Blackfoot District #55 | minutes | meeting 2026-01-22 | January source: https://docs.d55.k12.id.us/MeetingMinutes/1_22_26.pdf Board of Trustees’ Meeting January 22, 2026 District Office 6:30 p.m. 270 East Bridge Street Blackfoot, Idaho Minutes Chairwoman Bonnie Hepworth called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Mrs. Hepworth welcomed the audience and led them in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Mrs. Hatch administered the Oath of Office to Cleon Chapman, Mary Jo Marlow, and Taryn Shoyo. Board members in attendance were Chairwoman Bonnie Hepworth, Vice Chairman Carlos Mercado, Treasurer Cleon Chapman, Trustee Mary Jo Marlow, and Trustee Taryn Shoyo. Also in attendance were Superintendent Brian Kress, Assistant Superintendent Ryan Wilson, Board Clerk Jennifer Hatch, and Federal Programs Director Becky Walker. Approval of the Agenda- There were no changes to the posted agenda. Public Forum — No one came forward during Public Forum. Superintendent Update (Information) — Mr. Kress welcomed Ms. Shoyo to the board. She has been a strong advocate for tribal students in our district for years and we are excited to have her as part of our board. We have hit the ground running in 2026. We have great things happening in our schools. We have so many talented students in a variety of ways. We provide many different ways for students to showcase their talents. The FFA Banquet and Auction is Saturday, January 31%. If any board member would like to attend please let Mr. Kress know. The legislative session began last week. It will be interesting to see how things play out. You may have heard that Mr. Kress will receive a very short haircut on Monday. Mr. Kress presented a challenge to the wrestling team that if they beat Snake River in their match this week, they could shave his head. After a few stressful matches, our wrestlers beat Snake River and are very excited to hold him to his promise on Monday. Legislative Update (Information) — When you listen to the legislative session kick off and you don’t hear one word about money, that speaks volumes about the challenges we will face this session. The JFAC did forecast a slightly better revenue outlook than the Governor spoke of. Mr. Kress will keep us updated on HB 93. Roughly 7,000 students have applied and the $50 million that was earmarked should cover that amount. Mr. Kress is also watching HJR 7 (the Blaine Amendment Repeal). This is a proposed constitutional amendment to allow public funds to flow to parochial schools. November and December Financial Reports (Information) — The November and December Financial Reports were presented by Mr. Kress. School Fund Reports (Information) — A year ago, the board adopted a policy that called for the board members to review the school funds on a monthly basis. Moving forward, Mr. Kress will be sharing a Google Drive with you that will contain a FY26 School Funds Report folder. All schools will have individual folders containing the bank statements and a fund report. The fund report will show a running total of their accounts and which categories they have money in and what is being spent in each category. Mr. Kress likes that it allows the secretaries and Mr. Kress to work on the document simultaneously. The board members will have continual access to information regarding the schools and their funds. The secretaries will have this ready before the February board meeting and at that time Mr. Kress will send the link to the board members. 1 Board Meeting Minutes 1/22/2026 Quarterly Policies (Information) — Mr. Wilson presented the following policies for the first reading for the fourth quarter: Policy 502: Student Handbooks, Policy 549- Prohibition of Gang Activities, Policy 569: School Wellness, Policy 814- Budget Implementation and Execution (changed from Monthly Budget and Treasurer’s Report), Policy 818- School District Tax-Exempt Status- NEW, Policy 832- Revenues (changed from Income from Sale or use of School Property), Policy 834- Fees (changed from Increase in Fees), Policy 857.50- Contracted Educational Services, and Policy 1056- Web Accessibility. 