RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
JOINT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 365
BOARD OF TRUSTEES

October 15, 2009
                                                                                 
 I.         WELCOME AND CALL TO ORDER
A.  The Board of Trustees, Joint School District No. 365, met for the regular meeting at Rimrock Jr. Sr. High School Music Room on Thursday, October 15, 2009.  Chairman Dixie Black called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
           
B.  Roll Call – Chairman Dixie Black, Vice Chairman Ray Meyers, Marie Robertson, Joe Merrick, Howard Field, Superintendent Vickie Chandler and Clerk Cathy Sellman were present.  Also attending were Principal Phil McCluskey, Principal Gerald Chouinard, BPA President Brian Simper and Mike Parker of Bowen, Parker, Day, CPA’s.
                                                                                   
II.        APPROVE AGENDA
Howard Field made the motion and Ray Meyers seconded to approve the agenda for October 15, 2009.  Motion carried.

III.       CONSENT AGENDA
A   Approve minutes of the September 10, 2009  Regular Meeting
B.  Accounts Payable
C.  Bruneau Elementary Activity Accounts
D.  Grand View Elementary Activity Accounts
E.  Rimrock Jr. Sr. High School Activity Accounts
Ray Meyers made the motion and Marie Robertson seconded to approve the Consent Agenda.  Motion carried.
                                                           
IV.       REPORTS TO THE BOARD
A.  Principal Reports—Principals Phil McCluskey and Gerald Chouinard
Principal Phil McCluskey congratulated the “Scratch for Schools Team” consisting of Kathy Mori, Jana Prow and Jennifer Bollinger who scratched 600 lottery tickets to win $337 for the school.  Homecoming week was a huge success with the volleyball team dominating their game and the football team winning the game in the third quarter.  Mr. McCluskey congratulated the senior team for defeating all teams in dodge ball.  He congratulated Gretchen Simpson for passing the praxis exams for math, social studies and geography to make her a highly qualified teacher.  “Teams Against Tobacco Use” (TATU) with the assistance of Chance Skerjanec mentored the elementary students on the negative effects of tobacco use.  The school nurse has been working on H1N1 prevention. Tammy Payne, site coordinator for the IDLA Classrooms, is doing an excellent job advocating for the students during the recent technical problems.  Mr. Goodman and Mr. Selimovic have also been working on the compatibility issues with the new upgrades.   

Principal Gerald Chouinard thanked Mr. McCluskey for the “TATU” presentation for the elementary students.  He congratulated Carleen Best for passing the Praxis Exam which makes her a highly qualified teacher.  Grand View Elementary Students of the Month were Jenna Morrison, Kylie Donahue, Tyrus Hansen, Todd Marvin, Chayton Bollinger, Rigoberto Lino and Alexus Bodily.  Bruneau Elementary Students of the Month were Rya Buckingham, Victoria Ayala and Adrian Palencia.

Student absences due to the flu averaged 35 at Grand View and 5 at Bruneau this week.  Discussion was held on sending a letter to the State Department of Education requesting omission of this week’s attendance.  The Bruneau Elementary Scratch-Off Team made $411 and second place and Grand View Elementary team is at BSU October 15th.  Red Ribbon Week will be held October 19-23.  Grand View activities include Wear Green and Gold School Colors, Wear a Wig or Crazy Hair Do Day, Wear Your Favorite Sweats, Wear Red on Red Ribbon Day and Parade and Wear Your Clothes Inside Out.   Bruneau Elementary activities include Inside/Out Day, Crazy Sock and Hat Day, Super Hero Day, Red Ribbon Day and Parade and Spirit Day.  A team of staff members will be attending the Emerging Hispanic Students and Parents into Education Conference on October 20 & 21.  Book Fairs will be held at Grand View on October 19-29 and at Bruneau on October 27-28.  Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held October 28 & 29 from 4 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.  Mr. Chouinard gave board members the Staff Wellness Plans and Newsletters.  Grand View Elementary has a student teacher, Mrs. Kalanquin, in Mrs. Dean’s classroom.  Principal Chouinard requested a Professional Development Day for elementary teachers to work with a professional trainer on the “6 Traits of Writing Program” on Friday, Nov. 6th.    The second training will be held in February or April.  Discussion was held on student hours required by the state and closing school for Rimrock also.  Mr. McCluskey would like to work with teacher committees on Nov. 6th.  The School Improvement Plan was discussed. 
Marie Robertson made the motion and Howard Field seconded to approve November 6th to be a professional development day for all schools in the district.  Motion carried.

