CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9

REGULAR BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

7 November 2018

MINUTES

I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees Meeting to order at 7:03 a.m. in the Creston School Library with the following members present: Joanna Massie, Shawn McDonough, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen and Julie Tikka. Also, in attendance were: Tami Ward – Principal, Tammy Bartos – District Clerk, Deb Christiansen – Title & PE teacher.

II. Minutes. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded approval of the minutes of the 10 October 2018 – Regular Meeting. Motion passed unanimously.

III. Public Participation / Correspondence– nil.

IV. Information Items:

A. Lawsuit filed by William Rogers re. Wi-Fi Tower Installation – Update. a.) Rule 16 Scheduling Order, signed October 16, 2018, has been received. b) MontanaSky Networks filed a Motion & Brief for Leave to Intervene on October 16, 2018.  c) A letter of appeal by William Rogers regarding the board decision has been received by Jack Eggensperger, the County Superintendent of Schools, a response has been requested and our attorney is responding.  d) On October 31, 2018 MontanaSky Networks filed an Unopposed Motion for Stay to Allow for Settlement.  Although, unfortunately, this was done without the approval of the Creston School Board, it has in any case been denied by the Judge.

B. Whispering Pines Subdivision. A Notice regarding a proposed subdivision just east of Highway 35 off of Mennonite Church Road was received from the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Department.

C. Report Card Format. Tami Ward explained a planned revision to the format of the report cards.The change is in response to a survey sent out last year.  The grading standards remain the same, just the format which the parents receive will change.

D. Public Employees Retirement System for Classified Non-Instructional Staff. Tammy Bartos presented information regarding the offering this retirement system to this type of employee. Initial steps have previously been taken in prior years.

E. Procurement Card (p-Card) Information. Tammy Bartos presented information regarding this option for replacing the current credit card we use – which is a personally guaranteed card. This p-Card is offered through a partnership with MASBO and Illinois ASBO.

V. Reports:

A. Clerk. Statement of Expenditure through 7 November 2018 was submitted. General Fund is at 27% committed and Grand Total of all funds is at 22%. Balanced to County Treasurer for July, August and September 2018.  Fall Student Enrollment Count Report was submitted to MAEFAIRS in October – reported enrollment was 101.

B. Principal. Student Enrollment is 101.Jan Lord, artist in residence is working with 3^rd– 6^thgraders on a mural, being funded by the Montana Arts Council. Heat tape has been installed in the gutters in the problem areas and two pieces of playground equipment have arrived and may yet be installed before the ground is frozen. Professional Development: Tami Ward attended the National Rural School Conference; October early out for PD was a Zoom conference with NWRISE, student engagement survey, review of various procedures and classroom goals and Title I services; the first observation cycle of teachers will be completed mid-November.  Tami Ward will be a panel member in an education town hall discussion through the Chamber of Commerce in December.  Reported on the various Cooperatives we are a part of.  The process of preplanning for the 2020/2021 school year will begin with a survey to the school and staff, of primary interest is whether we should remain a K-6^thschool or become a K-8^thor preK-5^thgrade school.

C. Staff. Deb Christiansen reported on the various classroom topics and events happening throughout the school.

D. Class Presentations. At 8:00 a.m. representatives from the 2^ndgrade class presented their correspondence with pen pals; Also, 3^rdgrade class representatives presented book reviews and math work.

VI. Policies:

A. Joanna Massie moved, and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded to approve the second and final reading of policy 2000 INSTRUCTION – Goals (Revision) as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

VII. Consideration of Action Items:

A. Hold Harmless Agreement with Eastside Grange. The Grange is a temporary shelter for school children during a school emergency. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved, and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the Hold Harmless Agreement with the Eastside Grange.  Motion passed unanimously.

B. MSPLIP (property & liability insurance) Member Proxy for November 13, 2018 meeting. The annual meeting requires a quorum.  An authorized representative from our school may attend or a proxy may be appointed. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved, and Joanna Massie seconded to appoint the MSPLIP Chairman of the Board of Directors as Proxy holder for the November 13, 2018 Annual Meeting.  Motion passed unanimously.

C. MTSBA Policy Maintenance Contract. The MTSBA Policy Services program helps ensure school districts operate in accordance with established practices and applicable laws.  They will work with our school district policy, procedures, and handbooks to comply with the legal requirements of state and federal law. As a member of the maintenance program, they will review and continually update the District’s policies to adequately reflect operations.  Julie Tikka moved, and Joanna Massie seconded to approve the MTSBA Custom Small School Policy Manual Agreement as presented.  Motion passed unanimously.

D. Substitute Teacher List. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved, and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the substitute teacher list as presented.  Motion passed unanimously.

E. Transportation Contract(s). nil.

F. Before School Care Program – Fee Waiver. There are times that before school meetings occur with parents, who have their student(s) with them.  It would be helpful to allow those students access to the Before School Care Program so the meetings can be conducted efficiently.  Shawn McDonough moved, and Joanna Massie seconded to approve allowing the Principal to waive the fee and allow students to use the Before School Care Program when conducting authorized before school meetings with parents.  Motion passed unanimously.