2026-27 Calendar Proposal (Action) — Mr. Kress shared the recommendation from the Calendar Committee for the 2026-27 school year. The student start date will be Monday, August 24", 2026. The first 2 weeks of school will be a 2-hour early release. The committee prioritized having a full 2-week Christmas break. They felt that going to school on the Monday and Tuesday of Christmas week is not educationally beneficial. First trimester will end the week before Thanksgiving break. This seemed to work well for our staff and students. Spring break will be March 22" - 25". The last day for students will be May 27", 2027. There will be 143 student instructional days. This calendar has 3 snow days built into it. Mr. Mercado moved that the board of trustees accept the 2026-27 Calendar Proposal as presented by Mr. Kress. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. RFP Fiber Bid Results (Action) — Last fall Mr. Wilson came before the board to ask for permission to seek an RFP for internet services that will take effect at the beginning of our new contract period, July 1, 2027. Mr. Wilson shared the scoring rubric that tracked all of the bid results. Companies were awarded points in the categories of Total Cost, Tech Support, Quality Response, Quality Contract, Quality Submission, References, Site Visit, and Cost of I/E Products. The highest valued category was the cost. The team took a lot of time taking due diligence in researching each company. They asked for lit fiber bids as well as dark fiber. Lit fiber is what we currently utilize. A certain amount of bandwidth is provided. To change bandwidth amounts, the company must be contacted and there is a price increase. For dark fiber, the district has control of the bandwidth allotted to each location and it can be adjusted any time. Dark fiber is also a dedicated line strictly for our school district’s use. The companies were also divided into single and double hub categories. A single hub is a single strand of fiber. A dual hub gives 2 fiber options to maintain service in the event of an outage. Mr. Wilson went through each of the bids and their pros and cons. Mr. Wilson is recommending the dual hub through Fatbeam dark fiber with a cost of just under $4 million for construction with a recurring monthly cost of $3,750 monthly. We are currently paying $7,000 monthly. Our Free & Reduced lunch program numbers allow us to receive a grant to help pay for the fiber upgrade. With funding from Federal and State grants, there will be zero upfront cost to the district. We need to make sure we are encouraging patrons to fill out Free & Reduced Lunch forms so that we will continue to qualify for these kinds of grants. The monthly recurring expenses will be paid by the state as well. Mr. Chapman moved that the board of trustees accept the recommendation that the fiber installation contract be awarded to Fatbeam Fiber as recommended by Mr. Wilson. Mr. Mercado seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. Sale of FCC Channels (Action) — In June when we adopted the budget, Mr. Kress warned that our fund balance would be depleted this year. We were looking at a $600,000 reduction to our fund balance. In December he received an email from T-Mobile. They are currently paying a lease on 2 frequency channels that we own. We have never used them; we have always leased them out to companies. T-Mobile is offering to pay $400,000 per license. Mr. Kress is recommending the sale of these licenses. We currently receive about $20,000 per lease per year. This will give us a large upfront payment that we can put back into our fund balance. Mr. Kress researched the offer and feels good about selling the channels and not having to dip into our fund balance in the future. Mr. Mercado moved that the board of trustees accept the sale of the FCC Chanels to T-Mobile for the amount of $400,000 per license as presented by Mr. Kress. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. 2 Board Meeting Minutes 1/22/2026 Re-Organization of the Board of Trustees Mrs. Hepworth nominated Mary Jo Marlow to serve as board chair for the 2026 calendar year. There were no other nominations. Mrs. Hepworth nominated Carlos Mercado to serve as board vice chairman for the 2026 calendar year. There were no other nominations. Mrs. Marlow nominated Cleon Chapman to serve as board treasurer for the 2026 calendar year. There were no other nominations. Mrs. Shoyo moved to accept the reorganization of the leadership of the board of trustees. Mrs. Hepworth seconded. All approved. The motion passed. Mr. Chapman moved that the board of trustees appoint Mrs. Jennifer Hatch to serve as the clerk of the board. Mr. Mercado seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. Mrs. Hepworth moved that the board of trustees appoint Mrs. Jennifer Hatch to serve as the custodian of public records. Mr. Mercado seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. Mr. Mercado moved that the regular board meetings for the 2026 calendar year and the annual board meeting in January 2027 be held at the District Office and the April board meeting be held at Fort Hall Elementary School at 6:30 p.m. and the regular board meetings be held on the dates as presented in written format. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. Mrs. Hepworth moved that public notices for board meetings and elections be posted at the District Administration Office, the Blackfoot School District Website and Facebook Page. The agendas will be emailed to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Business Office and Bingham News Chronicle. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. Board members signed the Code of Ethics for the 2026 calendar year. Motion to Executive Session (Action) — Mrs. Hepworth moved that the board of trustees recess into executive session in the manner and for the purposes authorized by Section 74-206, Idaho Code (1) (a) to consider hiring a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, (b) to consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, or public school student. Mr. Mercado seconded the motion. Mrs. Marlow noted that this is proper business for consideration in executive session as per Idaho Code 74-206. All board members in attendance voted in the affirmative in a roll call vote. Mrs. Marlow — aye. Mr. Mercado — aye. Mr. Chapman — aye. Mrs. Hepworth — aye. Ms. Shoyo — aye. The motion passed. Executive Session January 22, 2026 7:29 p.m. Mr. Kress presented the personnel recommendations. The board reconvened into open session at 8:01p.m. 3 Board Meeting Minutes 1/22/2026 Consent Agenda (Action) — Mrs. Marlow asked if there were any questions regarding items on the consent agenda. Mr. Mercado moved that the board of trustees approve the prior board meeting minutes, personnel recommendations as they appear below, the payment of December bills, student trips, and the BPAC events. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS January 22", 2026 New Hires Position Location Ruby Sanchez-Villeda EL Paraprofessional (28hrs) MVMS Adam Taylor Skilled Maintenance Worker DW Ceciley Walker Special Education Para (FT) BHS Extracurricular Position Location Abbie Brower Dance Assistant Coach BHS Pacen Hayes Baseball Assistant Coach BHS Brooklyn Judd Esports Assistant Coach BHS Chance Loynd Baseball Freshmen Assistant Coach BHS Cole Mansanarez Baseball Assistant Coach BHS Brayden Pieper Baseball Assistant Coach BHS Resignations/Retirements _—_ Position Location Paula Petersen (5/28/26) Classroom Paraprofessional (28 hrs) RB Makayla Steinmetz Classroom Paraprofessional (28 hrs) WAP Board Trustee (Information) — Mrs. Hepworth thanked the board for their support. She has been shaped by the people she has worked with. She believes in public education. She is grateful to see the growth in the district over the last 10 % years that she has served as board trustee. She has additional responsibilities in her personal life and has chosen to resign from the Board of Trustees. She will be greatly missed. Board members spoke of her input, logic, and sincere concern for students in our district. She has led with kindness, a smile, and a positive outlook. They spoke of her willingness to be open and objective and fair and honest. She has been an amazing example to us all. Trustee Vacancy (Action) — Mr. Chapman moved that the board of trustees accept the resignation of Board Trustee Bonnie Hepworth and declare a Board Trustee vacancy for Zone 3. Mr. Mercado seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. Future Agenda Items (Information) — A special board meeting needs to be held in 2 weeks to appoint a new trustee. Career Technical Education month is recognized in February. Mr. Chapman would like to see some student organizations present to the board to promote our CTE programs. Adjournment (Action) — Mr. Chapman moved that the January meeting of the board of trustees be adjourned. Mr. Mercado seconded the motion. All approved. The motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm. » ry J low, Chairwoman Jennifer