Board Minutes
24 August 2020 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
24 August 2020
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. The meeting was conducted at the school as well as via a Zoom Meeting platform to allow remote access. Present were Board Trustees, Matt Hartle, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Arnold Bjork, Barry Farrell and Nevada Hafer. Also, in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal and Tammy Bartos, District Clerk.
II. Public Participation / Correspondence – None.
III. Policies:
A. Review MTSBA Policy Series 1900 – Revised for Instructional Year 2020-2021. Policies 1905 and 1906 were presented with revisions; Policy 1908 and 1908F were presented as additions. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the changes and additions as presented. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Offsite Instruction for Instruction Year 2020-2021 – Nil.
B. Memorandum of Agreement with Creston Education Association. MTSBA collaborated with MFPE on the agreement (MOA); that document was amended to fit our specific school situation. The Creston Education Association (CEA) has reviewed the MOA as written. Arnold Bjork moved to approve the MOA with the CEA as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Afternoon Bus Route and Interlocal Agreement with Cayuse Prairie. There was a requested change to the afternoon bus route as Sweet Pea Outdoor School will not be offering an afterschool program. This change also affects our Agreement with Cayuse Prairie. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the change to Route 1 as presented and to approve the change to the Interlocal Agreement with Cayuse Prairie for Transportation as presented. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Note: Nevada Hafer left the meeting at 10:40am and did not participate in any further items.
D. Substitute Teacher Pay Rate. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to increase our Substitute Teacher Pay to $92 per day and to offer a COVID-19 incentive to Substitute Teachers of an additional $12 per day to be offered while Flathead County is in Phase 1 or 2 of the current public health emergency. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Substitute List for 2020/2021. Arnold Bjork moved to approve the Substitute re-hire and new hire lists, the extra-duty contract for Mrs. Mumm as a substitute, and to approve hiring substitutes from the County Superintendent of Schools list for the 2020-2021 school year. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Extra Duty Contracts for Custodial Duties. Arnold Bjork moved to approve the extra-duty contracts for custodial duties as presented for the school year 2020-2021. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
V. Claims – 24 August 2020 – None
VI. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 10 September 2020, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
B. 8 October 2020, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
VII. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 11:20 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
________________________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
________________________________________
Matt Hartle, Board Chair
13 August 2020 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
FINAL BUDGET & REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
13 August 2020
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:07 a.m. The meeting was conducted at the school as well as via a Zoom Meeting platform to allow remote access. Present were Board Trustees, Matt Hartle, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen and Barry Farrell. Absent: Arnold Bjork and Nevada Hafer. Also, in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk and Jennifer Johnson, Teacher and CEA President. Public in Attendance: Jill Bauerle.
II. Minutes of 11 June 2020, 22 June 2020, 25 June 2020, 17 July 2020 and 31 July 2020. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the minutes as presented. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Public Participation / Correspondence – None
IV. Information Items:
A. Governor’s Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF). The document from the Office of the Governor regarding funding for schools through the CRF, as well as a copy of the Certification Form for the funding request was provided.
B. E-Bus Purchase – 2019 GMC Acadia. On 12 July 2020 the purchase of a 2019 GMC Acadia was finalized. A Cost Analysis was provided.
C. Video Surveillance/Door Access. Both of these systems are in process of installation. Installation is expected to be completed prior to the first day of school.
D. Septic System. Until such time that funds are available, or another plan is arrived at, we will proceed with pumping the system more frequently.
E. List of P-Card Users – required as per policy 7405. A list of P-Card Users was presented.
V. Reports:
A. Clerk. Financial Reports for fiscal year 2020 are part of the TFS and Budget Action Items.
B. Principal. Predicting student enrollment for 2020/2021 at or above 109. This year we will host individual class Open Houses instead of the usual Back-to-School Open House and dinner. Mrs. Ward continues to be in close contact with area administration, the OPI and health officials regarding the ongoing coronavirus outbreak – area administrators will continue to meet throughout the school year to brainstorm ideas and share resources. Monthly building maintenance checklists have been completed. We are in desperate need of substitute teachers; notices have been posted and emailed. At the recent August Technology Institute, staff were able to discuss, plan and agree on how we will assist students who are remaining remote, as well as other topics. Many of the teachers are also attending the STEAM conference and the NW Reading Conference this month. The full report was provided to the Board in writing.
