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minutes meeting date 2026-09-16 · fetched 2026-11-01 · 20434 characters · official file · plain text
Snake River School Board of Trustees
Held at Snake River Community Library
924 West Highway 39, Blackfoot, ID 83221
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
1.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
Chairman Larin Mortimer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Other board members present were Lon Harrington, Carol
Hepworth, and Spencer Larsen. Josh Sorensen arrived at 7:30 p.m. Also attending were Superintendent Mark Kress and Board
Clerk Terisa Coombs.
2.
PRAYER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Trustee Larsen opened the meeting with a prayer.
3.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Trustee Harrington moved and Trustee Hepworth seconded to approve the agenda as presented. All board
members voted aye. Motion passed 4-0.
4.
PUBLIC INPUT
There were no comments made during Public Input.
5. ACTION ITEMS
a. Consent Agenda
Minutes: Regular Meeting of August 19, 2026; Special Meeting of September 8, 2026.
New Hires: Ariel Weston, SROS CTE/Science Teacher; Sarah Baldwin, SROS Alternative Mentor Teacher; Emmily
Read, SROS Student Success Coach; Shanna Clayson SROS Student Success Coach; Trina Staub, Moreland Behavioral
Intervention Parapro K-1; Cheznee Bergen, Middle School Title I Parapro; Madalyn Ramay, Middle School Title I
Parapro; Margarita Carrillo, Bus Driver.
Payroll Status Change: Tatum Gifford; Taylor Giles; Lori Fillmore; Jennifer Reynolds; Natalie Raymond; Andrew
Hansen.
Budget Reports and Reconciliation Reports, LGIP Statements, Payroll, and Claims Payable (July/August 2026)
Property Disposal: 2004 Chevy Surburban; 2006 72-Passenger BlueBird School Bus.
A motion was made by Trustee Harrington and seconded by Trustee Larsen to approve the Consent Agenda as
presented. All board members voted aye. Motion passed 4-0.
b. Trip Requests
Ray Carter, High School Principal, presented the 2026-2027 overnight and out-of-state trips. All trips that are
overnight, outside of Districts IV, V, & VI, out of state, or beyond 250 miles one-way must be approved by the School
Board in the September Board meeting. A list of these trips is included. IHSAA sponsored state tournaments and other
season competitions are considered regular trips. Students must qualify for most of these trips. Also, Principal Scott
Corgatelli from SROS is requesting four trips.
Trustee Larsen moved and Trustee Harrington seconded to approve the regular, out-of-state, overnight trips, and
out-of-state trips beyond 250 miles for the 2026-2027 school year for Snake River High School and Snake River
Opportunities School, as presented. All board members present voted aye. Motion passed 4-0.
c. Weight Room Contract Selections
The following is a summary of the bid proposals received to date for the Snake River High School PE classroom addition.
Jeff Steadman Construction has collected bids for the following scopes of work:
1. 1. HVAC
L & L Mechanical ($217,845)
* Mechanical Solutions ($127,372)
Steadman Construction recommends Mechanical Solutions. They are the lowest bid and believe they will do a good job.
A motion was made by Trustee Hepworth and seconded by Trustee Harrington to approve the HVAC quote from
Mechanical Solutions in the amount of $127, 372. All board members voted aye. Motion passed 4-0.
2. Doors
Idaho Wholesale Hardware ($34,531)
* ABS (Architectural Building Supply) ($43,054)
Steadman Construction recommends ABS because the proposal they submitted is more complete including the hollow
windows and the quoted 14gage (instead of standard 18 gage) metal which will be more durable.
Snake River Board of Trustees Minutes
September 16, 2026 (2)
A motion was made by Trustee Harrington and seconded by Trustee Hepworth to approve the quote for doors from
ABS (Architectural Building Supply) in the amount of $43,054. All board members voted aye. Motion passed 4-0.
3. Windows
City Creek Commercial Glass, LLC ($32,338)
A motion was made by Trustee Larsen and seconded by Trustee Harrington to approve the quote from City Creek
Commercial Glass, LLC in the amount of $32,338 for the weight room windows. All board members voted aye.
