001stands one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thanks everyone for the regular board meeting of 421. The public portions of the board meeting are being recorded in accordance with district policy 1420 and section 2-2-214 MCA. By remaining in this meeting, all participants and attend attendees acknowledge they may appear on the recording which will be placed on the school district's website for a minimum of one year from the date of the meeting. First item on the agenda is anyone wishing to speak on an agenda item, please fill out the pink sheet located at the end of the table and turn it to the board secretary as soon as possible. First item, approval of minutes for special board meeting March 13, 2025. Motion from trustees. Move to approve. Second. It has been moved
002and seconded. Does anyone have any questions or changes regarding these minutes? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. Tom. All those opposed. Motion passes. Next is the approval of minutes regular board meeting March 18th, 2025. Motion. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions or changes on these minutes? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of minutes special board meeting litigation session April 3rd, 2025. Motion from trustees. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any changes or questions regarding these minutes? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed? Motion passes. First reading and review of policy 2250, community
003and adult education 2250NF1, adult continuing education authorization for emergency care and acknowledgement of risk. Miss Jonart, Madame Chairman, members of the board, um uh request this is the first reading of um of policy 2250 on community and adult education. The first change in the policy is in the second paragraph where it reads, "The district recognizes the importance of the senior citizens in our community. Senior citizens aged 62 years or more shall be eligible for a golden age activity pass and for a reduction of enrollment fees for adult education courses. Uh what has changed there was uh the uh the word waiver was crossed out to say a reduction because of um there's a slight fee for everybody to participate in the adult education courses. Um then on the second part is the is a brand
004new form that we've not had that's required and it's the authorization for emergency care and acknowledgement of risk that anybody that will be attending any of the courses will s will need to be signed um uh next uh fall. So those are the two changes in 2250 regarding adult and continuing education. Any questions of Miss Jonart? Hearing none, we will move on to the next one, which is the federal DEI notification. Miss Jonart, Madame Chairman, members of the board, I just wanted to um give you a little bit of communication regarding DEI uh certification. Basically, it's a certification um that in order to receive federal funds that we are certifying that we are following um all the regular regulations and requirements under title six um and the um student for fair um admissions versus Harvard
005Supreme Court case which makes sure that um we do we do not discriminate against any people um uh regarding race rel re um or uh ethnic origin or um any of those um areas. Um and we just have um we have to certify this by um a April 24th. Send it to the office of public instruction. This is an this is an additional certification and assurance um that was just sent out from uh Washington DC. It is really not much different than what the other asurances that we've we uh we we submit to the federal government when we receive federal funds on our federal grants. So, um, just wanted to make sure that we knew that we were certifying this as a legal obligation in order to to receive our federal finances and we will
006be doing that and submitting it by April 24th or Yeah, April 24th. Yes. Any questions of Miss Jonart? Next is the update on the health insurance plan. Miss Jonart, Madame Chairman, members of the board, I just uh I'm just trying to make sure that everybody is up to date um on the newest developments of the the new insurance the state insurance trust uh plan that's out there. Um currently they're moving along. Uh the projected time is that they should be should be receiving some um doc documentation in fall about how much the options of the kind of insurance that they'll offer the price of the insurance plans and then enrollment will uh will begin. They're projecting sometime late um fall like November um early December and um and then um they're projected to begin um
007everything ready to go in and be in place for July 1 of 2026. So again, they're moving along. projected timeline estimated is that they will be sending out uh rates of rates and plans for the insurance enrollment windows will start maybe sometime in November, December with the implementation for July 1 of 2026. Any questions of Miss Jonart? Election update, Mr. Patrick, madam chair, members of the board, um we had two positions that were open for um seats on the board. We only had two people that turned in their paperwork. So, um we have we're able to cancel the election. So, next month we'll be signing in Kelly or swearing in Kelly and Kathy. Congratulations. Thank you, Miss Patrick. Next is public comment on items not on the agenda. Anyone wishing to speak on any matter
008not on the agenda may step forward now. Please identify yourself before you begin. I must caution anyone wishing to speak. You may not discuss personnel issues, student issues, or pending litigation during this comment session. Due to time constraints, each speaker will be allowed three minutes. Yes, sir. Mr. Polish and if you blindly will rest with that will be okay. Come on. Like to leave a couple of copies with Mary K. Oh, sure. Monica. Anyway, where do I stand? Um, anywhere. Right there is good so that you can see the entire board. I'll stand behind my uh our new latest police officer join the force today. Congratulations. Sure. Thank you. And that way I don't have to go chat. Uh my name's Mike Foley. Uh 3450 North Hill Crest. And I think probably everybody knows why
