CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REORGANIZATION & REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
13 May 2021

MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:01 a.m. The meeting was held in the Creston School Library. Present were Board Trustees Matt Hartle, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Barry Farrell, and Nevada Hafer. Also in attendance were Jack Eggensperger, Flathead County Superintendent of Schools, Tami Ward, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Jennifer Johnson, 2nd Grade Teacher and CEA President, Melissa Potts, 1st Grade Teacher, and Shanta Milne, Kindergarten Teacher.
II. Minutes of 8 April 2021 & 6 May 2021. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the minutes as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Oath of Office for Trustees Elected by Acclamation. At the 8 April 2021 meeting the Board approved the election by acclamation. Jack Eggensperger, Flathead County Superintendent of Schools administered the oath of office to Twila Brenneman (2-year term) and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen (3-year term).
IV. Reorganization of the Board of Trustees
1. Nomination and Election of Board Chair. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen nominated, and Nevada Hafer motioned to elect Matt Hartle as Board Chair. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
2. Nomination and Election of Board Vice-Chair. Matt Hartle nominated, and Barry Farrell motioned to elect Jessica Sandven-Sorensen as Board Vice-Chair. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
3. Appointment and Oath of Office of District Clerk. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen motioned to appoint Tammy Bartos as District Clerk. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
V. Board Meeting Time / Policy 1400 – Board Meetings. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen motioned to continue to meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 a.m. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
VI. Public Participation / Correspondence. Ms. Potts presented the Board with her resignation letter. Thanks were given for her years of service.
VII. Information Items:
1. FY2021 Accreditation Status Report. Final Accreditation Status for 2020-2021 is Regular. A copy of the report was provided.
2. MTSBA Annual Meeting – June 10, 2021 – Virtual Meeting. A copy of the notice was provided.
VIII. Reports:
A. Clerk. Statement of Expenditure includes payroll and claims through 12 May. General Fund is at 64% committed and the Total of all Funds is at 64% committed. Accounts are reconciled to County Treasurer for March 2021. The 2019-2020 Audit is in process.
B. Principal. Student Enrollment is at 108. Kindergarten Roundup was successful with 16 students completing registration, 4 more students are on the list, and 2 students are on a waiting list. Our annual school performance survey and a separate Title 1 survey were completed by parents/guardians – results were provided. At the time of the report there were no new cases of COVID in our learning environment; our goal is to keep our school open for in-person learning throughout the remainder of the school year. Several teachers plan to attend the Western Montana Technology Conference this summer; also, there are plans to attend the NW Reading Council Literacy Conference. Mrs. Davidson, 3rd grade, hosted a virtual field trip with a park ranger from Glacier National Park; Smarter Balanced Assessments for 3rd – 6th graders in ELA and Math began May 3rd. Students in 5th grade will also take a science assessment. The Safety Committee met May 12th; no major concerns were noted. Updates on the Educational and Special Education Cooperatives were given.
C. Staff. Jen Johnson shared the staff report via a Google Slides presentation.

IX. Policies:
A. 3310F – Discipline Citation – Repeal – 2nd Read. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to repeal Policy 3310F. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. 5140 – Personnel – Classified Employment and Assignment – 2nd Read. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the revision to Policy 5140 as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. MTSBA Policy Maintenance Program from 3/19/21 Notice – 2nd Read: 1700, 3225P, 5012P, 3310, 3130, 5120P, 5120F- Notice, 5120F – Determination, 5120F – Privacy, 5120F – Dissemination, 5122F, 5232, 5228P, 5228F, 5228F2, 5328P, 7220, 7220P. Updates from the MTSBA Policy Services to ensure compliance with the law and best practices including Title IX compliance, background checks and fingerprinting, Federal Motor Carrier Clearing House Rules, and the use of Title 1 Funds. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the policies as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
D. MTSBA Policy Maintenance Program from 4/20/21 Notice – 1st Read: 3110, 1310, 2100, 2050, 2221. Over the past months the Montana Legislature passed, and the Governor has approved several pieces of legislation; some of those bills were effective immediately upon passage and approval. These policies were adjusted or created to ensure full compliance with the new laws implemented in HB 68, HB 246, SB 18, and SB 75. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the revisions and new policies as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
X. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Flathead Special Education Cooperative FY22 Interlocal Agreement Severe Communication Disorders Program – nil.
B. Flathead Special Education Cooperative FY22 Interlocal Agreement Preschool Program – nil.
C. Extra-Duty Substitute Contract 2021-2022 – AH. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the extra-duty substitute contract for Ariann Hess-Headlee for the 2021-2022 school year. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
D. East Side Flathead Valley Multidistrict Agreement 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2023. This is an interlocal agreement which allows for increased flexibility and efficiency of school districts to transfer funds into a sub fund and then use them when needed – without an increase in local taxes. A fund transfer would require board approval. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the agreement as presented. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Substitute List. Barry Farrell moved to approve the substitute list and hourly wage as presented for the 2020-2021 school year. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Transportation Contract(s) – nil.
G. Before School Care Contract(s) – nil.
H. Out of District Request(s) – nil.
I. Gym & School Grounds Use request(s) – nil.
XI. Claims – May 2021. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the claims list as presented. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
XII. Executive Session for Principal Personnel Evaluation and Consideration of Closed Session Minutes. At 7:35 am Board Chair Matt Hartle closed the meeting to protect the individual rights of Tami Ward, Principal, during a personnel evaluation. The meeting was reopened at 8:08 a.m. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the Principal evaluation and the executive session minutes. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
XIII. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 10 June 2021, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
XIV. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:09 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

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Tammy Bartos, District Clerk

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Matt Hartle, Board Chair