Motion passed 4-0.
d. 2026-2027 Strategic Plan (Continuous Improvement Plan)
Superintendent Kress gave an update on the 2026-2027 Strategic Plan. On the bright side, the district hit a huge milestone
by finally getting a unified K–12 math curriculum, and early elementary reading scores are still trending up. Enrollment in
the youngest grades has dropped to a 30-year low. Kindergarten is down to just 85 kids from 120 last year due to state and
national birth rate dips. The silver lining is that class sizes are smaller than ever, giving teachers a great setup to boost
learning. The main area of concern came from board members pointing out that Star Reading scores in grades 4–12 are
sitting around 49% (well short of the 75% target), so they have asked for a follow-up report to see how they can better
support older readers.
Trustee Larsen moved and Trustee Harrington seconded to approve the Strategic Plan for the 2026-2027 school
year as presented. All other board members present voted aye. Motion passed 4-0.
e. Schedule ISBA Board Procedure Training
The board would like to schedule a training with ISBA/Monica Pauley on Board Procedures. After discussion, the board
would like to see if it is possible to provide the training while they are at the ISBA Conference. Superintendent Kress will
look into that possibility.
Trustee Hepworth moved and Trustee Harrington seconded to approve scheduling a time for Board Procedure
Training with the Idaho School Boards Association trainer, Monica Pauley. All board members present voted aye.
Motion passed 4-0.
6.
INFORMATION ITEMS
a. Superintendent Report
1. Certified School Employees Retire/Rehire: Superintendent Kress clarified a previous misunderstanding, sharing that
the district attorney incorrectly applied state employee hiring rules to public school staff during the last meeting. After Mr.
Kress pointed out the error using Idaho code and district policy, the attorney acknowledged the mistake. He confirmed that
it is entirely legal to rehire a retired employee, even immediately after retirement, provided there was no prior agreement of
reemployment and districts are not obligated to choose a non-retired applicant over a more qualified retiree. He noted that
even PERSI (Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho) frequently gets these rules mixed up, reassuring the board that
the district's hiring practices are completely above board and standard across the state.
2. Ten-Year Facility Plan: Superintendent Kress urged the board to start planning for the 2028 expiration of both the
district’s plant facility levy and bond, which currently generate around $1.5 million annually. Rather than attempting a new
bond, which requires a steep 66.6% voter approval rate and has a high failure rate statewide, he recommended replacing
both with a larger plant facility levy. Because district property values have more than doubled to over $1 billion and the tax
rate has dropped significantly to $32 per $100,000, running a $1.5 million levy would maintain current funding without
raising tax rates on patrons. Combining $15 million raised over a 10-year levy with $6.8 million currently available in a
state modernization fund would provide roughly $22 million for facility improvements. Superintendent Kress will build a
spreadsheet of district needs such as aging roofs, auditorium seating, CTE, Ag, and music spaces. He noted that with state
limits narrowing election dates to May and November, the district should target one of the four upcoming voting windows
to secure approval well before the funds expire.
3. District and Building Reports
a. Auditorium Updates: Repairs are complete on two ceiling holes, with painting scheduled over harvest break.
The board expressed support for addressing the auditorium's aging and breaking cast-iron seats. Mr. Kress
will email quotes for replacement options and bring this information at next month’s meeting.
Snake River Board of Trustees Minutes
September 16, 2026 (3)
b. District Office Reception Area Remodel Project: Superintendent Kress outlined a plan to build a pony wall
with a counter in front of the main reception desk to protect confidential public documents. The low-cost
project, funded within the district budget rather than modernization funds, will also include repainting, new
carpeting, and new desks.
c. Jr. High Project Update: Plumbing work under the $400,000 grant came in slightly under budget at $392,000,
though the contractor (Harris Company) is being brought back to replace four remaining cast-iron fittings to
address residual lead readings. Additionally, work is currently underway to repair the junior high kitchen roof
using modernization funds.
b. Upcoming Events:
1. Harvest Break: September 21st through October 4th, 2026 (Students return October 5th)
2. Teacher Inservice will be October 9th
3. Parent-Teacher Conferences for Middle School and Rockford will be October 14-15, Jr. High and High School will be
October 15th
4. Fall Region V Meeting is Monday, October 19, 2026 at 5:30-8:00 p.m.
5. Discussion on ISBA Resolutions will take place at the October board meeting
6. The Financial Audit Report is tentatively planned to take place between October and December
7. The Junior Play, Madagascar, a Musical Adventure will be October 19-24th
8. SREF Craft Fair and Halloween Carnival will be October 24th.
9. Annual ISBA Conference will be November 4-6, 2026 in Boise
7.
