Snake River District #52 | minutes | meeting 2026-09-16 | Minutes September 16, 2026 source: https://irp.cdn-website.com/68c89c0a/files/uploaded/Minutes+09.16.26+%28Regular%29+-+signed.pdf 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