The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 High School Computer Lab 7:00 PM

Trustees present- Chairman Kelly Rutledge, Vice chair Brad Weaver, Jessica Sheehy, Anna Bold Trustee not present- Matt Myers

Staff present- Principal Heather Wolery, Superintendent Dan Schrock, Clerk Mary Merrill, AD Melanie S,

1. Meeting called to order by Kelly Rutledge, Chairman, at 700pm

2. Chairman Rutledge made an amendment to the agenda switching New Business, E to the position of C.

3. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.

4. Welcoming Guests in attendance by chairman Rutledge

5. Public Comment of Non Agenda Items. None.

6. Correspondence was passed around by chairman Rutledge for all trustees to read.

7. Minutes of the Last Meeting held on December 19th, 2023, approve/disapprove. Anna Bold made a motion to accept the minutes of the December 19th, 2023 minute as written, Jessica Sheehy seconded, the minutes from the previous meeting held on December 19th 2023 approved unanimously.

8. Reports & Updates

a. National Honor society - Ms. Jaramillo, NHS advisor, reported on the accomplishment of community service hours by student members The after school tutoring sessions are a large percentage of the time acquired by the members.

b. Student council had a representative in person to report on activities that have been held and will be held, including the upcoming Valentines dance.

c. Booster Club- Melanie Schwarzbach reported that the club has purchased a new discus cage for track and field and that the new championship banners are in.

d. Technology- Tech director Travis Baumann reported that he is working on the Erate funding for the 24-25 school year. Working with Wendy in the high school office and Mary in the business office, access is now available to be purchased by community members for use of the gym/annex.

e. Business Class grant- Mrs. Andreasen, the high school business teacher, reported that she received a grant from Recycle Montana for a recycling trailer to be used by the school in the amount of $4128.76. She will start the program by offering recycling for paper, plastic and aluminum cans.

f. Clerks report- District clerk and Business manager Mary Merrill reported that the staff holiday party held on January 11th had a great turnout, especially given the bad weather, and that Marie with The Mint did a wonderful job hosting the event and serving a taco bar for all the staff, trustees and family members to enjoy. She has participated in multiple training webinars since the beginning of January, receiving invaluable guidance and school finance and budgeting training. The head cook, Lianna, and Mary worked on a grant for new kitchen equipment and received those funds totaling $3,347 to be used for a new proofer, replacing an old and well worn out one.

i.Approval of Claims & payroll k-12 -motion made by Brad Weaver to approve Claims #49792-49836 and Payroll #37696-37722 and payroll direct deposit ach #306, seconded by Kelly Rutledge, no discussion, approved unanimously.

g. AD report-Melanie Schwarzbach, Athletic Director, shared the need to approve the replacement of football helmets pre the requirement that the outdated ones be discontinued. She also shared her concern about how costly it is to run athletics as Officials for games are very expensive. She will do a cost analysis for all Official expenses. Discussion- Anna Bold recommended that the purchasing power of the helmets be placed with the superintendent and split into two payments to allow for a non-board voted purchase under the $5000.00 threshold, allowing the purchase to be made promptly given the timeframe.

h. Principals Report- Heather Wolery gave a slideshow presentation on attendance comparisons over last year as well as the results of a bullying survey given to students and parents. She will be attending an annual Principal Conference in Butte starting on January 21st and is looking forward to the interactions with fellow principals from all over the state.

i. Superintendent’s Report- Superintendent Schrock strongly recommends that we stay with the financial auditor that we have been with, Strom & Associates, given that the district has history with them and with the audit proposal sent recently. Dan appreciates his collaboration with the NEMASS group that he meets with monthly. Dan has reached out to Adam Milligan for assistance with data collection High school locker rooms flooded this morning and has been called into insurance claim. School will be closed afternoon of 01/17, after school is out, in order to turn the water off and flush the system entirely. School culture survey- attendance improvement was a great sight to see. Rental house update- houses have been listed for sale. The current tenant will be allowed to have enough time to find a new place if sale goes through.

9. Informational update- FICO analysis of heating system on 01/12/2024- Meeting was canceled due to the weather.

10. Old Business

a. Discussion & possible action item-MTSBA policy update, second reading. Discussion from Brad Moore, guest in attendance, on policy requirements. Motion to approve MTSBA policy updates as listed below made by Anna Bold. Seconded by Jessica Sheehy . No further discussion. Motion passed unanimously.

Please see School website for policies.

11. New Business

a. Discussion & possible action item-MEA request for bargaining agreements & creation of negotiation committee. Creation of committee made and will include two board members, the superintendent and clerk will be present. Vice Chair Brad Weaver and Jessica Sheehy will be the present board members. Date of negotiation committee meeting set for Monday January 29th at 7pm.

b. Discussion & possible action item- Strom & Associates proposal for FY 2023 audit services. Anna Bold made a motion to accept the proposal for FY 2023 audit review services by Strom $ Associates. Kelly Rutledge seconded the motion, motion passed unanimously.

c. Discussion & possible action item- substitute approval for remainder of 2023/2024 school year, pending background check. Brad made a motion to approve the hiring of Lesa Prybl as a teaching substitute for the remainder of the 2023/2024 school year, Kelly Ruteldge seconded, motion to hire passed unanimously.

1. Lesa Prybl

d. Discussion & possible action item- Resolution to call for bids- HVAC Controls Superintendent Dan requested approval from the board of trustees to call for bids. Brad Moore, guest in attendance, asked several questions regarding the project, including an update on current ESSER funding that could be used. Anna Bold questioned how long the bid process will take. Anna would like to know if it is possible to have bids for both schools separated and to ensure that the proposal differentiates pricing between both schools rather than lumping the proposal into one that covers both schools. Anna Bold made a motion to call for a bid for HVac controls as discussed. Brad Weaver seconded, motion to pass a resolution calling for bids to replace the district HVAC controls passed unanimously.