Ririe Joint District #252 | minutes | meeting 2026-04-16 | 04. School Board OFFICIAL APRIL Regular Meeting Minutes 4-16-26.pdf source: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1-tcf0JrfRGx5OXgnFvP_w7FjC_KfzY26 Ririe Joint School District #252 Thursday April 16, 2026 7:00 pm Regular School Board Meeting Minutes 7:00 pm – The Ririe Joint School District #252 Board of Trustees met on Thursday April 16, 2026 at 7:00 pm for their regular monthly School Board Meeting, which was also streamed live as a courtesy on: Ririe Bulldogs YouTube Channel 2. Board Chair Hansen welcomed all those in attendance and asked everyone to please rise and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. All did so. 7:00 pm – Board Chair Hansen asked that roll call be taken. Roll call was taken and those in attendance were as follows: Board Chair Mike Hansen, Board Trustee & Assistant Treasurer Darby Taylor, Trustee Brigham Cook, Trustee Kevin Landon, Superintendent Jeff Gee, Business Manager/Co Treasurer Trapper McCallister and Board Clerk/Co Treasurer Kristi Hamilton. Vice Chairman Dallin Howell was not present. 7:01 pm - Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion to set and adopt the agenda. Darby made a motion to set and adopt the agenda as posted. Kevin seconded; passed unanimously. 7:01 pm – Item 5/Scheduled Delegations – Discussion/Action Items a. City of Ririe. There was nothing from the City of Ririe tonight. b. Matt Harris – Athletics for Credits. Matt gave a handout to the Board Members and read over the information. He informed that he has some concerns with this because when this was offered the idea behind this was to to allow students to take upper level classes, which did not happen, but rather students just decided not to come to school that hour. He informed that the only thing they had to do for these credits was to have a coach sign a paper. He commented that he spent a lot of time asking students to get that done. He also informed that students who opted into this did not have to pay the pay to play fee, which amounted to an approximate $4,900 loss for the athletic department. He commented that he does not have an assistant or secretary or time to fundraise for the students who don’t contribute to the pay to play. He commented this has been a headache on his end of things. Dr. Teske commented that when they try these types of things, they look to see if it helps the rigor of the school or not, and he feels like this has reduced our rigor because the students are just choosing not to be at school. He commented that if they participate in athletics or activities, they are required to be in school at least 4 instructional hours. He commented that rather than take advantage of the upper level courses to benefit them, they are just choosing not to come to school that hour. Mr. Harris commented that he feels like they gave this an honest attempt, but it has given us the opposite of what it was intended for. He commented that he cannot in good conscience support this. Dr. Teske commented that Ms. Elizondo, Mrs. Kunz and himself all feel the same as Mr. Harris. Discussion occurred. Kevin asked if any students who are struggling or have homework have used this hour to make up credits or work on homework. Mr. Harris commented they have not seen any of that. Discussion occurred. Dr. Teske commented that this was approved by the Board, and in concept it was a good idea, but it is not working as intended. Board Chair Hansen asked if there is something different that could be put in place, rather than scrap the whole thing. Mr. Harris commented that if the Board insists it remain, it would only be offered as a Zero Hour Class and those participating would have to pay the pay to play fee. Question was asked if the loss was substantial to the athletic fund. Mr. Harris commented that it adds up to about the same cost as 2 state tournament trips. He explained the details. Mr. Harris commented that the big part of this is more so the way it presented for students to take upper level courses, but it is only being used to be at school less. Discussion occurred. Mr. Harris commented that he tries very hard not to raise the fees, but if there are students who don’t have to pay, they might have to. Darby commented that she likes the idea of all students paying the pay to play fee because it isn’t fair for others who are paying the fee to cover those who aren’t. Mr. Harris commented that he doesn’t know what the solution is, but he cannot support this any longer. Brigham asked if we are throwing the towel in too quickly. Discussion occurred. Brigham commented that one of the problems is that the students who are participating in this don’t need the credits from upper level classes. He explained. Board Chair Hansen commented that it goes back to the point that it is an elective credit and not even required. Mr. Harris commented that it was set up to help up our rigor and game and to be the best we can be. He commented that hard work and not taking the easy way out is what gets you ahead in life, yet in a sense we are teaching students to take the easy way out. He explained further. Kevin commented that athletes work hard. Discussion occurred. Darby asked how many kids are actually taking the