The monthly meeting of the Oneida School Board was held on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, following a work session.  Shane Howard was not present at the regular meeting due to another commitment. Kathy Atkinson, long-time math teacher at Malad Middle School, was honored as the Oneida School District “Employee of the Month.”  (See accompanying article.)

Administrator Reports

Mr. Dallan Rupp, Superintendent, reported that enrollment remains steady.  He is looking at data to understand the reasons for students leaving school, although most who leave are moving away from Malad. The scoreboards on the ball diamonds will be installed this week. The Malad Elementary School water lines have been blown out for winter, and the school will be connected to the City water system. A new company has been hired to refurbish the power system at Malad High School after the flood in the basement. It will take two weeks to completely clean and repair the system, resulting in the new system being more efficient and costing less money for the District.

Ms. Jeanie Reeder, Principal of Stone School, noted that the validity of the data derived from the new assessment program is questionable, but interventions are being planned for students who need academic help. The Oneida Crisis Center donated bike helmets to the students. The PTO hosted an all-school birthday party and kickball game. All parents attended the parent-teacher conferences. 

Ms. Sarah McIntyre, Principal of Malad Elementary School, also noted that the test scores are not necessarily valid; the new assessment system is not working. She thanked the PTO for another successful Halloween carnival. She also thanked Pete Yellowjohn and Hovia Edwards for their presentation to the 2nd grade. The Bike/Scooter Rodeo will be held at the school on Friday as hosted by Mayor Joan Hawkins and Haley Reed, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator. The 4th grade will be going to the Oneida County Library to participate in STEM activities.

Mr. Josh Smith, Principal of Malad Middle School, reported that candy bars were given to all students who had missed no more than three days since school began; almost all students received the candy as school attendance is over 96%. He and the school counselor are meeting with students who are struggling. Fall sports went well with the 8th grade girls’ volleyball team and the cross-country team placing 2nd in the District. The parent-teacher conferences were well attended.

Mr. Bob Hannah, Principal of Malad High School, began by saying that Homecoming had gone very well with the many activities contributing to a positive school culture.  He made special note of participation by the drum line and color guard for the first time in the parade and pre-game program.  With some emotion, Mr. Hannah told about the day during Homecoming Week when the students dressed as if for their favorite holiday.  The junior class students, who had dressed for Christmas, went to the Bird home and sang Christmas carols, adding to the early Christman being celebrated by the family because of daughter Brielle’s illness. The professional development day on Friday will help promote student learning.  Student attendance is trending up with over 92% attendance for every class; students want to be at school. He also reported that MHS students could earn as many as 1013 college credits this semester. The Board took note of the teacher cartoon portraits created by Tim Burton, an art student. Mr. Hannah reported that Lexie Evans, the ag teacher, had had her baby—a boy named Stetson Allen. Board member Tresie Carter added that Lexie had left very detailed instructions for the substitute while she is on maternity leave.

Action Items

A policy related to leaves of absence was approved.  The Board approved the annual Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP), which is required by the State to track student achievement goals and staff performance goals. 

The school calendar for 2026-2027 was approved.   It was noted that because of the way the days fall on the calendar in 2026, the District calendar ended up with three extra days. Therefore, MLK and Presidents’ Day will be holidays; this is a very rare occurrence that won’t happen again for many years. School will start on a Wednesday in 2026.  

The following personnel were approved, pending their passing the State-mandated background check:  Callao Carter and Linda Kerr as substitute teachers; Conner Worrell as a volunteer Malad High School music staff member to assist with the pep band and drumline; Megan Beckstead as a Malad Elementary School part-time special education aide; Clint Price as the Malad Middle School wrestling coach; Chad Maroney as the Malad High School head baseball coach; Lyndee Nimer as a high school student aide for the after-school program; and Elsie Maughan as a nursing home clinical instructor for CNA students.