009why would we be why I would be here and why Sue would be here. Again, it's about the girls softball and I don't have much time, so I figured well, I'll make it into kind of a a football score for boys and girls based on facilities. We have no complaint with any of the venues that both boys and girls share. The golf course, they both use the golf course. Basketball, they both use that. Tennis courts, etc. But this is just a little score, little little scoring system based on when title N first began in 72. The first major thing that happened in the district after 72 was the boys scored because a 4,000 seat football stadium at East Middle School was built specifically for boys football. It needed to be built. Absolutely. Okay. Extra. And
010the reason I also went with football the extra point to get the extra point because it was one of the it might still be one of the best venues in the state to watch football. the east the stadium at east build up memorial stadium. So the boys score first. The girls then scored when the bond issue passed in the late 80s to build to redo the but high school campus. Two softball fields were allotted in that bond issue and the bond issue was passed. The plans were there. The fields were laid out. The land was flattened for two softball fields. And that happens to be on your first page of your uh of the document I gave you where it uh it mentions that high pass girls softball. Bill Brown uh it's circled in there
011and that's I think a lot of people don't know that those that land was set aside for girls softball fields were never built. So the score is taken away and given to the boys because now that field is a boys practice field. There's no denying it. You there's no no other questions. You can drive by there. All their gear is out there. All the all the blocking dummies and sleds are all out there. It's a boys football field. Okay. Then so that puts the boys up 14 to nothing cuz it's get the extra points for being on campus. The boys score again not long after the but high was was uh remodeled when the bus barn bus shelter was turned into a wrestling room. And and I I use the word room. I should call
012it a wrestling gym because the the wrestling room is bigger than an actual basketball court. The wrestling room up there is bigger than any of the basketball courts uh in town, you civic center, whatever. Um and that again the extra point because it's on campus, it's right there and it was built for the boys. We should say there's girls wrestling now, but it was built for the boys 30ome years ago and at quite an expense. The boys score again not long after when a second football stadium, the Ranchi Stadium, was built. And it's not just a football stadium. It's not just football. It happens to be the best stadium in Montana. Probably the best uh voted voted by Billings in 2014 as number one. It's over third overall only behind the Grizzly Stadium and Bobcat
013Stadium. And that's only because they're bigger. There's no better place to watch a football game in the state and maybe in the United States than the Ranchi Stadium. So the boys, Mr. Foley, can I stop you? You have 30 more seconds. Okay. Okay. So boys go 28 and nothing. Uh the girls finally score when when the OCR had to come in and uh were called in because there was some equity issues and they came in and they they said, "Okay, they need to do some issu." And they and they were completed. Uh so we'll give the boys six. The boys score again when not long after Nanchi which is voted number one stadium needs a sprint turf. Astroturf at a cost of we don't want to get into the cost but uh so the boys
014score again. I got 35 to6. The boys score again when the boys are put into a $2 half million dollar baseball stadium and there was a similar stadium right across 200 yards away that could have been uh they could have been placed there that would have been much like Stodden but the boys were placed exactly where they should be. I don't know who made the decision but whoever decided that they should be put in a $2.5 million stadium that's exactly where they should be. Our question is is what can we do for the girls? And uh my my uh I just want to say one other thing. I heard this yesterday. There's there's there's two kinds of people. People that care and people that just don't care. I believe this this community cares. I believe
015this board cares or we wouldn't be here. Sid and I wouldn't be here if we didn't think you didn't. But I just think by bringing us these little little tidbits of information, it might it might uh some people may not know some of this stuff. A lot of people don't know about the wrestling room. Uh they don't know about, you know, a lot of this uh this uh these facilities that uh and in 129 years that high's been in existence, not one facility has ever been built for the girls. Not one specifically for girls in in 129 years. If anybody has a question about that, I'd be I would love to hear I would love to hear uh if anybody has any information that would contest that because we haven't found any, not a single
016one. And we're just asking for somebody to step up, be a hero, and let's do some things for these girls that uh that they deserve cuz they notice. Girls notice. Only just do we notice, but the girls know. And I appreciate your uh your uh time. I hope you read up some of the things we've given you. And uh I want again I want to thank you and Superintendent Jonah wherever she is. I can't see her but I know she's she's on the phone. Oh, she's there so much on the phone. Thank you, Superintendent Joner. And thank you board for letting me speak. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Foley. There any more public comment on items not on the agenda? Yeah, I I will uh my my name is Sydney Barathy, 127