courses they say they want to take when the survey is taken. Dr. Teske commented that they try to build schedules based off of what the wants and needs of the students are. He informed that only 3 students indicated that they want to take calculus, and 8 would like to take Astrophysics. He informed that there really isn’t a lot of requests for higher level classes. He commented that he believes there will be some Jr/Sr High School students pushing for higher classes as they come up. Board Chair Hansen commented that the Board should use this as a discussion point at this time. c. Matt Park – Senior Class Trip Request. Mr. Park gave the Board a handout with the information regarding the Senior Class Trip. He informed that last year they went over to Boise and this year they would like to go to Utah. He read over the information. There being no discussion, Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion. Darby made a motion to approve the Senior Class Trip Request as presented. Kevin seconded; passed unanimously. 7:24 pm – At this time, Board Chair Hansen informed they will move to Unscheduled Delegations. 7:24 pm – Item 7/Unscheduled Delegations - Call to the Public. Board Chair Hansen informed that the Board will allow 3 minutes per person, per topic. All Comments are expected to be respectful and directed to the Board as a whole. Comments regarding District Personnel and/or Students are prohibited. The Board will NOT discuss, approve, or disapprove any topic brought before the Board during Unscheduled Delegations; but may include it on a future agenda for Board discussion. He then asked if anyone had signed up to address the Board or if there were any emails submitted. There was one patron who signed up to address the Board tonight. a. Megan Coles – Megan approached the Board and informed that she wanted to thank the Board for allowing the Junior and Senior students the opportunity to receive 2 credits for athletics. She commented that she does not believe it is not a freebie or easy way out. She commented that it gives all kids the same opportunities and the biggest reason it was implemented was to set academic roles. She commented that she wished Ms. Elizondo were here to talk about this. She commented that it really helps kids who take seminary, and those who are working because it gives them the opportunity to work for ½ of the day. She commented that these are all good reasons from her perspective. She commented that she would like to ask the Board to consider awarding all athletes to be able to receive credits, not just the Juniors and Seniors. She commented that she knows the district cannot charge any fees for credit courses. Board Chair Hansen informed her that her 3 minutes were up and thanked her for her comments. 7:27 pm – At this time, the Board moved back to all remaining items on the Scheduled Delegations. d. Department Updates  Positive Happenings – Superintendent Gee brought up list of Positive Happenings and reviewed each one. He congratulated Hallie Huntsman for becoming DYWR 2027. He thanked Jody Nelson for all of her years, time, talents, and leadership with the DYWR program. He informed of the 3 students who were recognized by Officer Smith for doing things that keep our school safe. He informed that 15 students attended “SeaPerch” which is an underwater Robotics Program. He informed that one of our teams placed 1st in the “Mission” event. Mr. Martineau informed of “Doughnuts with Grownups”, which 203 adults and 350 students attended. He thanked the PTSO for making this a quality event again this year. He commented on the Idaho Falls Symphony coming to the school and the 510 boxes of cereal donated for the summer lunch program. He thanked Darby for her work making this happen. Superintendent Gee informed that JrHS Track is going well, with close to 76 kids participating. He informed that HS Track is also up and going and doing well. He informed that 16 athletes qualified for the Boise relays. He informed that HS Softball is up and going, along with HS Golf. e. Building Reports  Elementary School – Mr. Martineau brought up the Test Scores and Data Information. He commented that the improvements are a direct result of a training he attended with a Board Member 1 ½ years ago. He explained. He informed that 13% more students are making reading a daily habit. He informed that the ISAT tests will begin next week. He informed that a letter was sent home to the parents informing them and asking them to make sure their kids go to bed early and eat a healthy breakfast. He then informed that 22 kids showed up to Kindergarten Roundup. He commented that usually 2/3 of the kids show up for that. He then commented that the 5th grade recess is going awesome since they changed it.  Special Education – Ms. Barrett informed that there are 92 students in Special Ed. She commented that 15 are also in referral. She explained. She commented that is a hard place to be with school ending soon. She then went over all of her reports and explained. She commented that she was excited that she was able to take all of her teachers to SLC for the CEC conference. She commented that the training was great and was a great opportunity for her staff.  