Board Minutes
22 June 2022 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
22 June 2022
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 1:07 p.m. The meeting was held remotely via a Zoom platform. Present were Board Trustees Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Barry Farrell, Walter Graves and Nevada Hafer. Also in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Jennifer Johnson, Teacher and CEA President, Shanta Milne, Kindergarten Teacher, Rachel Stevens, Incoming Principal, Mac Kirk, MSPLIP and Shawn Bubb, MSGIA.
II. Policies – Consideration of Action:
A. MTSBA Policy Update per 4/15/22 Notice – 2nd Read: 2510. Barry Farrell moved to approve the update to policy 2510 as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Property & Liability Insurance Proposals for 2022/2023. Shawn Bubb of MSGIA and Mac Kirk of MSPLIP were present to represent their organizations and answer questions. Nevada Hafer moved to accept the MSPLIP proposal for property and liability insurance for 7/1/2022 – 7/1/2023 as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Global Archives Quote for Records Management & Storage. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the use of record management services by Global Archives as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Flathead Special Education Cooperative Agreement 2022-23. We have a contract that is in effect from July 2021 through June 2024. No action taken.
D. Flathead Crossroad Interlocal Agreement 2022-23. The Agreement was not available at the time of the meeting. No action taken.
E. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan. Information only. No action taken.
IV. Claims Approval. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the June 14, 2022, claim approval list as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
V. Next Meeting Dates:
A. No Meeting scheduled in July.
B. 11 August 2022, 7:00 am Budget & Regular Meeting
VI. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 2:21 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
/s/Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
/s/Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair
9 June 2022 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
9 June 2022
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, Barry Farrell, and Nevada Hafer. Absent: Walter Graves. Also in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal, Jennifer Johnson, Teacher and CEA President, Rachel Stevens, Mac Kirk, and Shawn Bubb. In the absence of Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Twila Brenneman recorded the minutes.
II. Minutes of 12 May 2022. Nevada Hafer motioned to approve the minutes as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
IV. Information – nil.
V. Reports:
A. Clerk. The monthly budget expenditure report was provided through 31 May 2022. General Fund is 76% committed and the Total of all Funds is 62% committed. Fund 115 Project Report was also provided. Accounts are reconciled to the County Treasurer through April 2022. Fiscal Year 2020-2021 on-site audit is scheduled for the week of June 13th.
B. Principal. Current Student Enrollment is 111. Monthly building inspections have been completed. The Creston Learning Fair was held May 19th, in an open house format, the event was well attended by parents and families and students enjoyed sharing and viewing the work of other students. IEFA Collaboration Day was held May 13th and students participated in interactive learning activities taught by the staff of Creston School. School Spirit Days are happening these final days of the school year, there will be a drawing held later today for three Kindle Fires donated by the Masonic Lodge at the student ice cream social for our I Love to Read contest. There were three confirmed positive coronavirus cases in our learning environment during the month of May and twenty-three total cases this school year; cases countywide have shown a steady decrease. Due to the increased concern regarding school safety a safety audit is recommended for this summer. Third through sixth grade students have completed Smarter Balanced Assessments for the 2021/2022 school year; a comparison of the preliminary results of this year compared to last year were given. Creston School Benchmark Assessment Data for 2021/2022 in Reading (Fountas & Pinnell) and Math (EasyCBM) was shared.
C. Staff. The link to the Google Slide presentation will be sent at a later date.
VI. Policies – Consideration of Action:
A. MTSBA Policy Updates per 3/18/22 Notice – 2nd Read: 5223, 5314, 5450, 5450F, 5450P, 8300. Barry Farrell motioned to approve the updates to policies 5223, 5314, 5450, and 8300, and new form and procedure 5450F and 5450P as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. MTSBA Policy Update per 4/15/22 Notice – 1st Read: 2510. This was the first read of these policy updates; no action taken.
VII. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Property & Liability Insurance Proposals for 2022/2023. Shawn Bubb of MSGIA and Mac Kirk of MSPLIP each presented their respective proposals; more information regarding cyber coverage from MSPLIP is needed. A special meeting will be called for further consideration of the proposals. No action taken.