017Ren Drive, and um I'll try to keep mine right within the limit if I possibly can. So, forgive me. I'm going to just read it so I make sure I cover everything. Uh first, I'd like to thank Mike for his analogy, and I think it just is a way to demonstrate the history of um girls and boys sports at the high school. and um that that the boys have certainly gotten the the greater benefit of uh facilities uh provided for them. You know, the complaint process Mike and I initiated with the district in uh October of uh 2024 concerning girls softball at Scoten has gone on now for six months. Our complaint from the start was an attempt to get administrators in the district to listen to our concerns and work with us to improve
018the fields for girls softball after the district approved boys baseball and provided the boys the ability to provide practice and play at the $2.5 million threelegend stadium. The district administration unfortunately continued to avoid addressing the issue and ignored numer numerous requests Mike and I made to set up informal meetings so we could uh discuss these issues u concerning girls softball in the facilities in order to move the process forward. We did submit a written complaint in order to get more timely responses from the administration. Although we can assume it appears that our softball complaint was brought before this board by the administration on April 3rd at a closed door meeting where the administration was allowed to present their one-sided version of the argument and Mike and I had no opportunity to respond. On April 16th,
019Superintendent Joonard emailed us with an answer to our request for a status update with the following statement. The board will be providing you and Mr. Sydney Barathy with a written response within 30 calendar days of the board meeting at which the board considered the recommendations of the panel. Our appeal of the superintendent's decision to this board was with the hope the trustees would be willing to listen to our side of the argument and then make an informed decision after hearing both sides. It is our position that the board hearing only from the administration side is extremely unfair to the process and does not provide the board with all the facts or evidence to support any decision at this time. Having not received the written response from the board, both Mike and I felt it was
020important to come here today and address the board directly and personally request a hearing where both sides are allowed to present their arguments before a final decision is made on the merits of our complaint. Back in 2012, it took a federal title line complaint to get this district to finally address the girls softball field conditions. That was 13 years ago. That complaint ended with the district signing a voluntary resolution agreement with the OCR and spending $200,000 on the start park fields. We have considerable evidence to support our contention that Stodden is not even close to an equally desirable field compared to three legends. Additionally, we have a significant amount of evidence that supports our interpretation of Ridgeway and Title 9. And I am certain this board is aware that providing equally desirable fields for boys
021and girls at but high is a minimum requirement that's stipulated in Ridgeway. All we are asking for is an opportunity to present our side of this issue before this board and be and before it uh issues a final decision whether the girls fields at Stodden are equally desirable to Three Legend Stadium. I appreciate your time and I I uh certainly wish you would consider our request so that both sides of this issue get fully vetted before a decision is made. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Deathy. Any other public comments? Hearing none, we will move on to the consent agenda. Approval of payroll claims, budget transfers, revenue reports, travel request, view high, and east middle school activity fund reports. Motion from trustees. Move to approve. Is there a second? Second. Has been moved and seconded. Do
022trustees have any questions regarding the consent agenda? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. All those opposed? I thanks gentlemen. All those opposed. Motion passes. Miss Alli, approval of the PAR for April 21st, 2025. Madame chair, members of board, I uh present the PAR for April. Um we are noting on it the appointment of one under certified personnel, the appointment of five um under driver's ed instructors, 64 appointments to summer camps, and under leave of absence under um certified appointments, I am um asking for a verbal amendment. I passed it out. Um Mr. Miller. I have a leave of 9125 through 63025. That should be 26. So, um I would ask for that uh to be an amendment as um noted when I asked for approval of the park. Two resignations,
023two retirements. Under classified personnel, I'm looking for um appointment of four, resignation of two and one retirement. And under supplemental, we're noting the appointment of 10 and residation of six. So I ask for your approval of the FAR as amended um for April. Motion from trustees. Move to approve as amended. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions of Miss Ali regarding Jafar as amended? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. Hi. Hi. All those opposed. Motion passes. Miss Ellie. Um I'm moving on 6.2 as a meouou with the B Teachers Union. I'm asking for approval of um theou for a one-time exception for the 12 month notification of intent to retire. Your approval would be greatly appreciated. Motion from trustees. So is
024there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions to Miss Alli regarding the approval of theou with the BTU? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Next is the approval of theou between BSD1 and the but teachers union regarding a census position. Miss Ally. Madame chair, members of the board, I'm asking for approval of aou signed by the view teachers union agreeing to the addition of a third census teacher for the school year 2526. Your approval of theou would be greatly appreciated. Motion from trustees. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions, Miss Ellie, regarding theou on the census position? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I I.