C. Staff. Jen Johnson reported positive feedback from last week’s collaboration after the August Institute meetings.
VI. Policies:
A. Review MTSBA Policy Series 1900 – Revised for Instructional Year 2020-2021. None at this time.
B. Policy 3141 – Discretionary Nonresident Student Attendance – 2nd Read. Wording change to “may accept nonresident students in a class until class size reaches 90% or 80% of a small square footage classroom …” Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the changes as presented. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
VII. Consideration of Action Items:
A. TFS. The Trustees Financial Summary (TFS) and the Budget Report for 2020-2021 were not ready to be presented. These two budgeting agenda items were continued to 14 August 2020 at 1:00 p.m. 14 August 2020, Matt Hartle continued the meeting at 1:00 pm. Present were trustees Matt Hartle, Arnold Bjork, Barry Farrell and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Absent was trustee Nevada Hafer. Also, in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal and Tammy Bartos, District Clerk. Mrs. Bartos gave an update of the progress of both the Trustees Financial Summary for 2019-2020 and also for the 2020-2021 Budget. The reports are incomplete, and at 1:12 p.m. the meeting was again continued to 14 August 2020 at 5:00 p.m. 14 August 2020, Matt Hartle continued the meeting at 5:00 p.m. Present were trustees Matt Hartle, Arnold Bjork, Barry Farrell and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Absent was trustee Nevada Hafer. Also, in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal and Tammy Bartos, District Clerk. The TFS is the school districts official submission of annual financial information to the County Superintendent and State Superintendent. The 2019-2020 TFS was presented in its entirety. Arnold Bjork moved to approve the TFS for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 as presented. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Budget. See item A for information on the continuation of this item from 13 August 2020 to 14 August 2020. On 14 August 2020 at the 5:00 p.m. continuation meeting the 2020-2021 Budget report was presented in its entirety. A comparison to FY2019-20 was also provided. Arnold Bjork moved to approve the 2020-2021 Budget as presented. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:03 p.m.
C. Declare Emergency for Instructional Year 2020-2021. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved that “the Board of Trustees declare an unforeseen emergency with the meaning of that term as set forth in Title 20, Chapter 9, Part 8, to become immediately effective and to continue through June 30, 2021, or until terminated by a vote of the Board of Trustees. The declaration is necessary due to community and school health concerns related to COVID-19. The Board of Trustees authorizes the Administrator to take necessary steps to execute this declaration and inform the public and government agencies of this declaration.” Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Offsite Instruction for Instruction Year 2020-2021 – nil.
E. Records Destruction Document – Form RM88 – nil.
F. MOA with CEA. The Memorandum of Agreement with Creston Education Association is in process of being reviewed. No action at this time.
G. Face Coverings. On the afternoon of August 12th, Governor Bullock issued a directive regarding the wearing of masks in public and private schools. Mrs. Ward presented the Reopening document with the needed changes and added an appendix explaining the requirement. After a review and suggested adjustments Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to amend the Creston School Reopening document to reflect the requirement of face masks for staff, students and visitors in the school. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
H. Bus Route Change – Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea Outdoor School is in the process of making a decision about their after-school program, which may impact our afternoon bus route. Waiting for further information. No action at this time.
I. Staff Handbook. Kris Goss at MTSBA provided school administration with a draft staff handbook which was revised and then reviewed again by him. Some minor changes were discussed as well as some typographical corrections. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the Staff Handbook as presented with the discussed changes. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
J. Gym & School Grounds Use request(s) – None
K. Out of District Request(s) – None
VIII. Claims – June 2020 – August 2020. The trustees approved all claims as presented.
IX. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 10 September 2020, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
B. 8 October 2020, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
X. Adjourn. At 8:39 the budget portion of the meeting was continued to August 14, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Please refer to items VII.A. and VII.B. for the minutes to that portion of the meeting.
Respectfully Submitted,
_____________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
_____________________________
Matt Hartle, Board Chair
31 July 2020 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
31 July 2020
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 10:01a.m. The meeting was conducted via a Zoom Meeting platform to allow remote access. Members present were Arnold Bjork, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Members absent: Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer. Also, in attendance: Tammy Bartos – District Clerk and Tami Ward – Principal, and Janessa Williams.
II. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
III. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Teacher Contract JW 2020-2021. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the 2020-2021 teaching contract for Janessa Williams as presented. Arnold Bjork seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Hire Aide and Employment Contract 2020-2021. Arnold Bjork moved to approve the hiring of Katherine Miller for an Aide position and also approve her 2020-2021 employment contract as presented. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 13 August 2020, 7:00 am Final Budget & Regular Meeting
V. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 10:09 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
_____________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
_____________________________
Matt Hartle, Board Chair
17 July 2020 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
17 July 2020
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. The meeting was conducted at both the school and via a Zoom Meeting platform to allow remote access. Members present were Arnold Bjork, Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Also, in attendance: Tammy Bartos – District Clerk, Tami Ward – Principal, Jen Johnson – 2nd grade teacher.
II. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
III. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Reopening Guidelines for All Phases. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the Reopening Guidelines for All Phases as presented. Arnold Bjork seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Policy #3141 – Discretionary Nonresident Student Attendance Policy – 1st Read. Policy #3141 update was reviewed. This was a first read. No motion needed.
C. Teacher Contract JW 2020-2021. No action at the time.
D. Transportation Interlocal Cayuse – Creston 2020-21. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the Transportation Interlocal Agreement Between Cayuse Prairie School District and Creston School District. Nevada Hafer seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Bus Routes 2020-21 Revision & Revised Interlocal Creston – Cayuse 2020-21. Information only provided regarding using the E-Bus as an option on bus routes. No Motion needed.