B. New Teacher Hire & Contract 2022-2023. The Hiring Committee met on May 31st and recommends Carlie Nutt for hire. All pre-employment requirements have been met. Twila Brenneman moved to hire Carlie Nutt as a teacher for the 2022-2023 school year and approve her teaching contract as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. District Clerk Employment Agreement 2022-2023. Barry Farrell moved to approve the compensation and employment agreement as presented for the 2022-2023 school year. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Classified Contracts Renewal or Non-Renewal 2022-2023 & Compensation. Barry Farrell moved to approve the compensation and employment agreement renewals as presented for the 2022-2023 school year. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Hourly Paid Classified Employees Stipend for 2022-2023. To maintain the operation and continuity of services at our school and in consideration of statewide and national employee shortages, a stipend of up to a $3,060 per annum for a 1.0 FTE hourly paid classified employee was proposed, job duties must be performed, and approved timecards submitted. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the one-time stipend to the listed classified employees as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Global Archives Quote for Records Management & Storage. Information regarding record management services offered by Global Archives was provided. More information regarding scanning costs was requested. No action taken.
G. Flathead Special Education Cooperative Agreement 2022-23 – nil.
H. Flathead Crossroad Interlocal Agreement 2022-23 – nil.
I. Restroom Stall Divider Quote. Barry Farrell moved to approve the purchase of the solid plastic restroom stall dividers as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
J. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan Review. Upon review two items were submitted: 1) dates to be updated and 2) the link to the School Reopening Guidelines to be updated to version 6-23-2021. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
K. Extra-Duty Mentoring Contract 2022/2023 – DC. A contract for D. Christiansen to mentor our new teacher for the 2022/2023 school year. Barry Farrell moved to approve the extra-duty mentoring contract and pay rate of D. Christiansen beginning 25 August 2022 and ending not later the 30th day of June 2023 as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
L. Appointment of a Representative to the County Transportation Committee. Twila Brenneman moved to appoint Rachel Stevens, Principal, as the representative to the County Transportation Committee effective July 1, 2022. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
M. Speed Study from the Highway Traffic Commission. Nevada Hafer moved to approve a request for a speed study from the Highway Traffic Commission. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
N. Bus Route 2022/2023 & Interlocal Transportation Agreements. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the bus route, stops with student crossings and transportation interlocal agreements as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
O. Cayuse Prairie – Creston Transportation Interlocal 2022/2023. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the transportation interlocal agreement with Cayuse Prairie as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
P. Individual Transportation Contract Approval (OPI Form TR-4) – nil.
Q. Transfer to Eastside Multidistrict Interlocal Fund. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the resolution to transfer up to a maximum of $35,000 dollars from the 2021/2022 General Fund to the East Side Flathead Valley Multidistrict Interlocal Fund as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
R. Letter of Reasonable Assurance for Substitutes. Twila Brenneman moved to approve issuing the Letter of Reasonable Assurance for Substitute Employees as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
S. District Clerk Authority to Process Claims Summer Months. Nevada Hafer moved to authorize the District Clerk to process claims from June through August 2022 without convening a board meeting. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
T. Gym & School Grounds Use Requests – nil.
VIII. Claims Approval – nil.
IX. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 22 June 2022, 1:00 pm Special Meeting
B. No Meeting scheduled in July.
C. 11 August 2022, 7:00 am Budget & Regular Meeting
X. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
/s/Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
/s/Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair
12 May 2022 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REORGANIZATION & REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
12 May 2022
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:03 a.m. The meeting was held in the gym. Present were Board Trustees Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer, Julie Horton and Walter Graves. Also in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, and Jennifer Johnson, Teacher and CEA President.
II. Minutes of 14 April 2022. Twila Brenneman motioned to approve the minutes as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Results of Trustee Election. The trustee election was cancelled by acclamation. We had two trustee openings and two candidate filings. Elected by Acclamation for 3-year terms: Barry Farrell and Walter Graves. Nevada Hafer motioned to approve the trustee election results as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Oath of Office for Newly Elected Trustees. Jack Eggensperger, Flathead County Superintendent of Schools administered the oath of office to Barry Farrell and Walter Graves.