B.  Superintendent Reports—Superintendent Vickie L. Chandler
Superintendent Vickie Chandler reported on enrollment in the district with 355 students on the first day of school and currently 348 students.  The October/November activities calendar was reviewed.  The Open House at all schools, with student led tours of the schools, was a huge success.   Rimrock served 200 people, Grand View Elementary served 90 people and Bruneau Elementary served 40 people.  The September and October Staff In-Service Workshops were discussed.   Science teacher Trent Bodily, ag shop teacher Alan Schoen and Superintendent Vickie Chandler traveled to Owyhee High School to look at their greenhouses.  Owyhee had obtained funding from the BLM.  The teachers goal is to build a greenhouse for Rimrock with one part being a teaching greenhouse.  They are beginning work on grants to fund the greenhouse. The preliminary hearing for Kevin Hansen regarding the missing alumni funds has been delayed twice.  The next court hearing will be October 28th in Boise.  H1N1 free vaccinations have been scheduled for Wednesday, November 4th from 2 – 8 p.m.  The district plans to bus students to Rimrock and the clinic is open to the community.  The school nurse is working on the paperwork, etc.  A Sympathy Card was signed for the Bill Tindall family.

C.  Student Reports—Rimrock BPA (Business Professionals of America)
Brian Simper representing the Rimrock Business Professionals of America reported on the Chapter activities.  The chapter currently has 24 members.  The entire chapter attended the Leadership Conference on Oct 7th along with seven other schools.  The students plan to compete in regional events in January, state convention and  national conference.  The BPA held breakfast with the Easter bunny last year and this year they plan to do a breakfast with Santa and the Easter Bunny.

Discussion was held on allowing BPA students to travel out of state for conferences.

Howard Field made the motion and Joe Merrick seconded to allow BPA to travel out of state.  Motion carried.

V.        PUBLIC INPUT     
            None

VI.      ACTION ITEMS

A.  Presentation and Approval of 2008-2009 Audit—Mike Parker, Bowen, Parker & Day
Mike Parker of Bowen, Parker & Day in Homedale attended the meeting to present the 2008-2009 financial audit which represents the financial statements of the district.  Internal controls were discussed.  Mr. Parker stated the district has good internal controls with the chain of commands, purchase orders, requests, etc.  The auditors pull samples of the bills, purchase orders, invoices etc. to audit the internal controls such as having purchase orders signed.  The statement of net assets and liabilities as of June 30, 2009 was reviewed.  General Fund balance which was $60,650 less than last year was discussed.  He commended the board for holding the general fund balance.  Most districts throughout the state have a smaller fund balance than in previous years.  Discussion was held on the legislature cutting funding in the future.  Maintenance of Effort along with special education funding was discussed.  Mr. Parker stated this was the first year there was not a deficit in a fund balance for any fund.  He commended the administration for keeping them “out of the red”.  The audit is tied to the federal funds as well.  Major federal programs which were tested were Title I, Title VI-B and Impact Aid.  Discussion was held on the per pupil cost to educate students. 
Ray Meyers made the motion and Joe Merrick seconded to approve the 2008-09 audit.  Motion carried.

B.  Approve Resignations/Hirings/Advertisement of Openings
Discussion was held on the resignation letter from Pam Walling, Bruneau Elementary cook.
Joe Merrick made the motion and Howard Field seconded to accept the resignation of Pam Walling.   Motion carried.

Food Service Supervisor JayDene Aquiso had many applications for the elementary cook position at Bruneau Elementary.  She had many of the applicants work in all three kitchens.  A committee of several of the cooks interviewed three applicants and recommended hiring Heather Burbank.
Marie Robertson made the motion and Ray Meyers seconded to hire Heather Burbank to cook at Bruneau Elementary School.  Motion carried.

