CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REORGANIZATION & REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
11 MAY 2023

MINUTES

I. Call to order. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:01 a.m. The meeting was held in the gym. Present were Board Trustees Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Megan Derrington, Barry Farrell, and Nevada Hafer. Also in attendance were Rachel Stevens, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Cal Ketchum, Flathead County Superintendent of Schools, Cindi Conley, Special Education Teacher, Jen Johnson, 2nd Grade Teacher and CEA President and Janessa Williams, 6th Grade Teacher.
II. Minutes of 13 April 2023. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the minutes as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Public Participation / Correspondence. A card was received from the Creston Volunteer Fire Department to thank us for the support we give to Creston Fire, especially during the Creston Auction.
IV. Results of Trustee Election. The trustee election was cancelled by acclamation. We had two three-year openings with two candidate filings and one two-year opening with one filing. Elected by Acclamation for three-year terms: Twila Brenneman and Nevada Hafer; for two-year term: Megan Derrington. Barry Farrell moved to approve the trustee election results as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
V. Oath of Office for Newly Elected Trustees. Cal Ketchum, Flathead County Superintendent of Schools administered the oath of office to Twila Brenneman, Megan Derrington and Nevada Hafer.
VI. Adjourn Meeting. This portion of the meeting was adjourned at 7:09 a.m. Cal Ketchum left the meeting at this time.
VII. Call to Order. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:09 a.m.
VIII. Reorganization of the Board of Trustees
A. Nomination and Election of Board Chair. Twila Brenneman nominated and motioned to elect Jessica Sandven-Sorensen as Board Chair. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Nomination and Election of Vice-Chair. Nevada Hafer nominated and motioned to elect Twila Brenneman as Vice-Chair. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Appointment and Oath of Office of District Clerk. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen nominated to appoint Tammy Bartos as District Clerk. Twila Brenneman motioned to appoint Tammy Bartos as District Clerk. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Note that per Cal Ketchum there is just an appointment and no oath needed.
D. Approval of Board Meeting Dates and Times for the 2023/2024 School Year. Barry Farrell moved to continue having regular meetings take place at 7:00 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Discussion of Procedures and Expectations. Items discussed were special and emergency meetings, board packets and trustee resources.
Twila Brenneman left the meeting after this item at 7:18 a.m.
IX. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
X. Information
A. Creston School Scholarship Committee. The scholarship was awarded to Hannah Davidson. She accepted the certificate of award at our school assembly on April 28th. The actual monetary amount of $500 will be given once proof of registration at a technical school, college, or university is provided.
B. MT DEQ Results of Sanitary Survey Inspection of Public Water Supply System. The report in full was provided. Our facility is required to have a sanitary survey inspection once every three years. Results of the survey in all areas were: No issues were observed. Regarding the maintenance, management, safety and operation: “The PWS appears to be well managed and maintained. The historical sample analytical results reflect a well-managed and maintained system. Your efforts are truly appreciated.”
XI. Reports:
A. Clerk. The monthly budget expenditure report was provided through 30 April 2023. General Fund is 64% committed and the Total of all Funds is 52% committed. Accounts are reconciled to the County Treasurer through March 2023.
B. Principal. Student Enrollment is 114. Teachers have reviewed Social Studies Alive! And My World Interactive social studies programs; an email will be sent to families May 12 with the links to review the materials and instructions on how to comment; after the May 12 – 26 review period, a recommendation will be made to the trustees at the June Board meeting regarding this curriculum adoption. Third through sixth grade students participated in the Smarter Balanced ELA and math assessments April 24 – May 11; also, fifth grade students began testing on April 17 as they are required to complete the science assessment. Kindergarten Roundup was facilitated by a team of teachers on May 10; we are predicting our enrollment for the incoming class to be between 18 – 20 students. Kindergarten through sixth grade art, writing, projects, and music will be featured in the gym on May 25 from 7:30 am – 4:30 pm in an open house format. On May 12 our students will participate in an IEFA Collaboration Day with interactive learning activities taught by the staff at Creston School using seven Essential understandings developed by the state of Montana to guide the activities. In April there was a teacher meeting to plan for 2023/2024. School Spirit Days will be June 5 – 9 with Crazy Hat Day, Superhero Day, Crazy Hair Day, Creston Pride Day, and Color Day; also, there will be a drawing held that week during the ice cream social for our “I Love to Read” contest, where we will hold a drawing for three Kindles donated by the Kalispell Masonic Lodge #42. Mrs. Stevens participated in the MTSBA Employment Hot Topics Training in April and attended two hours of Gifted & Talented Team Planning the end of April. Monthly Building Inspections were completed, with minor repairs and the spring/summer facility projects were noted on the Facility Inventory Report.
