The regular monthly meeting of the Oneida School Board was held on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, with member Tresie Carter participating via Zoom and member Brandon Ward absent.

Reports

Superintendent Jon Abrams reported that work is progressing on schedule on the new elementary school with installation of the plumbing and electrical lines almost complete. Work on the gym walls will start this week. Leveling the baseball field is almost finished until spring when a layer of perlite will be added to the topsoil. Bids for construction of the ball fields will be let in November, hopefully giving local contractors time to get the required licenses or to arrange partnerships.

Ms. Jeannie Reeder, Principal of Stone Elementary School, reported that parent-teacher conferences went well with the PTO serving dinner to all participants. The PTO Halloween party will be on October 31. Safety drills are being conducted. Classroom management is improving. A cook/custodian is needed.

Ms. Sarah McIntyre, Principal of Malad Elementary School, reported that the Halloween parade will be on Thursday, October 26. This week is Red Ribbon Week, during which the students are learning about the dangers of drug use through various programs and activities. She believes that the new reading curriculum is helping students with their reading. Ms. McIntyre invited Board members to visit the school so they can see the new curriculum being implemented. She also reported an increase in the number of student suspensions.

Mr. Robert Hannah, Principal of Malad Middle School, reported that test scores are improving although more improvement is needed. Fall sports are over; wrestling and girls’ basketball have started. Middle School students are learning about how to avoid drugs during Red Ribbon Week. The Halloween dance will be on October 31. He noted that student behavior is good overall, but there are always some problems, especially on Thursdays.

Mr. Dallan Rupp, Vice-Principal of Malad High School, reported that the PSAT test had been administered to the sophomores. The volleyball team won District and so will be going to State. The boys’ cross country team won District, and the girls’ team was runner-up so both teams will be going to State in Pocatello on Saturday, October 28. The girls’ soccer team did well this season. The football team missed the playoffs with a 4-5 record.  FFA members are going to Montana for a livestock exhibition and will host a soils competition here. Ten FFA members are going to their National Convention. A field trip to Weber State University helped MHS students learn about medical programs there. The Career Fair was very successful with 19 presenters. While student attendance is better than in the past (91%), he hopes it will continue to improve to at least 95%.

Dr. Terri Sorensen, Administrator for the Idaho Home Learning Academy, reported that they have started a wait list due to the number of students registered. While test scores lag behind those of brick-and-mortar schools, she noted that test scores often do not tell the whole story. It is difficult to compare all 200+ IHLA students at a grade level with 25-30 students in a brick-and-mortar classroom. Fluctuations in numbers of students taking tests further make comparisons difficult. Also, students in brick-and-mortar schools take tests in their familiar classrooms while IHLA students have to go to an unfamiliar setting for testing. On the positive side, students have become independent learners by the time they get to high school.

Ms. Valerie O’Bryan of St. George, Utah, serves as the District Curriculum Director. She reported that overall test scores for Oneida School District are trending above state averages in math and language arts although IHLA scores are below state average but improving.

Discussion

The national School Boards Association conference will be in Dallas in February.  The Idaho State School Board Association conference is November 15-17. Superintendent Abrams encouraged Board members to look at participation in these conferences as an investment, not just an expense. Mr. Abrams hopes that they will be able to have a meeting with our Idaho legislators in Burley on the way to the state conference.

Mr. Abrams has discussed the need for a part-time School Resource Officer with the Oneida County Sheriff. They are hoping to arrange for off-duty deputies to serve in the schools. Being down two deputies is a problem for the Sheriff’s Office.

Policies

The State would like each District to involve parents in the implementation of standards through the establishment of a curriculum materials adoption committee comprised of the superintendent, an administrator, and equal numbers of parents and staff. The Board approved the first reading of this change to the Standards Implementation Policy.

Mrs. Jill Daniels talked about the need for a policy related to homebound instruction due to a problem that arose last year. She answered questions related to the suggested policy and will make recommended changes before the second reading of the policy next month. The Board approved the first reading of the Homebound Instruction Policy.

IHLA Charter School Petition

With the passage of HB 113 last year, charter schools can now be chartered through a school district, not just through the charter school commission. Therefore, a petition was presented to the School Board recommending that IHLA become a charter school operating through Oneida School District. The petition presented to the School Board was patterned after one provided by the State. IHLA will have its own Board and bylaws after becoming a nonprofit organization. The petition must be approved by January and the Board must be in place by July. Dr. Terri Sorensen noted that the petition had to have approval from 60% of IHLA staff and parents, which it has.  The Board approved the first reading of the petition.

Personnel

The following personnel were approved, pending their passing the State-mandated background check: Angie Briscoe and Christine Ward as Malad Elementary School special education aides; Coby Crozier as Malad High School head track coach; Devan Tyler as assistant special education director; and Zylia Wolfley, Amy Angell, Michelle Luke, Nathan Urie, and Bre’Kell Lyons as substitute teachers. Thirteen substitute teachers for IHLA were also approved.