Discussion was held on the special education director position.
Ray Meyers made the motion and Howard Field seconded to accept Penny Hines resignation and to advertise for a special education teacher.  Motion carried.

C.   ISBA Resolutions and Proposed Bylaw Changes
The board discussed the resolutions which will be voted on at the annual ISBA Convention in Coeur d’Alene in November.  Each resolution was discussed and voted on by trustees.  The issues schools would have with passing a bond during a general election as now required was discussed. 
Marie Robertson made the motion and Joe Merrick seconded to accept Resolution #1 on Athletic Officials Screening.  Motion carried.

Marie Robertson made the motion and Joe Merrick seconded to reject Resolution #2 on Supplemental Levies.  Motion carried.

Howard Field made the motion and Ray Meyers seconded to accept Resolution #3 on Transition of Trustee Terms.  Motion carried.

Marie Robertson made the motion and Joe Merrick seconded to accept Resolution #4 to lower the Super Majority to 60%.  Black, Meyers, Robertson, Merrick aye.  Field, nay.  Motion carried.

Joe Merrick made the motion and Marie Robertson seconded to accept Resolution #5 on Teacher Certification Requirements.  Motion carried.

Joe Merrick made the motion and Howard Field seconded to approve Resolution #6 on Open Enrollment.  Motion carried.

ISBA By-law changes were discussed.

Marie Robertson made the motion and Howard Field seconded to reject Amendment #1 regarding increasing the base amount for dues.  Motion carried.

Howard Field made the motion and Marie Robertson seconded to vote “yes” allowing Blackfoot School District to move from District V to District VI.  Motion carried.

Joe Merrick made the motion and Ray Meyers seconded to vote “no” regarding the allocation of votes during the business session.  Motion carried.

Joe Merrick made the motion and Marie Robertson seconded to accept the bylaw change regarding technical, grammatical and clean up of amendments.  Motion carried.

Business session voting was discussed in length. 

D.   Motion to Ratify Agreement to Dismiss Sharon Ackley Lawsuit
Superintendent Chandler stated this is the end of the Sharon Ackley Lawsuit.  It is not a settlement because that would have meant money would have changed hands. 

Marie Robertson made the motion and Howard Field seconded that based on recommendations from the school district’s legal counsel, the board ratify an agreement with Sharon Ackley whereby she will dismiss her lawsuit against Defendant Bruneau-Grand View School District, with prejudice, in return for removing from her personnel file and placing in a separate, confidential file, any and all reference to the termination of her employment from Bruneau-Grand View School District.  The terms of this agreement are more fully laid out in a copy of the agreement.  (See attached.)  Pursuant to the agreement, no money is being paid to Plaintiff Sharon Ackley to settle this disputed lawsuit.   Instead, Plaintiff Sharon Ackley will be allowed to submit a resignation letter to the school district, effective March 25, 2005.  (See attached)  Both Ms. Ackley and the school district will bear their own attorney fees and costs.   This agreement was entered into by legal counsel on behalf of the school district, and accomplishes the goal of having Plaintiff’s claims against the school district dismissed without admitting any liability on behalf of the school district and without causing any payment to be made to Plaintiff Sharon Ackley.  In essence, Plaintiff Sharon Ackley has given up her lawsuit.  The legal effect of this Agreement is that Plaintiff cannot bring the Claims contained in her Complaint against the school district again.  The Agreement is binding, and as a result of the Agreement, the trial has been vacated.  After the Agreement has been signed, a stipulation of dismissal will be forwarded to the Court, and this case will be concluded.
Black, Meyers, Field, Robertson, Merrick, aye.  Motion carried.

VII.     EXECUTIVE SESSION
            None.

VIII.    ADJOURNMENT
Marie Robertson made the motion and Joe Merrick seconded to adjourn.  Motion carried.

            The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.

            __________________________________________
                        Catherine R. Sellman, Clerk