C. Staff. Jen Johnson, CEA President and 2nd Grade Teacher was present to share the staff report via a Google Slide presentation.
XII. Policies – Consideration of Action:
A. Board Meetings – Policy 1400. Policy was reviewed, no changes made, no action taken.
B. Termination of Emergency Policies 1900 – 1911. Nevada Hafer moved to terminate the Temporary Emergency Policies Numbered 1900-1911 and direct the administration to remove the policies and related procedures from the policy manual as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Add Policy 8131 – Indoor Air Quality. 1st Read, no action.
D. Add Policy 8303 – Cleaning and Disinfecting. 1st Read, no action.
XIII. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Response to Flathead County Commissioners Re. Speed Study – Montana 35 (P-52) – Creston. A letter in support of the results of the Speed Study conducted by MDT staff was drafted. It informs the reader that the trustees agree with the conclusions and recommendations particularly with the proposed new speed limit transitions around our school. Barry Farrell moved to approve the letter to the Flathead County Commissioners regarding Speed Study – Montana 35 (P-52) – Creston as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Request for Leave 2023/2024 – J. Williams. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the request by Miss Williams to take leave with pay for track and field coaching with Columbia Falls High School up to a total of 40 hours from March 27, 2024, through May 26, 2024. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. School Secretary – Position and Job Description. A request to change our current Office Aide position to a Secretary. Barry Farrell moved to approve the addition of a School Secretary position and the job description as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Classified Contract Renewals 2023/2024 including Renewal or Non-Renewal – nil.
E. New Title Teacher (M. Potts) Contract for 2023/2024 – Correction. An error was discovered to the years of experience and coordinating salary that was presented at the April meeting. This new contract corrects that mistake. Barry Farrell moved to approve the corrected teaching contract for Melissa Potts for the 2023/2024 school year as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan Review. The plan was provided for review. No revisions submitted from the community. Dates will be updated. Revisions by the administration include noting termination of Emergency Policies 1900 series and adding references to related policies in lieu of those terminated policies. Megan Derrington moved to approve the Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
G. ARP Plan Review. The plan was provided for review. No revisions were submitted. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the ARP ESSER Plan as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
H. District Clerk & Business/Office Manager Job Opening. Barry Farrell moved to approve the withdrawal of the resignation of Mrs. Bartos and approve the job opening as closed. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
I. Amended Employment Contract 2022/2023 T. Bartos. Contract requires amendments as Mrs. Bartos will be continuing her employment through the end of the fiscal year. Amendments include the job description change to Business/Office Manager & District Clerk, an addition of up to 25 paid days, and a job evaluation prior to June 30. Barry Farrell moved to approve the amended 2022/2023 employment contract for Mrs. Bartos as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
J. MTSBA Annual Meeting. A copy of the announcement was provided. No action taken.
K. Harvest Haying Agreement at 131 Creston Road with S. Wagoner. Steve Wagoner will harvest the hay and in exchange our property will have some needed maintenance – there is no exchange of money. Megan Derrington moved to approve the haying agreement with Steve Wagoner as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
L. Eastside Parking Lot Improvement Proposal. Double Diamond will be here for another project this summer and was asked to look at the issue of pooling water and ice at the north end of our eastside parking lot. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the proposal by Double Diamond to put in a French Drain in our eastside parking lot as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
M. Gym & School Grounds Use Requests – nil.
XIV. Claims Approval. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the claims list as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
XV. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 8 June 2023, 7:00 am, Regular Meeting
XVI. Board Work Session – Training and Discussion for Board Professional Development
A. Introduction to Contracts continued…
XVII. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:32 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
/s/Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
/s/Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair

CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
13 APRIL 2023

MINUTES

I. Call to order. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. The meeting was held in the gym. Present were Board Trustees Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Megan Derrington and Barry Farrell. Absent: Nevada Hafer. Also in attendance were Rachel Stevens, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Cindi Conley, Special Education Teacher, and Jen Johnson, 2nd Grade Teacher and CEA President.