V. Recognition to Outgoing Trustees. Thanks was given to Julie Horton for her service since her appointment on December 9, 2021.
VI. Adjourn Meeting. This portion of the meeting was adjourned at 7:09 a.m. and Julie Horton left the meeting.
VII. Call to Order. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:09 a.m. with newly seated trustee Walter Graves joining the Board.
VIII. Reorganization of the Board of Trustees
A. Nomination and Election of Board Chair. Barry Farrell nominated and motioned to elect Jessica Sandven-Sorensen as Board Chair. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Nomination and Election of Vice-Chair. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen 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. Twila Brenneman motioned to appoint Tammy Bartos as District Clerk. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Jack Eggensperger administered the oath of office.
D. Discussion of procedures and expectations for the coming year. Items discussed were the meeting schedule, board packets and trustee resources. Discussion only.
IX. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
X. Information
A. ESSA School Report Card 2020-21. A copy of the report was provided.
B. MTSBA Annual Meeting. A copy of a notice was provided. Nevada Hafer and Walter Graves intend to attend remotely/virtually.
C. Hiring Committee. There was an interview meeting held on May 4th. The committee agreed to field more applicants for the position of a 1.0 FTE Teacher.
XI. Reports:
A. Clerk. The monthly budget expenditure report was provided through 30 April 2022. General Fund is 75% committed and the Total of all Funds is 59% committed. Fund 115 Project Report was also provided. Accounts are reconciled to the County Treasurer through March 2022.
B. Principal. Current Student Enrollment is 111. Monthly building inspections have been completed. Our community focus this month is picking up trash on Creston and Riverside Road. Creston School 3rd – 6th graders participated in Smarter Balanced Assessments April 25 – May 13th. Kindergarten Roundup was May 11th, and we are predicting our enrollment for the incoming class to be between 15-18 students. The Creston Learning Fair will be held May 19th, in an open house format, where kindergarten thru sixth grade student art, writing projects and music will be featured. On May 13th we will have an Indian Education For All (IEFA) Collaboration day for our students; they will participate in interactive learning activities taught by the staff. School Spirit Days will be held June 6 – 10 with a daily theme. A drawing for three Kindle Fires, donated by Kalispell Masonic Lodge #42, will be held at the student ice cream social for our I Love to Read contest. On April 28th a meeting was held with teachers and incoming principal Rachel Stevens to plan for the upcoming school year. There were zero confirmed positive coronavirus cases in our learning environment during the month of April and twenty total cases this school year.
C. Staff. Jen Johnson shared the staff report via a Google Slide presentation.
XII. Policies – Consideration of Action:
A. MTSBA Policy Updates per 3/18/22 Notice – 2nd Read: 3612, 3612F, 3612P. Barry Farrell motioned to approve the updates to policies 3612, 3612F and new procedure 3612P as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. MTSBA Policy Updates per 3/18/22 Notice – 1st Read: 5223, 5314, 5450, 5450F, 5450P, 8300. This was the first read of these policy updates; no action taken.
XIII. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Preschool Program Interlocal Agreement with Flathead Special Education Cooperative. A renewal agreement, the FSEC Preschool Program is a center-based program that provides preschool services to children ages 3 through 5 who are residents of the participating school districts and meet eligibility criteria. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the FSEC Preschool Program Interlocal Agreement for fiscal year 2022-2023 as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. STAR Communication Program Interlocal Agreement with Flathead Special Education Cooperative. A renewal agreement, the FSEC STAR Communication Disorders Program is a collaborative effort by the member school districts to provide and implement a program to meet the needs of students who have Autism or related characteristics and behaviors that impede their ability to communicate and be successful within their neighborhood school. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the FSEC STAR Communication Program Interlocal Agreement for fiscal year 2022-2023 as presented with a correction in paragraph three to reflect 2022-2023 school year. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously
C. Global Archives Quote / Records Management and Storage. Information only provided regarding this company which provides records management and storage options.
D. Resolution Requesting County to Run Election 2023. A formal request, in accordance with 20-20-417 MCA, that the 2023 annual school election be conducted by the Flathead County Election Administration instead of Creston School conducting its own election. The full resolution was provided. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the resolution as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan. Information only.