025All those all those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of theou between but school district number one and the BTU regarding the stars act. Miss Ally. Madame chair, members of the board. Following is a memo of understanding between the BTU and the district agreeing to meet the requirements of the stars act. Your approval would be approved. Motion from trustees. So move. Is there a second? Second. Do trustees have any questions, Miss Ally, regarding the stars act and the approval of theou? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of the 2025 2026 staffing projection. Miss Ally. Madame Chair, members of the board, following staffing meetings and discussions with the superintendent and administrators, the following staffing projections for the 2025 2026 fiscal year is presented. Your approval is
026appreciated. Motion to trustees. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions to Miss Ally regarding the staffing projections? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of the assistant superintendent contract. Miss Alli. Madam Chair, members board attached as a contract for the assistant superintendent position. Your approval will be greatly appreciated. Motion from trustees. So move. Is there a second? It's been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions regarding the assistant superintendent contract? All those in favor of the motion, please say I. I. I. All those all those opposed. Motion passes. Got a lot to do. Thank you. Thank you. Review and approval deleting policy 7008 non-resident student attendance agreement. Miss Jonard. Madam Chairman, members of
027the board, I'm bring to you uh uh approval to delete 708. Um this is the student attendance agreement which was replaced by a new uh tuition agreement that we just uh uh brought to the board last couple months ago. Motion. Thank you, ma'am. Motion from trustees. So moved. Is there a second? Been moved and seconded. Trustees have any questions of Miss Jonart regarding the removal of 708? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Second reading and approval of policy 4330P rules and regulations for building use and 4330F application and contract for use. M. Jonart. Madam chairman, members of the board, I ask for your approval. of policy 4330 as presented last month. Motion from trustees. Is there a second? Been moved and seconded. Do trustees
028have any questions to Miss Jonart regarding policy 4330P and F? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Second reading and approval of policy 7225 crowdfunding proposals. Miss Jonard. Madam chair, members of the board, um asking your approval of policy 720 7225 as presented last month. Motion from trustees. So move. Is there a second? It has been moved and seconded. Any questions to Miss Jonart regarding policy 7225? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval to increase breakfast and lunch meal prices from 2024 2025 through 2028. Miss Jonah. Madam chairman, members of the board, I request the approval to increase these lunch meal prices for the next three years. Um um we by
029law um by federal regulations we have to increase them by 10 cents. So this is our uh request for that approval. Motion from trustees. So moved. Is there a second? Has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions? Miss Jonard? Hearing none. All those in favor please say I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of theou with the Rocky Mountain Development Council foster grandparent program. Miss Jonart. Madam Chairman, members of the board, this is I'm bringing forward an amended uhou for the foster grandparent program to ensure that they have uh uh the there to ensure that they have language in there that they are complying by with the title six um uh regulations um that were addressed that I I talked about earlier. This uh program also has to do that too. So
030they're bringing forward an amended umou just with that language in there. Motion from trustees. So moved. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Any questions to Miss Jonart regarding the Montana Rocky Mountain Development Council. Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of the STEM research grant. Miss Jonard. Madam Chairman, members of the board, I um have um before you an approval to um to uh acquire the STEM research grant. I appreciate your approval on this motion from trustees. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Can trustees have any questions, Miss Jonart, regarding the STEM research grant? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I..................... All. Those opposed. Motion passes. Approval to advertise
031and hire instructors for the 2025 2026 early literacy targeted in intervention summer jumpstart program. Miss. Madam chairman. members of the board requesting your approval to advertise and hire for early literacy targeted intervention summer program. This is for kids in kids going into kindergarten, first, second, and third grade. Um uh and hopefully we'll get a lot of students. Um remember they have to be eligible and we'll be doing this testing um in this spring to determine eligibility for this program. Motion from trustees. So moved. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Any questions, Miss Jonart, regarding the early literacy program? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. All those all those opposed. Motion passes. Approval to apply for the 202521st CCLC professional development miniigrant. Miss Jonard. Madam Chairman,