G. Before School Care Contract(s). nil.

H. Out of District request(s). Julie Tikka moved, and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded to acknowledge receipt of the attendance agreements for students residing in Creston School District, choosing to attend another district.  Motion passed unanimously.  Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the attendance agreements for out-of-district students who request attendance at Creston School.  Motion passed unanimously.

I. Gym & School Grounds Use Request(s). Tom Martinez is requesting the use of our gym on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., for the purpose of basketball, beginning ASAP through May 31, 2018.  Julie Tikka moved, and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded to approve the gym use requests as presented.  Motion passed unanimously.

VIII. Claims.Board approved all Claims for November 2018.

IX. Next Meeting Dates:

A. 13 December 2018 7:00am, Regular Meeting

X. Meeting adjourned at 8:14 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tammy Bartos, District Clerk                               Matt Hartle, Chairman

CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9

REGULAR BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

10 October 2018

MINUTES

I. Call to order. Joanna Massie called the Board of Trustees Meeting to order at 7:01 a.m. in the Creston School Library with the following members present: Shawn McDonough and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Matt Hartle was out of town and Julie Tikka was out with medical concerns. Also in attendance were: Tami Ward – Principal, Tammy Bartos – District Clerk, Jen Johnson – 2^ndgrade teacher.

II. Minutes. Shawn McDonough moved and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded approval of the minutes of the 6 September 2018 – Regular Meeting and the 6 September 2018 – Special Meeting. Motion passed unanimously.

III. Public Participation / Correspondence– nil.

IV. Information Items:

A. Lawsuit filed by William Rogers re. Wi-Fi Tower Installation – Update. 1.) October 1, 2018 Mr. Rogers filed a motion for a temporary injunction to stop construction of the tower. Our attorney, Jean E. Faure of Faure Holden Attorneys at Law, P.C. is handling the matter and will keep us informed as this moves forward; 2.) Also, on October 1, 2018 Mr. Rogers contacted our attorney and forwarded a draft of an amendment to his original lawsuit.  On October 4, 2018 she sent a response for him to consider before he actually files the amendment.  We are still waiting for a counter response.

B. Lawsuit filed by Hana & Petr Kukla re. Wi-Fi Tower Installation – Update. September 14, 2018 Hana & Petr Kukla filed a voluntary dismissal of their lawsuit.

C. Evergreen Disposal Update re. Container. Last week Evergreen Disposal delivered a container to us that has a locking mechanism on it. Also, the pick up schedule has been changed to once every other week.  Our cost is currently $60.10 per month, a change from $96.20 per month.

D. Major Bus Repair Invoice Review. At the July 23, 2018 Special Board Meeting the Board approved the needed engine overhaul bus repair at an estimated cost of $28,000.00. The bus was returned to us on September 4, 2018 and the final invoice was $23,920.42.

E. Smarter Balance Assessment Comparison (SBAC) 2017-2018. Combined 2017-2018 Advanced or Proficient Scores 3^rd– 6^thgrades: 1) English Language Arts (ELA) – 66%; 2) Math 54%. Principal Ward shared the challenges with taking this test, new ideas teachers will implement this year, school-wide goals and interventions.

F. School Theme for 2018/2019. Teachers collaborated to come up with this year’s theme: Show good character ~ Be your own superhero!

G. Principal Professional Responsibilities and Goals. Principal Ward presented the 2018/2019 Principal Professional Responsibilities and Goals Form, from the approved Montana-EPAS Evaluation Tool. This form will be used later in the year for the Principal Evaluation.

H. Continuous School Improvement Program School & District Plan. This report, required by the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) was completed and submitted by Principal Ward on October 5, 2018.Topics covered in the plan include School Climate, Math Goals, ELA Goals, Title III, and Homeless.

V. Reports:

A. Clerk. Statement of Expenditure through 8 October 2018 was submitted. General Fund is at 18% committed and Grand Total of all funds is at 16%.

B. Principal. Student Enrollment is 101; The Easement Agreement with MontanaSky has been signed by all parties; 3^rd– 6^thgrade students are working on an art project with an artist to fulfill the $1,499 art grant we received; September 26 early out time was used for a productive teacher professional development time; Tami Ward received a travel grant to attend the National Small Schools Alliance convention this month – a conference which brings together rural educators who learn about issues small schools encounter and seek viable solutions collaboratively; Updates on the Education Cooperative, Special Education Cooperative and Crossroads were given; Safety Committee reviewed the role of being a committee member and assigned a mentor to new employees on safety practices; in the beginning stages of investigating what needs to be done to update the 2008 School Facility Inventory Report; Before School Care Program is running smoothly with nine families currently using the program.

C. Staff. Jen Johnson reported on the various classroom topics and events happening throughout the school.

VI. Policies:

A. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 4350 COMMUNITY RELATIONS – Website Accessibility and Nondiscrimination, with two grammatical corrections on line 30 (change “which” to “with”) and line 31 (delete a duplicate “or”). Motion passed unanimously.