Hatch, Clerk 4 Board Meeting Minutes 1/22/2026 BLACKFOOT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 55 FINANCIAL REPORT For the Month Ending: November 30, 2025 ZIONS BANK M & O-CMIA Account $ 2,339,531.10 Outstanding Checks $ (276,511.67) ZIONS BANK M&O TOTAL $ 2,063,019.43 DL EVANS BANK ( School Lunch) $ 276,127.02 INVESTMENTS - GENERAL OPERATIONS State Investment Poo! $ 11,020,572.50 PETTY CASH District Balance 11/30/2025 $ 3,500.00 TOTAL RECONCILED DISTRICT BANK FUNDS - November, 2025 $ 13,363,218.95 TOTAL RECONCILED DISTRICT BANK FUNDS - November, 2024 $ 11 883,383.32 BLACKFOOT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 55 CASH FLOW STATEMENT ALL DISTRICT FUNDS November 1, 2025 Balance Forward: REVENUE: Base State Support Federal - PL 81-874 Impact Aid State - Career/Technical Education (C.T.E.) Federal - Child Nutrition Other State Support Earning Interest Local - Child Nutrition TOTAL REVENUE: EXPENDITURES: November Payroll Transportation Custodial Contract IDEA Contract Services Bidg. Repair, Maint., Supplies, Equip. Food Services Utilities/Telephone Curriculum Instructional Suppplies Contract Services Technology Supplies Travel, Mieage Reimb., In-service Perkins Equipment Technology Contract Services Sales Tax TOTAL EXPENDITURES: NET DECREASE IN CASH POSITION: ENDING BALANCE: General Fund FY26 Budgeted Revenue FY26 Revenue To Date FY26 Budgeted Expenditures FY26 Expenditures To Date FY25 Actual Total Revenue FY25 Actual Revenue thru 06/30/2025 FY25 Actual Total Expenditures FY25 Actual Expenditures thru 06/30/2025 Ca Qa For the Month Ending: November 2025 NAAN NAwW n gf PAAMNMAANNUNANANNNNAMNNM $ 3,798,517.74 NANN ANNAN 6,278,356.00 926,721.00 172,163.46 99,886.21 71,172.00 36,042.10 10,531.74 7,594,872.51 2,878,877.18 307,477.56 102,701.16 101,302.82 83,595.39 76,977.84 76,072.32 58,163.07 40,325.52 28,329.60 15,186.24 11,139.04 7,535.94 6,790.07 1,881.02 3,796,354.77 39,067,007.00 27,343,674.84 38,783,678.00 12,932,604.47 36, 126,435.67 25,267,444.58 36,473,638.03 11,451 ,445.98 $ $ 9,564,701.21 13,363,218.95 70.0% 33.3% 69.9% 31.4% BLACKFOOT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 55 FINANCIAL REPORT For the Month Ending: December 31, 2025 ZIONS BANK M & O-CMIA Account $ 2,066,255.40 Outstanding Checks $ (240,857.44) ZIONS BANK M&O TOTAL $ _ 1,825,397.96 DL EVANS BANK ( School Lunch) $ _ 297,439.39 INVESTMENTS - GENERAL OPERATIONS State Investment Poo! $ 8,555,733.10 PETTY CASH District Balance 12/31/2025 $ 3,500.00 TOTAL RECONCILED DISTRICT BANK FUNDS - December, 2025 $ 10,682,070.45 TOTAL RECONCILED DISTRICT BANK FUNDS - December, 2024 $__11,087,649.44 BLACKFOOT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 55 CASH FLOW STATEMENT ALL DISTRICT FUNDS For the Month Ending: December 2025 December 1, 2025 Balance Forward: REVENUE: Federal - Title I-A Federal - IDEA Federal - Child Nutrition Earning Interest Federal - Title 1-C Migrant Federal - Title ll-A Improving Teacher Quality Medicaid Federal - IDEA Preschool Local - Property Tax Local - Child Nutrition Federal - Title iV-A Student Support State - Career/Technical Education (C.T.E.) Local Revenue (Rent, Donations, Tuition, Etc.) Federal - Title Ill-Federal EL State - Driver's Education TOTAL REVENUE: EXPENDITURES: December Payroll Transportation Custodial Contract Uttities/Telephone Food Services Bidg. Repair, Maint., Supplies, Equip. Instructional Suppplies IDEA Contract Services Technology Supplies Contract Services Travel, Mileage Reimb., In-service Technology Contract Services Sales Tax TOTAL EXPENDITURES: NET DECREASE IN CASH POSITION: ENDING BALANCE: General Fund FY26 Budgeted Revenue FY26 Revenue To Date FY26 Budgeted Expenditures FY26 Expenditures To Date FY25 Actual Total Revenue FY25 Actual Revenue thru 06/30/2025 FY25 Actual Total Expenditures FY25 Actual Expenditures thru 06/30/2025 Cine Den wn PPA ANANANMHHAOHHMHM |H NNAOMMNMNANUNNAMNNAM n $ 2.681,148.50 ANANNN PAPPNAN 204,687.98 169,905.25 66,377.05 41,224.20 34,754.70 25,511.42 24,952.17 23,024.28 21,312.65 21,246.96 16,991.09 10,000.00 6,901.66 6,370.78 5,114.10 678,374.29 2,741,827.03 228,606.05 102,456.16 72,524.05 61,094.93 47,609.69 37,046.86 34,643.07 12,106.48 8,072.98 7,503.16 5,408.86 623.47 3,359,522.79 39,067,007.00 27,361 829.37 38,783,678.00 15,922,807.27 36,126,435.67 24,341 063.27 36,473,638.03 14,392,051.54 $ $ 13,363,218.95 10,682,070.45 70.0% 41.1% 67.4% 39.5%