032members of the board, this is a a mini grant that is provided to us to send um uh Rocky's after school teachers to a uh a conference in Pulson this summer to learn some new new activi, you know, to to learn new activities that that we can offer for the afterchool program. And um this this money will pay for um the entire trip. So, it's a great way of getting some prof free professional development for our after school Rockies program. Motion from trustees. So, moved. Is there a second? Has been moved and seconded. Any questions to Miss Jonart? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of the fiscal year 2024 financial audit report. Mr. Patrick. Madam chair, members of the the board, attached for
033review is the independent audit report for the BU school district number one for the 2024 fiscal year as prepared by New London Company. The audit process reviews and evaluates the district's financial practices and procedures for fiscal soundness. It identifies any potential weaknesses. The opinion of the auditors is noted as unmodified which is deemed to be a clean audit. Motion from trustees. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do you have any questions of Mr. Patrick regarding the financial audit report? Yes, Madam Chair. Yes, sir. Uh I just feel bad that Miss Jory Thatcher is on this list. Oh I don't know if you noticed that. I didn't notice that. No. Under the organization board of trustees. Yeah. All right. It's okay. It's okay. It's that day and age. I like it.
034It's okay. Better drive real slow. Any other questions and concerns? Thank you, Kevin. The rest looks great. All right. Sorry. Um, Madam Chairman, I just like to recognize um Mr. Patrick for the work that he did. This is an unqualified uh report and that's a that's a huge um feather in our in our caps for the but school district. It has a lot of taxpayers will have a lot of trust and in the way that uh um financial um and accounting is is being taken care of. So kudos to Kevin and all the work in his and his group does. So thank you very much for another great year. We'll pass that on. Thank you. All right. We do have a motion on the floor. All those in favor, please say Oh, we don't have
035a motion on Yes, we do. Oh, thank you. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval to advertise and hire for the extended school year program, ESY. Miss Johnson. Madam Chair, members of the board, I'm here tonight to ask for your approval to advertise and hire for the ESY program, which is a special education program for preschool through 12th grade students who, as defined on their IEP, qualified for the program. It's three days a week, June June 10th through July 10th, um 8:30 to 11:30. Motion from trustees. So move. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions to Miss Johnson regarding the extended school year program? Mr. Jury, what can I just ask what qualifies them with the IEP?
036So, if they show a regression on any of their goals on the IEP and the IEP team determines that they need those services to continue progressing with their goals, then the team um recommends extended year school services. Perfectly. Thank you. Mhm. Hearing no further questions. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval to advertise and hire one speech therapist for the extended school year program. Miss. Johnson. Madam Chair, members of the board, I'm here to request that we hire one speech therapist for our ESY program um on Wednesdays from 8 to 12. And again, uh, she's there to, um, help students progress with their speech, um, therapy goals through the summer. And is it the same June 10th? June 10th through July 10th. Yes. Thank you. Okay.
037Motion from trustees. So moved. Is there a second? Second. Any other questions? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of the special education records destruction. Miss Johnson. Uh Madame Chair, members of the board, I'm here to request your approval to um destroy special education um files for students born before or after 2000 year 2000. Um we need your we're we need your approval so that we can do that motion from trustees move. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded. Do trustees have any questions? Madam chair. Yes sir. Do do the parents have the rights to get those files or do they already have copies? So they should have copies, but we also give them the right to come and we that's why
038we advertise that we're going to destroy the record. So they have the rights, the student has the right to come and pick up their So this would be students that are 25 plus I think. Is that right? Or 25 plus. Thank you. No further questions here. All those in favor, please say I. I I All those opposed. Motion passes. At this time, we have finished our business for the day. I would entertain a motion for adjournment. Is there a second? Second. It has been moved and seconded to adjourn the meeting for April 21st. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. All those forward.