POLICY READINGS
a. Second Reading:
Policy 2435—Dual Credit/Advanced Opportunities: This policy discusses how dual credit grades should be handled
when there is a discrepancy between college and high school grading systems.
Policy 5100—Hiring Process and Criteria: Some of the changes to this policy relate to the statement districts and
charter schools must have job applicants sign to authorize their previous employers to release information about them.
This statement must now authorize the release of information about pending or prior investigations of the employee,
resignations during an investigation or in lieu of disciplinary action, and discipline for misconduct. Idaho Code now
also requires districts and charter schools to require applicants to disclose whether they have ever been involved in any
such actions. This update also changes language related to verification of certificate status to reflect how the process
currently works and narrows the range of applicants for whom records must be requested to include only finalists for
the position. This is a recommended update to a required item.
Policy 5100P—Procedures for Obtaining Personnel Records for Applicants: This update adds the new required
disclosures of pending or prior investigations, resignations during an investigation or in lieu of disciplinary action, and
discipline for misconduct to the description of materials applicants must provide. It also includes the correction of a
form number and a little rephrasing for clarity. This is a recommended update to a required item.
Policy 5100F1—Authorization for Release of Information on Past Employment with School Employers: This
update adds pending or prior investigations, resignations during an investigation or in lieu of disciplinary action, and
discipline for misconduct to this form's list of topics for which a job applicant authorizes their prior employers to release
information as now described in Policy 5100. This is a required update to a recommended item.
Policy 5210—Workday: The main purpose of updating this policy was to clearly define the workday to provide clarity
as to when employees can engage in local education association (LEA) activities without having to make special
arrangements as described in Policy 5296. The update also includes several changes for readability and brevity. This is
a recommended update to a recommended item.
Policy 5260—Abused and Neglected Child Reporting: This update adds a couple sentences noting that districts and
charter schools must report suspected child abuse, abandonment, and neglect before conducting their own investigation,
if they choose to conduct one. With the passage of SB 1412 this year, this is now required by law. The update also
includes changes for readability and stylistic consistency. This is a recommended update to a recommended item.
Policy 5265—Employee Responsibilities Regarding Student Harassment: These edits include a clarification that
the requirement for employees to intervene to stop bullying includes a requirement to intervene in cases of cyber
bullying. They also remove a no-longer-extant reporting requirement and provide sever minor edits for readability. This
is a recommended update to an optional item.
Policy 5500—Personnel Records: The substantive change to this item is the addition of a sentence noting that the
district or charter school will release materials as required by SB 1451, the new law that requires the release of
information related to pending or prior investigations of the employee, resignations during an investigation or in lieu of
disciplinary action, and discipline for misconduct. This is a recommended update to a required item.
Snake River Board of Trustees Minutes
September 16, 2026 (4)
Policy 5900—Prohibition on Staff Support of Social Transitions: This new model policy implements HB 822, which
requires schools to inform a student's parent within 72 hours if the student makes certain requests related to gendered
titles, pronouns, names, gendered facility use, or gendered school activities. This is a new recommended item.
A motion was made by Trustee Sorensen and seconded by Trustee Harrington to approve the second readings of
Policy 5100—Hiring Process and Criteria; Policy 5100P—Procedures for Obtaining Personnel Records for
Applicants; Policy 5100F1—Authorization for Release of Information on Past Employment with School
Employers; Policy 5210—Workday; Policy 5260—Abused and Neglected Child Reporting; Policy 5265—
Employee Responsibilities Regarding Student Harassment; Policy 5500—Personnel Records; Policy 5900—
Prohibition on Staff Support of Social Transitions; Policy 2435—Dual Credit/Advanced Opportunities. All board
members present voted aye. Motion passed 5-0.
b. First Readings:
Policy 1110—Elections: These edits are based on recent changes to the declaration of candidacy process that hand
some responsibilities over from the District clerk to the county clerk and change the deadline for filing a declaration.
There is also some minor language cleanup for consistency of style. This is a required update to a recommended
item.
