HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-21-2020 Minutes Public Input Meeting (TRHS)Dr. Scott Woolstenhulme, Superintendent
3497 North Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401 (208) 525-4400 Fax (208) 557-6800 www.d93schools.org
Board of Trustees Amy Landers Chad Dance Greg Calder Paul Jenkins Scott Lynch
Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Public Input Meeting
January 21, 2020
7:00 PM
Thunder Ridge Auditorium, 4941 E First St, Idaho Falls, ID
I. Call to Order
Chairman Amy Landers called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. She welcomed all the patrons in attendance and stated the
purpose of the meeting. She reviewed the agenda: presentation of proposed boundary changes by District administration and
public input from those in attendance. Chairman Landers emphasized that no decisions would be made at this meeting. She
then introduced the District administration and the Board of Trustees.
II. Roll Call
Chad Dance present
Greg Calder present
Paul Jenkins present
Scott Lynch present
Amy Landers present
III. Welcome Visitors and Delegations
Others in attendance were Chief Financial/Operations Officer Guy Wangsgard, Executive Director of Instruction & Learning
Jason Lords, Executive Director of Planning & Personnel Heath Jackson, Director of Maintenance & Operations John Pymm,
Energy Education Specialist Don Trauntvein, Community Relations and Communications Phil Campbell, Discovery Principal Ken
Marlowe, Rimrock Principal Steve Cziep, and Board Clerk Mary Hansen.
IV. Proposed District Boundary Presentations
Chairman Landers invited Heath Jackson, Executive Director Personnel and Planning to present research on proposed boundary
changes. Mr. Jackson reviewed the process for current proposals and stated the District administration will make a
recommendation to the Board in the February 12, 2020 regular meeting. Priorities and goals set by the Board and District
administration were the focus for formulating the proposed boundary changes. He stated that many schools in the district are
growing, mainly the outskirts of the District. Enrollment drops when students age out of school or have moved from the area.
District’s goal is to utilize all available classrooms throughout the district. The capacity of a school is calculated by taking the
number of classrooms and multiplying by twenty-five students each. Each modular equals two classrooms or fifty students. All
schools have two classrooms designated for Special Education classrooms. Balancing the social economic status (SES) among
schools at 65% or lower is important to the district.
V. Public Input
Chairman Landers reviewed the protocol for Public Input and turned the time over to the patrons.
Patron Questions/Comments and District Response:
Why balance the social economic status (SES) at 65% or lower for all schools?
• Maintaining a balance helps to meet the needs for schools and students.
Does increase or decrease of SES create a gap or social problems for students?
• All schools have successes, challenges and opportunities for all students.
Will Discovery Elementary loose Title funds if SES falls below 35%? Would loss of funding affect programs at the school?
• Funding will be borderline and the school could lose Title One funding.
• Recent funding has provided the school with professional development opportunities, interventions for student learning,
hiring of classroom aides, one-on-one technology and a part time instructional coach.
• Not as many schools qualify for Title One funding as new growth continues.
Suggest keeping the canal as the Discovery/Cloverdale boundary line.
Chainman Landers asked parents where they would find information about changes in District.
• Parent Response: Papers in the backpack, Facebook, on the news, emails, texts, postal mail.
• These methods currently used for District correspondence to parents and community.
• If you are not receiving notifications, follow up with your school secretary.
What options do parents have if opposed to changes? Especially children with learning difficulties?
• Open Enrollment is open to all students and the deadline will be extended to March 1st;
• Parents responsible to transport children.
• Principals will review all applications and fill classrooms. There is no guarantee for acceptance.
• Open enrollment applications are not ranked when received. Schools will not make conclusions until after Board
decision.
Are there any remedies to improve the safety for students and parents living near Rimrock Elementary? Parents are encouraged
to car pool or walk to school; however, is neither safe nor easy.
• Crosswalks and signals controlled by Bonneville County. District hires crossing guards; this is a hard to fill position.
How many modulars being placed at Rimrock?
• One now, up to three eventually.
Are classrooms available for computer labs?
• Schools have replaced computer labs with chrome mobile carts.
The District needs to run the bond again, for just elementary schools. Parents do not read information posted in the newspaper
anymore.
• Bond information is on the District webpage, social media outlets, D93 News and in the newspaper, as required by law.
• School bonds can run in the March, May, August or November elections.
Are there formal ways to contest these proposals?
• Public Input meetings and letters to Board members or District Administration.
Our neighborhood has moved three times to other elementary schools; it is not ideal, but we survived.
What about student achievement?
• All schools teach the essential skills at each grade level. Interventions are designed to help all students. Programs are
in place to encourage literacy, etc.
• Professional development and collaboration training is required for all faculty.
How stable are middle school and high school boundaries?
• Middle school boundaries will be adjusted when Black Canyon Middle School opens in 2021 and will align with high
school boundaries.
People move to the Discovery neighborhood in order to attend that school. Is the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
program at all schools?
• The GATE program is available for all District students that qualify.
I am concerned my family will be split between schools because of our special needs student/sibling.
• Schools work closely with Special Services and Special Education programs; special needs students will stay in their
current programs.
• Disability of student determines where student goes to school.
Why has District 93 not considered following District 91’s new student/transportation policy?
• Increase of transportation costs and unfair to students in new neighborhoods.
VI. Adjournment
Chairman Landers adjourned the meeting at 8:51 p.m.
MOTION: Chad Dance moved to adjourn. Greg Calder seconded. Motion carried.
APPROVED: ______________________________________
Chairman
ATTESTED: _______________________________________
Clerk
DATE: ___________________________________