F. Montana Small Schools Alliance (MSSA) Programs Agreement. This is a standard agreement between school districts and the MSSA. MSSA provides a teacher certified and appropriately endorsed professional to help our district meet the Library and Guidance Chapter 55 requirement. The fee for this is $600 for the year. Also, included in the request is the Curriculum Consortium Agreement to meet our Title II federal requirements. The fee is $1,649 for the school year. Barry Farrell moved to approve the Letter of Agreement for the MSSA Programs 2022-23 as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
G. Gym & School Grounds Use Requests – nil.
XIV. Claims Approval – Nevada Hafer moved to approve the claims list as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
XV. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 9 June 2022, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
B. August 2022, 7:00 am Regular Meeting. Correction: 11 August 2022. Also, the Budget Meeting will be held in August.
XVI. Board Work Session – Training and Discussion for Board Professional Development
A. MTSBA’s Upcoming Trainings. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen led a discussion covering this topic.
XVII. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:05 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
/s/Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
/s/Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair
14 April 2022 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
14 April 2022
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, Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer, and Julie Horton. Also in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Deb Christiansen, Teacher, Jennifer Johnson, Teacher and CEA President, and community member: Walter Graves.
II. Minutes of 10 March 2022 and 15 March 2022. Nevada Hafer motioned to approve the minutes as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
IV. Information
A. Audit Engagement Letter. The letter from Nicole Noonan, CPA, was provided regarding the fiscal year 2021 audit.
B. Teacher Resignations. Ariann Hess-Headlee, part-time Kindergarten teacher and Emily Russell, 5th/6th grade teacher, have both submitted their resignation effective at the conclusion of the 2021/2022 school year. Mrs. Ward has accepted the resignations as per board policy 5251.
V. Reports:
A. Clerk. The monthly budget expenditure report was provided through 31 March 2022. General Fund is 60% committed and the Total of all Funds is 48% committed. Fund 115 Project Report was provided with one new project added to the list for State BASE Limit Increase as per HB630 (2021). Accounts are reconciled to the County Treasurer through February 2022.
B. Principal. Current Student Enrollment is 111. Monthly building inspections have been completed. A wall heater was installed in the Teacher’s Lounge in March. Professional Development – Jen Johnson attended a Montana IEFA conference and will serve as the IEFA Director during the 2022/2023 school year. Pauline Davidson will serve as our Concussion Awareness Advocate for the 2022/2023 school year. Jen Johnson assisted in coordinating and supervising the 5th & 6th grade student volunteers for the Creston Auction. There were zero confirmed positive coronavirus cases in our learning environment during the month of March and twenty total cases this school year. Special Education Cooperative update was given.
C. Staff. Jen Johnson shared the staff report via a Google Slide presentation
VI. Policies – Consideration of Action:
A. MTSBA Policy Updates per 3/18/22 Notice – Required: 1520, 2161P, 2168, 2170, 2312, 2510, 3121, 3310, 3413F1, 3413F2, 3416, 5228P, 5321. These were required updates to policies we already had in place; only one reading is needed. Twila Brenneman motioned to approve the updates as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. MTSBA Policy Updates per 3/18/22 Notice – Recommended: 3612, 3612F, 3612P. This was the first read of these recommended updates; no action taken.
VII. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Principal Search & Hiring Process. At the Interview on March 15, 2022, the trustees voted unanimously to offer the Principal with Superintendent duties position to Rachel Stevens. Elizabeth Kaleva presented the offer to Mrs. Stevens and negotiated an employment contract with her on behalf of the District.
1. Principal Contract 2022/2023. Barry Farrell motioned to approve the 2022/2023 Principal Contract with Rachel Stevens as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Teacher Contract Renewals 2022/2023 including Renewal or Non-Renewal of Non-Tenured Teachers. Julie Horton moved to approve the contract renewals for the list of tenured teachers for the 2022/2023 school year. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Julie Horton moved to approve the contract renewals for the list of non-tenured teachers for the 2022/2023 school year. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Levy & Trustee Election Cancellation. The Levy and Trustee Election was cancelled. The trustee election was cancelled by acclamation as there were two trustee openings and two candidate filings. Barry Farrell moved to approve the election cancellation as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan. Information only. No action taken.