Policy 1315—District Planning: This update replaces the former continuous improvement plan language with new
strategic performance plan requirements. It adds requirements related to student outcomes, community input,
measurable goals, subgroup data, evidence-based strategies, board development, and public progress reporting.
Beginning in the 2027–2028 school year, the plan must cover at least four years, be updated annually, and be submitted
to the State Department of Education by October 1. This is a required update to a recommended item.
Policy 1525—Board Meeting News Coverage: This update emphasizes that members of the public in general, not just
representatives of local media, can record meetings, provided they comply with district/charter school policy and
meeting protocol. This is in accordance with longstanding ISBA recommendation and recent legislation. This is a
recommended update to an optional item.
Policy 1645—Board Development Opportunities: This edit only changes the term "continuous improvement
planning" to "strategic planning." We're making this change to match the new legislation described in 1315 above. This
is an optional update to an optional item.
Policy 2125—K-3 Reading Intervention: This item includes several minor edits for cleanup and consistency. It also
removes mention of a now-passed deadline and removes a mention of annual continuous improvement plan reporting
requirements that were repealed during the recent legislative session. This is an optional update to a recommended
item.
Policy 2200—School Year, Calendar, and Instructional Hours: This update adds information on a new requirement
for schools to close for in-person instruction on Election Day if a student-occupied building is needed for election
purposes. This is a recommended update to a recommended item.
Policy 2303—Required Elementary Instruction Offerings: This update adds a short mention of the new civics
instruction requirements for all students, which passed as part of SB 1336. While this legislation lays out detailed new
requirements, we've opted to keep the policy language on this topic relatively brief. This is in keeping with our usual
practice of not including a lot of detail on curriculum and learning outcomes in policy, to keep the policy short and user-
friendly, and to ensure it doesn't drift out of date if there are further changes to these requirements. If you have questions
about these requirements, please feel free to reach out to the ISBA office. This is a recommended update to a
recommended item.
Policy 2395—Idaho Digital Learning Academy: Most of these updates are relatively minor cleanup for style and
readability. There is one substantive change that adds a new detail to the determination of whether the district/charter
school must cover the cost of a student's IDLA course. This is a recommended update to a recommended item.
A motion was made by Trustee Hepworth and seconded by Trustee Harrington to approve the first readings of
Policy 1110—Elections; Policy 1315—District Planning; Policy 1525—Board Meeting News Coverage; Policy
1645—Board Development Opportunities; Policy 2125—K-3 Reading Intervention; Policy 2200—School Year,
Calendar, and Instructional Hours; Policy 2303—Required Elementary Instruction Offerings; and Policy 2395—
Idaho Digital Learning Academy. All board members present voted aye. Motion passed 5-0.
Snake River Board of Trustees Minutes
September 16, 2026 (5)
8. CLOSING INFORMATION ITEMS
The next Board Meeting will be Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at Rockford Elementary at 7 p.m.
9. ADJOURN
Trustee Larsen moved to adjourn and Trustee Hepworth seconded.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
ATTEST:
Clerk
Chairman
Date
Terisa Coombs
October 21, 2026
Larin D. Mortimer (Oct 22, 2026 15:38:12 MDT)
Minutes 09.16.26 (Regular)
Final Audit Report
2026-10-22
Created:
2026-10-22
By:
Terisa Coombs (coomteri@snakeriver.org)
Status:
Signed
Transaction ID:
CBJCHBCAABAA0T7UiO8AZVWZmzYpkNO6Iu2eO_v1vQ1G
"Minutes 09.16.26 (Regular)" History
Document created by Terisa Coombs (coomteri@snakeriver.org)
2026-10-22 - 8:04:08 PM GMT
Document emailed to Larin Mortimer (mortlari@snakeriver.org) for signature
2026-10-22 - 8:04:12 PM GMT
Email viewed by Larin Mortimer (mortlari@snakeriver.org)
2026-10-22 - 9:36:25 PM GMT
Signer Larin Mortimer (mortlari@snakeriver.org) entered name at signing as Larin D. Mortimer
2026-10-22 - 9:38:10 PM GMT
Document e-signed by Larin D. Mortimer (mortlari@snakeriver.org)
Signature Date: 2026-10-22 - 9:38:12 PM GMT - Time Source: server - Signature Appearance Selected: MOBILE_DRAW
Agreement completed.
2026-10-22 - 9:38:12 PM GMT
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