B. Shawn McDonough moved and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded to approve policy 3224 STUDENTS – Student Dress as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

C. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 1014FE – BOARD OF TRUSTEES – Intent to Increase Non-Voted Levy as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

D. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 1014FE-FI – BOARD OF TRUSTEES – Notice of Intent to Impose an Increase in Levies Form as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

E. Shawn McDonough moved and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded to approve 3124 STUDENTS – Military Compact Waiver as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

F. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 5000A PERSONNEL – Aide Job Description as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

G. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 5000C PERSONNEL – Custodian Job Description as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

H. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 5000LA PERSONNEL – Library Assistant Job Description as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

I. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 5000SC PERSONNEL – School Clerk Job Description as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

J. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve policy 5000ST PERSONNEL – Substitute Teacher Job Description as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

K. 2000 INSTRUCTION – Goals.This was the first reading of a revision to this policy. No motion.

VII. Consideration of Action Items:

A. The MTSBA Board has authorized distribution of a contingent ballot for all pending association business, as there is concern they will lack a quorum at the October 19^th Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded voting “yes” to all items on the Contingent Ballot for Conducting MTSBA Business. Motion passed unanimously.

B. Shawn McDonough moved and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded to approve the Fiscal Year 2018 – Fiscal Year 2020 Audit Contract with Nicole M. Noonan, CPA, PC.Motion passed unanimously.

C. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve both the in-house Substitute Teacher List and the use of the Flathead County Superintendent of Schools Substitute list as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

D. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the Before School Care Program – Teacher Fee Waiver as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

E. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the Before School Care Contracts as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

F. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the Transportation Contracts as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

G. Shawn McDonough moved and Jessica Sandven-Sorenson seconded to acknowledge receipt of the attendance agreements for students residing in Creston School District, choosing to attend another district. Motion passed unanimously.  Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the attendance agreements for out-of-district students who request attendance at Creston School.  Motion passed unanimously.

H. Two gym use requests were presented: 1) 4^thgrade girls Rotary Club Basketball practice, Thursday’s 6:30 – 8:00 pm through 8 November 2018 and; 2) S. Uskoski family for basketball, Monday’s 7:00 – 10:00 pm through 6 June 2019.Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Shawn McDonough seconded to approve the gym use requests as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

VIII. Claims.Board approved all Claims for October 2018.

IX. Next Meeting Dates:

A. 7 November 2018 7:00am, Regular Meeting

X. Meeting adjourned at 8:21 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tammy Bartos, District Clerk                               Matt Hartle, Chairman

CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9

SPECIAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

6 September 2018, 7:00 PM

MINUTES

I. Call to Order.Chairman Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Creston School Gym with the following members present: Joanna Massie, Shawn McDonough, and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Julie Tikka was out with medical concerns. Also in attendance were: Tami Ward – Principal, Tammy Bartos – District Clerk, Tony Koenig – MTSBA legal representative; various staff members and members of the public.

II. Wi-Fi Tower Information: The following documents were submitted to the Board. The Board had access to this information and each one had reviewed it prior to tonight’s meeting.

A. Against the Wi-Fi Tower

1.Submitted written public comment during the 30-day comment period.

2.Research submitted by neighbors against the tower.

3.Uniform Complaints

4.General Complaints

5.Petitions and Communications Against

6.Lawsuits v. Creston School

7.Communications/Requests for Information – August 23, 2018 email

8.Communication with Public: Requests for Information

B.In Favor of the Wi-Fi Tower

1.Submitted written public comment during the 30-day comment period.

C. General Comments and Research Provided

D. Research Provided by the Public

E. Additional written public comment received after the 30-day comment period.

F. Copies of Minutes that include public comment

III. Consideration of Action Item:

A. Wi-Fi Tower Easement Agreement (131 Creston Road) with MontanaSky Networks, Inc.

1. Public Comment. Various members of the public commented regarding being in favor of or opposed to moving forward with the agreement.

2.Description (read aloud by the Clerk): At the July 31, 2018 Special Meeting of the Board, a halt was placed on the Wi-Fi Tower installation. A 30-day public comment period was initiated for August 1^st– 30^th. At this time the Board has reviewed the public comment and a host of additional documents regarding the Tower. Please note that on July 23, 2018 the Board moved to amend the signed June 7^thagreement with MontanaSky to 1) move the tower 150’ to the west; and 2) to remove the clause in the agreement regarding subletting and revenue sharing.  The Easement Agreement with the noted changes is now before the Board for approval.

3.Each member of the Board was individually called on to vote on the approval of the action item. The vote was unanimous.

IV. Public Participation:

A.Marianne Miller addressed her concern regarding how many of the public comments taken on the tower were people not in the Creston School District.She extended a thank you to the Board for what they have done.

V. Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Tammy Bartos, District Clerk                                                   Matt Hartle, Chairman