The school board held their August meeting Monday, Aug. 21 and received the audit report.
The auditor reported everything looked good and commended district treasurer Denise Uhlenkott for her work.
The District and School handbooks were discussed and accepted with some changes.
The most discussion was on the Jr./Sr. High handbook where Matt Elven was seeking board input on a couple of proposed changes. One was on the subject of tardies. He updated it to make it 4 tardies equals a detention instead of 3. Also it states that 4 tardies equals an unexcused absence. There was a question as to whether this was for a specific class or 4 tardies over different classes add up to a full day absence. Jon Rehder recommends bringing a change to the September board meeting to clear up what they want to do. The other change in the handbook was directed at eligibility to go on field trips. After discussion it was decided to say that attendance, discipline and academics will be taken into consideration as to whether a student will get to go on a field trip.
The Back to School Plan and Safe Return to In-Person plan were approved with just date changes. These are left over from state Covid policies and will be the last time they have to deal with them.
Bus routes were approved although one bus driver listed has had to go from full-time to part-time due to a job change. Rehder stressed the district could really use some new bus drivers.
The Elementary and Jr./Sr. High schedules were approved.
The board approved an application for state safety funds. Apparently $20,000 would be available and could be used to pay for things like cameras and other safety issues in the new addition among other things.
Child Internet Protection Act regulations were approved.
The Facility Use Agreement was updated. The board suggested stronger language, changing some mays and shoulds to wills. An emphasis is made on leaving the facility at least as clean as when you entered it. Also, confining your group to the facility requested, no use of surrounding hallways or other facilities.
One set of policies were approved as this was the third reading. Another, much shorter, policy section was introduced and will be discussed further at the next meeting.
In the Jr./Sr. High School report Elven said he attended the IASA Leadership Conference and attended several workshops.
The fall sports meeting was very well attended with over 150 students attending with their parents.
Practices have started for high school football, volleyball, cross country and cheerleading and junior high football. Jr. High cross country starts Aug. 30 and Jr. High volleyball on Sept. 5.
There are 26 out for football, 26 out for volleyball, 5 out for cheerleading and about 16 out for cross country, 8 girls and Elven thought 8 boys but that isn’t confirmed. There were 21 out for the first junior high football practice on Monday. Apparently 2 boys will be playing soccer with Grangeville in a co-op with that school.
Football competed at the Watermelon Jamboree at Kooskia last Friday. Volleyball opened with a home jamboree on Tuesday, Aug. 22. Cross country’s first meet is Friday at Grangeville.
Registration went very will with about 175 students.
Open positions at this time are for a high school volleyball score clock operator; Jr. High volleyball and basketball score clock operator; high school basketball shot clock operator; Prairie League adviser and a long-term math and economics sub for Mrs. Metz who will be taking maternity leave from November through January.
In his Elementary principal’s report Rehder outlined the prep for staff to return to the building on August 23. Students will start Wednesday, Aug. 30.
Back to School night he will be barbecuing burgers in front of the building and welcome parents and children as they come in.
Parents will only be able to walk their students to their classrooms on the first day of school. After that the policy put in place last year of parents coming to the office and an office staffer going to get your child will continue.
In his facilities report he noted the Elementary addition is about 3 weeks behind and they hope to be finished by mid-October. This is mostly due to the contractors having a problem come up at another project that put them behind on this one.
The new kitchen equipment has been installed except for the high school dishwasher, which will likely be installed over Christmas break due to some conversion issues due to the size of the unit that was delivered.
Some inmate labor will be coming in on Friday to clean up and help with issues at the football field from the big rainstorm back in June as well as various other projects to get the school ready for the new school year.
In his superintendent’s report he noted he also attend the IASA conference and attended several workshops.
Charlene Rehder is working on her teacher certification and will be working with Brittany Stewart in 6^th grade for observation hours and starting her student teaching in January.
Enrollment is 438 as of Monday, down just 3 from last year. There are 42 open enrollment students, 31 of those from the Grangeville School District. Last year they had 51 open enrollment students.
The Idaho School Board Association region meeting is Sept. 14 at Lewiston with the state meeting Nov. 15-17 at Boise.
The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. The next regular meeting is set for Monday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.