learning pathways
• Technical Careers High School to provide CTE opportunities
• Alternative high school to support students who are at-risk of not graduating
• Authorization of Elevate Academy to expand CTE options for 6th-12th grade
students
o H521: School Facilities Funds - This bill will provide our schools with funding to address
long-standing facilities maintenance issues and urgent critical repairs and improvements. Our
current funding is not sufficient to address all of these needs.
▪ 10- year Facilities Plan Highlights
• Replace school heating systems (50+ years old)
• Replace pneumatic HVAC control systems with digital control systems to
improve energy efficiency
• Make all schools ADA accessible for students and staff
• Repair and replace roofs to extend the life of our school buildings
• Modernize electrical switchgear (30+ years old)
• Repair and replace water and sewer pipes (50+ years old)
o Note: To be able to use these funds to address these issues, we
would have to required to take all the funding in an upfront lump
sum payment.
3
B. February 28, 2024, Work Session Agenda
Superintendent Woolstenhulme informed the Board of a possible hearing that would need to take place on
Wednesday, February 28th before the Board Work Meeting. It was decided to move the start time to 10:30 p.m.
Superintendent Woolstenhulme asked the Board if there were any other agenda items they would like to discuss at
the Work Meeting. Board members asked for an update on the Bus Barn. The Board Clerk, noted these agenda
items. Chairman Jenkins asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting.
V. Closing Board Business
A. Adjournment (Action Item)
Motion: Randy Smith moved to adjourn the meeting. Mindy Clayton seconded. Motion carried.
The meeting ajourned at 7:58 p.m.
APPROVED: ______________________________________
Chairman
ATTESTED: _______________________________________
Clerk
DATE: ___________________________________