The regular monthly meeting of the Oneida School Board was held on Monday, May 18, because of Seminary Graduation scheduled for Tuesday. An executive session was held prior to the meeting.

Bill Peabody, a custodian at Malad High School, was recognized as the Oneida School District “Employee of the Month.” (See accompanying article.)  The Malad High School music students who went to District and State Music Contest were recognized for the honors they received. At State, the students competed against students from schools of all sizes in all six districts in Idaho.

Administrator Reports

Superintendent Dallin Rupp reported that enrollment at all schools remained steady throughout the year. In his facilities report, he noted that the storage shed at the ball fields will be completed during the summer, and the landscaping on the fields will be overhauled at the expense of the contractor before fall. Laying the asphalt at Stone Elementary School has been delayed because of the need to make a drainage system cover level with the surrounding ground. A trench will be dug to bring City water to the park (Pioneer Park) north of Malad Elementary School. There have been some problems with getting water on the lawn around the District Office. The remodeling of the Middle School (taking out the kitchen) will begin when school is out.

Principal Jeanie Reeder of Stone School thanked Malad High School ag teacher Lexie Evans for organizing Ag Day at Stone, the PTO for organizing a track meet with awards and treats, and the Oneida Education Foundation for partially funding the new playground equipment. She was proud to announce that Stone School’s test scores are above the state average.

Principal Sarah McIntyre of Malad Elementary School noted how successful Ag Day was because of Lexie Evans, the FFA, and the Oneida County Extension Office.  She also thanked Melanie Coleman, Brinn Bagley, Alicia Seamons, Alaina Schrenk, Kelly Hill, Clint Price, Pat Werk, and Derek Wilson for helping with the 4th and 5th grade electives. She shared some quotes from the student surveys of their favorite and least favorite things about school.

Principal Josh Smith of Malad Middle School reported that average attendance for May was 93%. He also reported the results of student, parent, and staff surveys dealing with satisfaction with the school. Overall, satisfaction rates were high. The 7th and 8th grade boys’ track teams and the 6th grade girls’ track team took 1st at District. ISAT scores are above the state average.

Principal Robert Hannah of Malad High School reminded everyone that graduation will be on Wednesday. Average attendance for May was 92%. The school received three Nucor grants worth $4500, a Bistline Foundation grant for $3000 for band instruments, and Blue Cross of Idaho grant for $50,000 to support the nursing assistant program. ISAT scores in both math and science are above the state average. The boys’ track and baseball teams took 2nd at State, and the girls’ track and softball teams took 4th at State.  Board member Tresie Carter reported on the success of the ag greenhouse during the Mother’s Day plant sale.

Action Items

The Board approved the superintendent contract for 2026-27. The Board approved the teacher master agreement for 2026-27 after noting that an agreement was reached between the School District and the Oneida Education Association after just one meeting. The salary schedule is the same as last year.  

The Board approved salary schedules for classified staff, including coaches and teachers with extra assigned duties. The salaries of these employees will be a percentage of the base salary, not a stipend. 

Many policies in the District policy manual have no adoption dates. The Board approved May 18, 2026, as the adoption date, and all policies will be updated accordingly.

Jean Coburn, Director of School Lunch Program, presented the proposed school breakfast and lunch prices for next year. Prices will go up $.15 per meal, which means that the Oneida School District meal prices remain below State prices. The price of elementary student lunches will be $3.25, and the price of secondary student lunches will be $3.45.  In spite of generous donations this year, the school lunch program has a negative balance of $2000.  Only 34% of students sign up for the free- and reduced-price school meal program although many more qualify. The Board approved the new meal prices.

The Board addressed eleven policies. The part-time attendance/dual enrollment policy was deleted.  Several policies were approved on second reading. The policy dealing with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was updated to comply with federal law. The policy dealing with sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation was amended to require a neutral party to investigate allegations. The policy dealing with standards implementation was brought into alignment with state policies. The policy addressing the selection, adoption use, and removal of curricular materials was brought into alignment with state policies. The policy addressing district-provided access to electronic information was updated to include acceptable use of electronic networks. The policy about district-provided mobile computing devices relates to technology use agreements, and the Chromebook access and internet use agreement policy applies to all students in the District.  The policy dealing with honor students was tabled for further discussion and revision.

The Board approved the following personnel, pending their passing the State-mandated background check: Heather Zabriskie as a substitute teacher; Vicki Lewis and Tyson Daniels as Malad Middle School girls’ basketball coaches; Britta Sperry Hansen as the Malad Elementary School music teacher; Erika Tayson as the MMS school counselor; and Nanci Ball as a MMS 6th grade teacher.