E. Hiring committee formation. A committee is needed to hire a vacant certified teacher position for the 2022/2023 school year. Twila Brenneman moved to appoint Nevada Hafer and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen to the hiring committee. Julie Horton seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Substitute List – nil.
G. Transportation Contracts – nil.
H. Before School Care Contracts – nil.
I. Out of District Requests – nil.
J. Gym & School Grounds Use Requests. The Many Lakes Homeowners Association wants to host a Living with Wildfires Community Event in our gym on April 16, 2022. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the gym use request as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
K. Executive Session Minutes – includes Executive Session for: 1) March 15, 2022, Executive Session Minutes of Principal Interview; and 2) April 14, 2022, Executive Session Minutes of today’s Executive Session. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen closed the meeting at 7:35 a.m. to protect the individual rights of Rachel Stevens regarding her background check. The meeting was reopened at 7:38 a.m. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the executive session minutes of March 15, 2022, and April 14, 2022. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
VIII. Claims Approval. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the claims list as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
IX. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 12 May 2022, 7:00 am Reorganization & Regular Meeting
B. 9 June 2022, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
X. Board Work Session – Training and Discussion for Board Professional Development
A. School Funding. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen led a discussion covering this topic.
XI. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:03 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
/s/Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
/s/Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair
15 March 2022 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
PRINCIPAL INTERVIEW
15 March 2022
MINUTES
I. Call to order/Public Participation. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the school gym. Present were Board Trustees Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer and Julie Horton. Also in attendance were Elizabeth Kaleva of Kaleva Law, various teachers, staff, and community members. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called for any public comments – there were none offered or previously sent in.
II. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan. Information only. No action taken.
B. Principal Interview including an executive session. Rachel Stevens was interviewed – questions are attached. At the conclusion of the formal interview Rachel Stevens was excused and public comment was taken. At 6:46 p.m. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen determined that the demands of individual privacy clearly exceed the merits of public disclosure and closed the meeting for an executive session to conduct the background check of Rachel Stevens with legal counsel, Elizabeth Kaleva. The meeting was reconvened in open session at 7:15 p.m. The trustees held a discussion about the interview. Barry Farrell motioned to approve the hire of Rachel Stevens and to have Elizabeth Kaleva negotiate the terms of an employment contract. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 7:29 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
_________________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
_________________________________
Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair
10 March 2022 Minutes
CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
10 March 2022
MINUTES
I. Call to order. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:02 a.m. The meeting was held in the gym. Present were Board Trustees Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Barry Farrell, Nevada Hafer, and Julie Horton. Also in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Jennifer Johnson, Teacher and CEA President, Pauline Davidson, Teacher, Shanta Milne, Teacher, Cindi Conley, Teacher, and community members: Gloria Graves and Walter Graves.
II. Minutes of 10 February 2022, 1 March 2022, 8 March 2022. Nevada Hafer motioned to approve the minutes as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Public Participation / Correspondence. Gloria Graves of Friends of Creston Fire provided information regarding the upcoming Creston Fire Auction April 1st thru the 3rd.
IV. Information
A. Speed Sign Project. The Rotary Foundation of Bigfork has pursued installing “what’s your speed” signs on Highway 35 for our school. They applied and were awarded a grant from the Flathead Electric Roundup for Safety program. The Rotary Foundation is taking care of all the logistics. There is an additional $400 in costs that won’t be covered by the grant, so the school may be asked to assist in covering a portion of this cost. Additionally, there has been cooperation with Creston Fire, Creston Teacher’s Union, and Creston Boosters regarding additional funds that may be required to complete the project.
B. Lifting of mask mandate on buses or vans. The Centers for Disease Control announced that, effective February 25, 2022, it is exercising its enforcement discretion to not require people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems. This decision means that the January 29, 2021, order requiring masks be worn on public transportation no longer applies to school buses.
V. Reports:
A. Clerk. The monthly budget expenditure report was provided through 28 February 2022. General Fund is 53% committed and the Total of all Funds is 43% committed. Fund 115 Project Report was provided. Accounts are reconciled to the County Treasurer through January 2022. Quotes for Property & Liability Insurance for fiscal year 2023 have been requested.
