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minutes meeting date 2026-01-21 · fetched 2026-09-16 · 12238 characters · official file · plain text
Buhl Joint School District No. 412 Board of Trustees DRAFT Minutes of Regular Board Meeting January 22, 2026 - 6:00 p.m. The Board of Trustees of Buhl Joint School District No. 412, Twin Falls and Gooding Counties, State of Idaho, met in its properly posted monthly meeting in the Buhl High School Library, located at #1 Indian Territory, Buhl, Idaho, on January 22, 2026. The regular session was called to order by Board Chair Melissa Kippes at 6:01 p.m. In attendance were Trustees Carla Critchfield, Jenny Hopkins, Jennie Ridley, Cody Gilland, and Alisa Atkinson. Superintendent Angie Oparnico, Clerk of the Board Dena Felix, Business Manager Krista Moyer, and Administrators Cyndi Cooper, Kayla Kelly, Sandra Lobo, and Mauri Gowans were also present. Opening Items - The meeting began with a roll call to ensure a quorum was present, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Board Chair Melissa Kippes announced that public comments on agenda items require submission of Form 4105F to the Board Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. Annual Meeting: Per Idaho Code, the regularly scheduled January board meeting is designated as the annual reorganizational meeting. During this meeting, the board sets their meeting dates, times, and locations, elects a chair and vice chair, and elects a treasurer, clerk and custodian of records. Election of Officers (discussion/action) - Board Chair Melissa Kippes announced as chair of Buhl Joint School District 412 Board of Trustees, she declared the Board of Trustees dissolved and asked the Board to proceed with reorganization for the 2026 calendar year. Superintendent Oparnico declared the office of Chair of the Board open and asked for nominations. Board Chair - Trustee Carla Critchfield nominated Jennie Ridley as Board Chair. Trustee Jenny Hopkins seconded the motion. There being no further nominations, Jennie Ridley was declared Chair of the Board. Motion passed unanimously. Vice Chair - Trustee Alisa Atkinson nominated Jenny Hopkins as Vice Chair of the Board. Trustee Carla Critchfield seconded the motion. There being no further nominations, Jenny Hopkins was declared Vice Chair of the Board. Motion passed unanimously. Treasurer - Vice Chair Jenny Hopkins nominated Krista Moyer as Treasurer. Trustee Carla Critchfield seconded the motion. There being no further nominations, Krista Moyer was declared Treasurer. Motion passed unanimously. Clerk of the Board - Trustee Carla Critchfield nominated Dena Felix as Clerk of the Board. Trustee Cody Gilland seconded the motion. There being no further nominations, Dena Felix was declared Clerk of the Board. Motion passed unanimously. Custodian of Records - Trustee Carla Critchfield nominated Dena Felix as Custodian of Public Records. Trustee Cody Gilland seconded the motion. There being no further nominations, Dena Felix was declared Custodian of Public Records. Motion passed unanimously. Close of Nominations (discussion/action) - Trustee Carla Critchfield moved and Vice Chair Jenny Hopkins seconded a motion to close nominations and accept those nominated for the office of Vice Chair, Clerk of the Board, Custodian of Public Records, and Treasurer. Motion carried unanimously. Reorganization of the Board of Trustees (discussion/action) - Trustee Carla Critchfield moved and Trustee Cody Gilland seconded a motion to accept the reorganization of the Board of Trustees for the 2026 school year. Motion carried unanimously. Approval of Agenda (discussion/action) - With no additions or deletions to the agenda, Trustee Alisa Atkinson moved and Trustee Carla Critchfield seconded a motion to approve the agenda as posted. Motion passed unanimously. Public Comment - Board Chair Jennie Ridley opened the floor to public comments. No public comments were received. Designation of Schedule for Regular Meetings (discussion/action) - Trustee Carla Critchfield moved and Trustee Cody Gilland seconded a motion designating school board meetings be held at the Buhl High School Library or Bihl High School Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. Motion carried unanimously. Designation of Location of Public Notice Posting (discussion/action) - Vice Chair Jenny Hopkins moved and Trustee Carla Critchfield seconded a motion designating the Buhl School District Office-front door of high school, the District website and social media sites, and the physical location of the meeting as the official posting sites for all school board meetings. Courtesy postings will be at all school buildings. Motion carried unanimously. Designation of Official Newspaper (discussion/action) - Trustee Carla Critchfield moved and Trustee Cody Gilland seconded a motion designating the Times News as the District’s official newspaper. Motion carried unanimously. Adopt Code of Ethics for School Board Members (discussion/action) - All board members read and signed the Code of Ethics for School Board Members. No motion necessary. Title IX Coordinator and Title VII Officer (discuss/action) - Trustee Carla Critchfield moved and Trustee Jenny Hopkins seconded a motion to nominate Dena Felix as Title IX Coordinator and as Title VII Officer for Buhl School District. Motion carried unanimously. REGULAR MEETING Student Spotlight (information) - High School Drama teacher and students performed Seussical Musical in the auditorium. Buhl Education Association Report (information) - No report given. REPORTS (information) Superintendent’s Report Superintendent Oparnico reported: District Goals and Instructional Initiatives The District continues implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as a multi-year initiative focused on improving student achievement. Ongoing work includes alignment of essential standards and assessments, vertical alignment, and improved communication. Administrative Report Maintenance projects are ongoing as outlined in the maintenance report. Administrative time reported included 19 hours for Kayla and 66 hours for Angie for December. Upcoming Dates Day on the Hill is scheduled in Boise for February 16-17, 2026. Reporting Requirements The Financial Transparency Report is due in ISEE by January 31, 2026. Professional Development Professional development activities include the Guiding Coalition meeting on January 27, IETA Conference February 4-6 with six teachers attending, and ISN on February 18. Enrollment and Attendance Open enrollment numbers were reviewed for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. Average Daily Attendance remains stable across all schools. Discipline Report Suspensions reported were one at Buhl High School, one at Buhl Middle School, and none at Popplewell Elementary School. Federal Programs Updates were provided on Special Education, Section 504, English Language Learners, Migrant, and Homeless programs. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment The WIDA ACCESS assessment window for English Language Learners is open from January 19 through March 6. Approximately 175 students will be assessed. Maintenance Report Sink installations at Popplewell have been completed. Ongoing work includes irrigation system repairs, HVAC maintenance, boiler improvements, inspections, and equipment repairs. Quotes are pending for the high school roof replacement and middle school locker room heating. Technology Report eRate 471 applications are in progress. The Autotech WiFi outage has been resolved. PowerSchool data review is underway for ISEE reporting. Planning continues for Chromebook replacement to maintain testing readiness. Athletics Report Winter sports seasons are ongoing. Wrestling reports strong team and individual performance. The cheer team completed its first competition and is preparing for district competition. Food Service Report Average daily participation was reviewed. The District was awarded a technology grant and will implement new meal compliance, point-of-sale, and USDA-approved free and reduced application software. Staffing challenges continue within the food service department at the high school level. Financial Report - Krista Moyer Financial Reports through December 31, 2025: General Fund saw an increase in contracted services for a few reasons - there were PD expenses for upcoming training, therapy services and utilities were higher, and there were more invoices received in December. (the timing of the invoices was delayed from November). One thing to note is that there was a glitch with the state tax website. We had two payments withdrawn in December and will have two withdrawn in January. It’s a known issue on the state side and they are working on crediting the overpayment. Jennie Ridley asked about the food service payments that come in from the federal program Child Nutrition operates under. She also asked about the insurance rebate from Regence which comes in annually. Student Achievement Report - Curriculum Director Mauri Gowans presented academic data for grades K-12 regarding percentage of students with one or more F grades. Consideration to Approve the Consent and Confirmation Agenda (discussion/action) - Waive the reading of the minutes of the previous board meeting as they were submitted to each board member. Approve the regular meeting minutes of December 17, 2025 Approve the December financial statements Approve the December vouchers Approve the school building checking accounts for December Personnel Recommendations Approval of new hires TJ Cline (HS Baseball Head Coach) Approval of resignations/retirements/terminations/leaves: Emily Yenne (Middle School Para) Megan Pearce (High School Kitchen Manager) Erika Bridgman (High School Food Service Worker) Trustee Carla Critchfield made a motion to approve the Consent and Confirmation Agenda as presented, the motion was seconded by Vice Chair Jenny Hopkins. Motion carried unanimously. DISCUSSION/ACTION Consideration and Approval of Personnel Plus Staffing Agency for Temporary Classified Staffing (discussion) - After some discussion, Trustee Carla Critchfield made a motion to approve the use of Personnel Plus for temporary staffing positions for school year 2026, the motion was seconded by Trustee Alisa Atkinson. Motion passed unanimously. ISBA Workshops (discussion/action) - The trustees discussed board development workshops offered by ISBA. After discussion, the board decided to focus on Strategic Planning and Budgeting. No action taken. Day On The Hill (information/action) - Day On The Hill in Boise is February 16-17, 2026. Superintendent Oparnico, Board Chair Jennie Ridley, and Trustee Alisa Atkinson will be in attendance. No action taken. Consideration To Approve The First Reading of The Following Policies (discussion/action) - 2445 District/Charter School-Provided Virtual Instruction 3050 Attendance Policy 4260 Records Available to the Public 4260F Record Request Form 5740 Reduction in Force 5740P Reduction in Force 5740P2 Reduction in Force 7225 Financial Fraud and Theft Prevention 7235 Financial Accountability and Federal Grant Funds 7237 Retention of Records Relating to Federal Grants 7270 Property Records 7320 Allowable Use for Grant Funds 7320P2Selected Items of Cost After reviewing the above policies, Vice Chair Jenny Hopkins moved and Trustee Carla Critchfield seconded a motion to approve the first reading of the policies listed in the agenda with the changes as discussed. Motion carried unanimously. CONSIDERATION TO APPROVE THE SECOND READING OF THE FOLLOWING POLICIES (discussion/action) - 2420 Title 1 2420P1 Title 1 - Parent and Family Engagement 2700P1 Graduation Requirements Procedure 1 After reviewing the above policies, Trustee Carla Critchfield moved and Vice Chair Jenny Hopkins seconded a motion to approve the second reading of Policies 2420, 2420P1, and 2700P1. Motion carried unanimously. Public Comment - Board Chair Jennie Ridley opened the floor to public comments. No public comments were received. Upcoming Events (information) - The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Buhl High School Library. Adjourn (action) - There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:44 p.m. Clerk of the Board Date
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