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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-02-2025 Minutes Board 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 Wednesday, April 2, 2025, The Board will be touring Elevate Academy, TCHS, and Praxium. The work meeting will begin at 12:00 p.m. PLC Building 3442 E Iona Rd Idaho Falls, ID 83401 I. Call to Order Chairman Jenkins called the meeting to order. II. Roll Call Mindy Clayton: Present Carissa Coats: Present Richard Hess: Present Paul Jenkins: Present Randy Smith: Present III. Approve/Amend Agenda (Action Item) Motion: To approve the agenda. This motion, made by Carissa Coats and seconded by Mindy Clayton, Passed. IV. Executive Session (Action Item) The Board will enter into an Executive Session pursuant to Idaho Code 74 -206(1)(b) to consider the evaluation, dismissal, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member, or individual agent, or public school student and 1(c) to acquire an interest in real property which is not owned by a public agency. The Executive Session will be closed to the public as permitted by law. Motion: To enter Executive Session. This motion, made by Mindy Clayton and seconded by Richard Hess, Passed. Roll Call Vote Mindy Clayton: yes Carissa Coats: yes Richard Hess: yes Paul Jenkins: yes Randy Smith: yes The Board entered the Executive Session at 12:19 p.m. IV.A. Student Recommendations IV.A.1. Student 25-I (Action Item) Motion: To approve the recommendation of suspension only for Student 25 -I. This motion, made by Richard Hess and seconded by Randy Smith, Passed. IV.B. Employee Recommendations IV.B.1. Employee AI-2025 The Board and the Executive Team discussed Employee AI-2025. IV.C. Land Acquisition IV.C.1. Parcel RP02N38E034803 The Board and the Executive Team discussed Parcel RP02N38E034803. V. Close Executive Session (Action Item) Motion: To close Executive Session. This motion, made by Carissa Coats and seconded by Mindy Clayton, Passed. VI. Opening Board Business VI.A. Welcome Visitors and Delegations Chairman Jenkins welcomed those in attendance to the meeting. VII. Superintendent Reports and Recommendations VII.A. Elevate Academy Review Levi Owen’s report on Elevate Academy highlighted that the school serves 339 students, with a significant portion classified as at-risk under broader criteria than traditional schools in District 93. Enrollment has reached about 420 for the year, with 75-80% retention and most students residing within district boundaries. Elevate emphasizes hands-on, mastery-based learning that integrates academics with real-world trade applications, fostering high student engagement and strong community support, including major donations and job opportunities. Performance metrics show promising trends, though some goals like credit completion and graduation tracking are still slightly below targets. The school enforces strict discipline policies, particularly for violent behavior, which has caused some tension with traditional schools when students are returned after infractions. Teacher retention is stable, with minor adjustments based on program needs. Despite challenges, the report concludes that Elevate provides significant value for at-risk students, and continued authorization is recommended. VII.B. Revised 2025 Board Calendar (Action Item) Superintendent Woolstenhulme asked the Board to consider cancelling the May 7th work meeting because it conflicts with the State Department’s post-legislative tour, an important event that staff need to attend. Alternative tour dates in other regions are not feasible, and since an extra work session was already held, canceling the May meeting is a reasonable adjustment. Additionally, this opens up the option for board members to attend leadership training instead, if they’re interested. Motion: To approve the revised 2025 Board Calendar as presented. This motion, made by Carissa Coats and seconded by Richard Hess, Passed. VIII. Planning and Personnel Reports and Recommendations VIII.A. Tour Debrief VIII.A.1. Praxium and Ammon Due to time constraints, the Board and Executive Team chose not to debrief the tour. Superintendent Woolstenhulme distributed hard copies of the public survey results regarding Praxium’s move to the Ammon Elementary building. Further discussion is scheduled for the April regular meeting. VIII.B. Roof Bids John Pymm, Director of Facilities and Maintenance explained to the board that the bids received for the roof projects at Falls Valley and Bonneville came in significantly over budget. This was largely due to the original plan, which mirrored the approach u sed at Ammon—full tear-off, asbestos removal, and installation of a 30-year roof. However, rising costs made that plan unfeasible. The recommendation was for the board to reject the bids. New estimates were being gathered for a more affordable alternative using a 20-year product, limited tear-off in only severely damaged areas, added insulation, and asbestos encapsulation, which is legally permissible. This approach was expected to bring costs much closer to the budget. Although it was not an action item at the time, the technical details were shared ahead of the formal recommendation to be presented at the April regular meeting. VIII.C. Employee AI-2025 (Action Item) Motion: To accept the resignation of Employee AI-2025. This motion, made by Richard Hess and seconded by Randy Smith, Passed. IX. Learning and Instruction Reports and Recommendations IX.A. Magic School AI Platform Jason Lords, Executive Director of Learning and Instruction, explained that the district would like to purchase Magic School as an AI platform using funds previously allocated for a handwriting curriculum, which is no longer needed due to the adoption of a new ELA program. The cost for Magic School has been negotiated to under $50,000, and since it functions as a software tool—not curriculum—it wouldn’t require a full curriculum adoption process. The platform will be used by both teachers and students for t asks like unit planning and learning to use AI prompts. Full training for staff is planned during August in -service, and additional professional development opportunities may be offered. Over 230 teachers have already signed up for the free version, and th e enterprise version will provide expanded capabilities. X. Closing Board Business X.A. Lincoln Sugar Steam Engine Relic The lease for the red, white, and blue painted steam engine near the old sugar mill had ended, and the Sons of the Utah Pioneers were seeking a new home for it. They hoped to place it at Lincoln High School due to its historical connection to the Lincoln area. However, the school’s principal was not supportive of the idea. While there was space available, concerns were raised about the district potentially becoming responsible for the relic’s maintenance. The board suggested that Lincoln Park, managed by th e county, might be a more appropriate location, and planned to connect the group with the Parks and Rec director to explore that option. X.B. D93 75th Anniversary Chairman Paul Jenkins informed the Board that Laurie Pinnock would like to help with the D93 75th anniversary celebration. X.C. Request for Agenda Items for Upcoming Meetings (Action Item) There were no requests for items for future board meetings from the public. The Board and Executive Team requested the following agenda items for future board meetings. • Graduation speech assignments • Spanish immersion program • Federal Programs/Title 1 overview • Nepotism policy/conflict of interest plan X.D. Adjournment (Action Item) Motion: To adjourn the meeting. This motion, made by Carissa Coats and seconded by Richard Hess, Passed. The meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m. APPROVED: ______________________________________ Chairman ATTESTED: _______________________________________ Clerk DATE: ___________________________________