B. Principal. Current Student Enrollment is 111. Monthly building inspections have been completed. Professional Development was held March 7 – 9 with Kelly Boswell; the focus of instruction was on teaching writing. Jen Johnson has volunteered to coordinate and supervise the 5th & 6th grade student volunteers to serve as Creston Auction runners. Creston students will also assist in setting up chairs and tables for a community meeting being held March 26th in our gymnasium. We had three confirmed positive coronavirus cases in our learning environment during the month of February and twenty total cases this school year.
C. Staff. Jen Johnson shared a positive review of the professional development with Kelly Boswell and then the staff report via a Google Slide presentation.
VI. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Principal Search & Hiring Process – with Kaleva Law. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen shared that the applicants were screened on March 8th and that on Tuesday, March 15th an interview will be held. The schedule includes a staff meet & greet, community meet & greet, and the interview.
B. Trustee Resolution – Notice of Intent to Increase/Decrease Non-Voted Levies – Estimating changes in revenues/mills from tuition, building reserve, transportation, and bus depreciation levies for 2022-2023. This is a required notice estimating changes in non-voted levies and the expected use of the Building Reserve State Major Maintenance levies. All funds were listed in the resolution to give a more complete overview of next year’s estimated levies. A preliminary General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and the OPI Pre-Session Budget Data Sheet were provided along with the Resolution itself. Julie Horton moved to approve the Resolution as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Collective Bargaining Agreement Negotiations with Creston Education Association. Jennifer Johnson, CEA President, presented the proposed CBA negotiation items. Items to consider included a date change for notice if advancing on the salary schedule from April 1 to February 1; remove section 4.2 as it does not reflect current law regarding non-association teachers and dues; add nieces/nephews to the list of immediate family members for sick leave; and a 3% increase to the base salary schedule. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the negotiation items as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Extra-Duty Teaching Contract for 2022 Summer Program. Barry Farrell moved to approve the extra-duty contract for D. Christiansen to teach for the 2022 summer program as presented. Julie Horton seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Advertise a 1.0 FTE Teacher Position for the 2022/2023 School Year. This was presented in anticipation of possible teacher openings. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the request to advertise for K-6 elementary curriculum teacher for the 2022/2023 school year as presented. Julie Horton seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Property Disposal Resolution. Julie Horton moved to approve the property disposal resolution as presented and approve the sale of a laptop to T. Ward following the required two-week notice. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
G. 2022 – 2023 School Calendar. Two options were presented, both were developed from the Kalispell Public Schools calendar. Option 1 has an April no school day the same as KPS; Option 2 has no days off in April and instead has the last day of school one day earlier than KPS. Twila Brenneman moved to approve Option 1 as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
H. Student Handbook 2022/2023. Board Policy 3310 was recently revised and this created a change to the section regarding the Student Discipline Policy; all references to principal will need to be updated when we have a signed contract from the new principal; other minor clean up language. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the 2022/2023 Student Handbook as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
I. Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan Review. Input from stakeholders was requested ahead of time. The plan in its entirety was reviewed with no revisions submitted. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the plan as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
J. Substitute List. Julie Horton moved to approve the addition to the substitute teacher list as presented for the 2021/2022 school year. Twila Brenneman seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
K. Transportation Contracts – nil.
L. Before School Care Contracts – nil.
M. Out of District Requests. Twila Brenneman moved to approve the attendance agreements as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
N. Gym & School Grounds Use Requests – nil.
O. District Clerk Personnel Evaluation – Executive Session. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen determined that the demands of individual privacy clearly exceed the merits of public disclosure and at 8:08 a.m. closed the meeting for an executive session to conduct the personnel evaluation of Tammy Bartos. The meeting was reconvened in open session at 8:52 a.m. and Nevada Hafer motioned to approve the personnel evaluation of Tammy Bartos and to approve the executive session minutes. Julie Horton seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
VII. Claims Approval. Julie Horton moved to approve the claims list as presented. Barry Farrell seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
VIII. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 14 April 2022, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
B. 12 May 2022, 7:00 am Regular Meeting
IX. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:53 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
_________________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk
_________________________________
Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Board Chair