IV. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 13 August 2020, 7:00 am Final Budget & Regular Meeting
V. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 11:17 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
_____________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
_____________________________
Matt Hartle, Board Chair
25 June 2020 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
25 June 2020
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. The meeting was conducted via a Zoom Meeting platform to allow remote access. Members present were Arnold Bjork, Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Also, in attendance: Tammy Bartos – District Clerk and Tami Ward – Principal.
II. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
III. Information Items:
A. MT-PEC – A Roadmap for Safely Reopening Montana’s Public Schools Using Emergency School District Policies. The MT PEC partners have developed guidance to accompany the MTSBA Model Emergency Policies. A link to the full document was provided.
IV. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Door Access System. The Video Surveillance and Door Access Committee met on 10 June 2020 and recommended Anytime Lock and Safe as the vendor for this system. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved and Arnold Bjork seconded approval of purchasing the Door Access System from Anytime Lock and Safe. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Video Surveillance System. The Video Surveillance and Door Access Committee met on 10 June 2020 and recommended Anytime Lock and Safe as the vendor for this system with an allowance of up to $10,000, to have the vendor identify and run cables run to any dead zones and to purchase the 8 TB DVR. Arnold Bjork moved and Nevada Hafer seconded approval of purchasing the Video Surveillance System from Anytime Lock and Safe as per the Committee recommendations. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Teacher Contract JW 2020-2021 – nil.
D. Type “E” School Bus Vehicle Purchase. The purchase of this type of vehicle is being explored in order to provide more efficient transportation in cases where we need to run bus routes that transport 10 or fewer passengers. The Bus Depreciation Reserve Fund currently has a balance of $23,722 and additional monies from the General and Transportation Fund are also available. Vehicles that meet the school bus standards were presented, but none of them were ideal. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the purchase of a vehicle that meets the Type “E” School Bus Standards up to $33,000 to also include and allow for the purchase and installation of a backup alarm and allow Mrs. Ward to select a vehicle that best fits the needs of the District. Nevada Hafer seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
E. School Safety Transfer Resolution. Arnold Bjork motioned to authorize the administration to transfer up to $15,000 dollars from the 2019- 2020 General and/or Transportation Funds to the Building Reserve Fund as presented. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Full Resolution attached.
V. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 13 August 2020, 7:00 am Final Budget & Regular Meeting
VI. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 10:44 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
_____________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
_____________________________
Matt Hartle, Board Chair
———————————————————
RESOLUTION
BUDGET TRANSFER FOR SCHOOL SECURITY UPGRADES
On Motion duly made by Arnold Bjork and seconded by Barry Farrell the following resolution was presented to the Board:
WHEREAS, the Administration has presented the Board with a recommendation to transfer a maximum of $15,000 dollars from the General and/or Transportation funds to the Building Reserve fund of the District;
WHEREAS, the transfer is not from the debt service fund or retirement fund;
WHEREAS, the transfer is state or local revenue from a budgeted or nonbudgeted fund;
WHEREAS, the funds will be encumbered by June 30, 2022
WHEREAS, the District may not increase its nonvoted levy for the purpose of restoring the transferred funds;
WHEREAS, the transfer is for improvements to school safety including new technologies for emergency response, new technology to manage security measures, securing egress, or general improvements to school safety.
NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Board of Trustees of Creston School District No. 9, approves transferring a maximum of $15,000 dollars from the General and/or Transportation funds to the Building Reserve fund of the District as recommended by the Administration.
Vote being had on the foregoing Resolution, the results of which are as follows:
Name of Trustee In Favor Opposed
Arnold Bjork ___X____ _______
Barry Farrell ___X____ _______
Nevada Hafer ___X____ _______
Matt Hartle ___X____ _______
Jessica Sandven-Sorensen ___X____ _______
The Chairperson declared said Resolution adopted.
22 June 2020 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
22 June 2020
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 3:09 p.m. The meeting was conducted via a Zoom Meeting platform to allow remote access. Members present were Arnold Bjork, Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen. Also, in attendance: Tammy Bartos – District Clerk and Tami Ward – Principal.
II. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
III. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Type “E” School Bus Vehicle Purchase. Over the last couple of years, we have had a need to run additional bus routes that transport 10 or fewer passengers; the purchase of this type of vehicle is being explored in order to provide more efficient transportation in these types of cases. The Bus Depreciation Reserve Fund currently has a balance of $23,722. Additional monies from the General and Transportation Fund are also available. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to authorize the Principal and/or her designees to look for and recommend possible Type E school bus vehicles to purchase. Arnold Bjork seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Next Meeting Dates:
25 June 2020, 10:00 am Special Meeting
V. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 3:32 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
_____________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
_____________________________
Matt Hartle, Board Chair