Jr/Sr High School – Dr. Teske informed that the final Bulldog Olympics was held today and was a lot of fun. He commented that it is hard to get everyone to participate, but those who do have a lot of fun. He then brought up the STAR test data and explained. He then went over the testing schedule for next week and explained. He commented that they have given students incentives to do their best and hopes everyone is ready to go. He continued to read over the Math & Science results. He commented that our results are good news and compared to everyone else in our conference and district, our scores are the highest, other than a couple. He commented they are still not quite where we want them to be, but they are a lot better than others around us. He then thanked Susan Kunz for her time at Ririe. He commented that when you talk about a secretary, that person is really an administrative assistant and she has been a great one. He commented that she keeps the school running and has high standards. 7:43 pm - Item 6/Executive Session - Board Chair Hansen informed that the Board will move into Executive Session at this time. He then entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to move out of Open Session at this time, pause the livestream, and move into Executive Session to discuss personnel & student items pursuant to Idaho Code §74-206 (1)(a)(b)(3), Darby seconded; passed unanimously. Roll call vote was called. Board Chair Mike Hansen, Darby Taylor, Brigham Cook, and Kevin Landon were all in favor by individual votes of “aye”. The public was asked to step out into the hall at this time and the livestream meeting was paused during Executive Session. 7:43 pm - The Ririe Joint School District #252 Board of Trustees having properly opened Executive Session pursuant to section §74-206 (1)(a)(b)(3), Idaho Code, in the Ririe JR/SR High School Media Center, directly thereupon entered into discussion of all items on the Executive Session agenda. 8:37 pm – Superintendent Gee invited the public back into the Board Room at this time and the livestream was resumed. 8:38 pm - Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to move out of Executive Session and move back into Open Session at this time to discuss all remaining items on the Open Session Agenda. Kevin seconded; passed unanimously. 8:39 pm – Item 8/Unfinished Business a. Discussion/Action Item – Board Policy; Section 2000 – 2nd & Final Reading. Board Chair Hansen asked if there was any further discussion needed on this section. There being none, he entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to approve the 2nd & Final Reading of Board Policy; Section 2000 as presented. Darby seconded; passed unanimously. b. Discussion/Action Item – ISBA Policy Updates – 2nd & Final Reading. Board Chair Hansen asked if there was any further discussion needed on the IBSA Policy Updates. There being none, he entertained a motion. Darby made a motion to approve the 2nd & Final Reading of the ISBA Policy Updates as presented. Brigham seconded; passed unanimously. c. Discussion/Action Item – Time and Effort Procedure & Forms – 2nd & Final Reading. Board Chair Hansen asked if there was any further discussion needed on the Time and Effort Procedure & Forms as presented. There being none, he entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to approve the 2nd & Final Reading of the Time and Effort Procedure & Forms as presented. Darby seconded; passed unanimously. d. Discussion/Action Item – 2026-2027 District Calendar – 2nd & Final Reading. Superintendent Gee informed that he sent a survey out regarding this and then read over the results in detail. He informed that one of the options was to start school on Wednesday instead of Monday. He commented that to make this work, school would be IN-Session on MLK Jr Day and President’s Day. He commented that personally he likes the way the calendar is drafted with starting on Monday and having MLK and Presidents Day off. Brigham asked what the problem is with coming back after Memorial Day. Superintendent Gee informed that no one wanted to do that. Brigham commented that he would rather have his kids go into June and start later. Kevin commented that he likes the mid-week start. Discussion occurred. Dr. Teske commented that coming from a school district who had a split start, he thinks it would be a nice compromise for people involved in the fair. Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion. Kevin made a motion to approve the 2026- 2027 Option #5 Calendar as a 1st Reading. Darby seconded; passed unanimously. e. Discussion/Action Item – Elementary School BOND. This item was discussed during the Work Meeting earlier. f. Discussion/Action Item – Supplemental Levy. This item was discussed during the Work Meeting earlier. 8:49 pm – Item 9/New Business a. Discussion/Action Item – Superintendent Evaluation. Superintendent Gee asked if the Board would like to start this process in the May School Board meeting, or hold a Special Meeting before. Discussion occurred. Brigham commented that he would like someone from the ISBA to come participate and moderate this. He explained. Discussion occurred. Darby commented that she is fine with that. Kevin agreed. Board Chair Hansen asked Superintendent Gee or Kristi to find out when the ISBA is available. He commented that doing this on a Monday would be best. Darby commented that she will be out of town on May 11, 12, 13. Superintendent Gee or Kristi will contact the ISBA and let the Board know what day works for them. b. Discussion/Action Item – Set Budget Hearing Date, Time & Location. Trapper informed that the Annual Budget hearing needs to be set for some time in June. He explained that typically this has been held at the beginning of the Regular June Board Meeting. Brief discussion occurred. Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to set the Annual Ririe School District Budget Hearing for Thursday June 18, 2026 at 7:05 pm in the Board Room. Darby seconded; passed unanimously. c. Discussion/Action Item – Hiring Policy. This item was discussed in the Work Meeting earlier. 8:56 pm – Item 10/Reports – Discussion/Action Items a. Superintendent Report  Graduation Information. Superintendent Gee informed that all Board Members who plan to attend graduation need to be at the school by 6:45 pm. He informed that Mrs. Williams will have a robe for all to wear, so check with her to use one. He informed that Board Chair Hansen will be in charge and can give a speech if he’d like to or he can just accept the Class of 2026. He also commented that if there is someone in your family who you’d like to hand their diploma to, you can do that. Discussion occurred. b. Business Manager’s Report  Legislative Financial Update. Trapper informed that he is going to try to be really positive about this. He informed that there is not going to be any new funding and no increases. He commented that in a sense, we will still receive cuts because costs are going up. He commented that IDLA was cut by $13,500,000 state wide. He continued to explain in detail.  Teacher Negotiations. Trapper commented that no meetings have been held yet and a date to do this needs to be set. He asked Darby and Dallin to figure out a day and time that works for them and let him know. He commented that typically these pre- meetings are held in his office. 9:00 pm – Item 11/Personnel – Discussion/Action Items a. Applicant’s A, B, C. Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to approve Applicant’s A, B, C for hire, as recommended by Administration. Darby seconded; passed unanimously. b. Employee’s A, B, C, D. Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to accept the Resignations of Susan Kunz, Jr/Sr High School Registrar, Tashina Wirkus, Elementary PE Para Professional, Eric Taylor, High School C Team & Assistant Girls Basketball Coach, and Stuart Reber, High School Assistant Football Coach as presented. Kevin seconded; passed unanimously. 9:01 pm – Item 12/Students – Action Items. There were no student items for tonight’s meeting. 9:01 pm – Item 13/Consent Agenda Items a. Action Item – Approve School Board Regular Meeting Minutes (3-19-26). Board Chair Hansen asked if there were any corrections and/or changes to the Regular Minutes. There were none. b. Action Item – Approve School Board Work Meeting Minutes (3-19-26). Board Chair Hansen asked if there were any corrections and/or changes to the Work Meeting Minutes. There were none. c. Action Item – Approve School Board Special Meeting Minutes (4-6-26). Board Chair Hansen asked if there were any corrections and/or changes to the Special Meeting Minutes. There were none. d. Action Item – Approve Bills Payable Report. Board Chair Hansen asked if there were any questions regarding the Bills Payable Report. There were none. e. Action Item – Approve Financial Report – Trapper went over the report in detail. He informed that the target for this month is 83%. He informed that overall we are at 74%. Brigham asked if the district is buying fuel. Trapper explained. There were no questions or further comments. f. Action Item – Approve Schools Activity Funds Report. Board Chair Hansen asked if there were any questions on the Schools Activity Funds Report. There were none. 9:03 pm – There being no further discussion on the above Consent Agenda Items, Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion. Brigham made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda Items and process the Bills Payables. Kevin seconded; passed unanimously. 9:03 pm – Item 14/Review Work Items  Superintendent Gee will set up a Board Walk-Through of South Fork Elementary School  Superintendent Gee will check with Legal Counsel regarding PE Credits  The Administration will give a Staff Report at the May Regular School Board Meeting  Superintendent Gee or Kristi will contact the ISBA about coming to oversee and moderate the Superintendent Evaluation  Administration will look at ways to modify the Jr/Sr High School drop off location  Superintendent Gee, Trapper and the Board will discuss what the next steps of preparing for the Elementary School BOND will be  Superintendent Gee will meet with the Realtor about Property prices  Superintendent Gee will add the Hiring Policy to the May School Board Agenda for discussion 9:08 pm - There being no further discussion necessary in tonight’s meeting, Board Chair Hansen entertained a motion to adjourn. Brigham so moved. Darby seconded; passed unanimously. Reviewed & Approved: May 21, 2026 Board Chair: Mike Hansen Board Clerk: Kristi Hamilton