II. Minutes of 9 March 2023. Barry Farrell moved to approve the minutes as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Public Participation / Correspondence
IV. Information
A. ESSA School Report Card 2021-22. A copy of the report was provided.
B. Creston School Scholarship Committee. One $500 Scholarship is available to a graduating high school senior who attended Creston Elementary. The scholarship is paid from the Miscellaneous Fund. The Committee includes one Board Member – Barry Farrell volunteered. The Committee will meet on April 18 after school to review applications.
C. Speed Study – Montana 35 (P-52) – Creston. Montana Department of Transportation staff presented the speed study report to Flathead County Commissioners on March 23, 2023, for review and comment – a 60-day comment period was requested. Significant for the school is the recommendation for a new 45-mph speed limit through Creston with appropriate transitions and the school zone change to 35-mph during school hours and extending 500-feet from school property. A copy of the full report was provided and is available on the MDT Speed Studies website.
D. ARP Plan Review and Call for Stakeholder Input. Stakeholder input is requested regarding the ARP ESSER plan; the next scheduled review is May 11, 2023.
V. Reports:
A. Clerk. The monthly budget expenditure report was provided through 31 March 2023. General Fund is 64% committed and the Total of all Funds is 51% committed. Accounts are reconciled to the County Treasurer through February 2023. ESSER Data Collection for the 7/1/2021- 6/30/2022 reporting period is in process. There was a critical error on our website the end of February, and due to a conflict the malicious code errored out instead of running and our site went down; the issue was identified and dealt with by our website developers and site host in a quick and efficient manner; there are no links to sensitive information on our site and everything there is public information; however, this did help to identify ways to better protect our site environment and keep our theme up to date.
B. Principal. Student Enrollment is 114. Monthly building maintenance inspections were completed. The installation of the network, phone, intercom, and speaker were completed over spring break. Fifth and sixth grade student volunteers served as runners for the Creston Auction with Mrs. Jen Johnson coordinating and supervising this community service project; also, as a community service the fourth-grade class assisted Miss Bailey Johnson in setting up for the Family Math Night. Families were welcomed into the gym on March 21 for a Family Math Night where they learned to play math games and test their estimation skills – a thank you to the Creston Boosters for supporting this event. Mrs. Mumm wrote and received a grant award in the amount of $300 from the Montana Masonic Foundation to increase and update her first-grade classroom library. Teachers have been reviewing social studies curriculum for possible consideration in the future. A thank you to the Creston Volunteer Fire Department: as a result of their efforts in preparing the field for the auction by removing the ice – it was as deep as 8 inches in some areas – no ice remains on the playground. The Montana Small Schools Alliance (MSSA) in partnership with Western Montana Professional Learning Community (WMPLC) received federal funding through a grant to increase counseling and mental health services to rural schools. The grant provides access to a full-time licensed School Counselor, who serves as the Mental Health Resource Navigator. There is also the ability to access the Montana Cares app which provides resources for families. Mrs. Stevens is registered for the MTSBA/MASBO Employment Hot Topics seminar – three two-hour sessions during the month of April.
C. Staff. Jen Johnson, CEA President and 2nd Grade Teacher was present to share the staff report via a Google Slide presentation.
VI. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Collective Bargaining Agreement Negotiations with Creston Education Association. The CEA approved the proposal and changes to the CBA and salary schedule as presented to them on 9 March 2023. The CBA for 2023/2024 was updated with all negotiated changes and was provided to the trustees. Barry Farrell moved to approve the CBA for 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2024 as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Teacher Contract Renewals 2023/2024 including Renewal or Non-Renewal of Non-Tenured Teachers. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the contract renewals for the list of tenured teachers for the 2023/2024 school year. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Megan Derrington moved to approve the contract renewals for the list of non-tenured teachers for the 2023/2024 school year. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. New Title Teacher Hire & Contract for 2023/2024. Twila Brenneman moved to hire Melissa Potts as a teacher for the 2023/2024 school year and approve her teaching contract as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Levy & Trustee Election Cancellation. Our levy and trustee election has been cancelled. The trustee election was cancelled by acclamation as the number of candidates filing were equal to or less than the number of positions to be elected. Barry Farrell moved to approve the election cancellation as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Eastside Flathead Valley Multidistrict Interlocal Agreement 2023-2025. A renewal of the agreement which allows for increased flexibility and efficiency of participating school districts without an increase in local taxes. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the East Side Flathead Valley Multidistrict Agreement for the period of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Audit Proposal Revision for FY2022 and FY2023 and Contract. Due to unforeseen circumstances our auditor is proposing a biennial audit for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Barry Farrell moved to approve the audit proposal and contract for a biennial audit of FY2022 and FY2023 at a cost of $13,900 as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
G. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan. No changes or updates. Next scheduled review is May11th. Information only – no action.
H. MSSA Agreement 2023/2024. The Montana Small Schools Alliance (MSSA) provides appropriately endorsed professionals to help our district meet the Library and Guidance Chapter 55 requirement. Also, included in the request is the Curriculum Consortium Agreement to meet our Title II federal requirements. Megan Derrington moved to approve the letter of agreement for MSSA programs 2023-24 as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
I. District Clerk & Business/Office Manager Job Opening. The Hiring Committee held interviews on 15 March 2023 and selected an applicant for hire; however, that person declined. In the meantime, Mrs. Bartos has withdrawn her resignation – her official withdrawal will be an action item at the next meeting; until then, no further action is recommended on pursuing hiring for this position. Information only – no action.
J. Post a 1.0 FTE Teacher Position for the 2023/2024 School Year. Due to Miss Bailey Johnson submitting her resignation there is a need to post an open position for an elementary teacher for the 2023/2024 school year. Twila Brenneman moved to approve posting a 1.0 FTE teacher position for the 2023/2024 school year as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
K. Bus Parking Lot Paving and Sidewalk/Concrete Proposals. The bus parking lot and replacement of sidewalks have been listed projects on our school facilities inventory for several years. Mrs. Stevens has sought out and received three proposals for these projects. District Safety Subfund and District Permissive Levy Subfund are the sources of monies. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the proposal from Double Diamond for the bus loading zone only and with the understanding that work must start before 6/30/2023. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously. There was further discussion about having a backup plan in place. Twila Brenneman moved that if Double Diamond is unable to fulfill the request that Bison Building Systems’ proposal is approved for the bus area only with the same timing required. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
L. Transportation Contracts. One contract was presented. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the transportation contract as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
M. Before School Care Contracts. One contract was presented. Megan Derrington moved to approve the contract as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
N. Out-of-District Requests. Two requests were presented for students seeking placement at Creston School. Barry Farrell moved to approve the attendance agreements as presented. Megan Derrington seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
O. Gym & School Grounds Use Requests. The Many Lakes HOA requested use of the gym on 4/22/2023 from 8:00 to 2:00 to host a Living with Wildfire Community Event; also K. Hagen and D. Schurz requested to move their gym use day to practice martial arts with their families from Wednesdays to Mondays from 4:00 – 5:00 from 4/17 to 5/22/2023. Twila Brenneman moved to approve both the Many Lakes HOA and the Hagen/Schurz gym use requests as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The Creston Firefighters Association has requested the use of the outdoor school grounds and gym for the Creston Firefighters Association 58th Auction and Country Fair, Thursday April 4, 1:30 pm through Sunday, April 7, 2024, 6:00 pm. There are addendums requested regarding a pre-auction meeting, the gaga ball pit, floor mats in the lobby and armed and unarmed security services. Barry Farrell moved to approve the school grounds and gym use request by the Creston Firefighters Association for April 2024 as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
VII. Claims Approval. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the claims list as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
VIII. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 11 May 2023, 7:00 am, Reorganization and Regular Meeting
B. 8 June 2023, 7:00 am, Regular Meeting
IX. Board Work Session – Training and Discussion for Board Professional Development. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen led a discussion covering the following two topics.
1. Introduction to Contracts
a) MontanaSky Networks Tower Agreement
2. Website access of School Policies & Brief Look at New Policy Manual format
X. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:44 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
/s/Tammy Bartos, District Clerk

/s/Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair