001Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome welcome to this May 27, 2025 meeting of the Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees. And I remind us all that um due to Montana state law, this meeting is being recorded for posting on our website at some point in the future. With that being taken care of, Mr. Patrick, would you please administer the roll call? Yes, Mr. Chair. Gordon Johnson here. Kim Skornagoski here. Bill Bronson here. Mark Finham here. Marley Sunsh. Amy Thompson here. Paige Terraski here. You have a full quorum present. Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Patrick. I'd like to invite Jackson Duff to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty andice for all. Very
002nicely done. Thank you for that. Mr. Chair Rusty Skagowski. I move we adopt the agenda as presented. Second. been moved and seconded to adopt the agenda as presented. Any questions or commentary from this board of trustees? Any questions or commentary from our gallery? If not, I'll call for the question. All those in favor of adopting the agenda, please signify by saying I. I. Opposed same sign. We've adopted our agenda. We have guests coming. Are they coming to see us? Gotcha. Okay, perfect. Thank you. Communication, audience communication. And I have a request to speak before these trustees from Stephanie Becker. Welcome. Come on. [Laughter] Fantastic. Thank you, Stephanie. And congratulations, Mark F. And that brings us up to Roman six, which is action items. Action item A, minutes of the May 21st, 2025 regular meeting. Mr.
003Patrick. Mr. Chair, members of the board, my recommendation is to approve the minutes from the May 12th meeting as presented. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Finick, I would recommend that we approve the minutes as presented. Second moved and second to approve the minutes of the May 12th meeting as presented. Any comments or questions from this board of trustees? Any comments or questions from our gallery hearing? Seeing none, I'll call for the question. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. Oppose. Same sign. Moving on to minutes of May 12th, 2025. Heather Hoyer. Thank you, Chairman Johnson, members of the board. Um it is my recommendation that you have before you the minutes of May 12th, close session, that you approve those minutes as written. Um, because it's a close session, I am the
004designated notetaker. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Bronson, I move that we approve the minutes of the May 12th, 2025 close session as presented. Second. Been moved and seconded. We approve the minutes of the May 12th, 2025 closed session as presented. Any questions or commentary from our board of trustees? Any questions or commentary from our gallery? Hearing and seeing none, I'll call for the question. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. I. Opposed. Same sign. Motion carries. Thank you. Action item C, trustee election results, May 6, 2025. Mr. Patrick. Thank you, Mr. Chair. On May 14th at 3:00, Kim Skornagoski, Bill Brunson, Sherry Clark, and myself went down and met with Lim D. Ro and we review the election results and the canvas is the official reviewing of those results looking at how
005all the ballots came out how the election came out and it's a formal legal step that happens and as that group brings back the results to the trustees to approve um in total. So, um, what's your job tonight is to is to certify the election results and, um, the election results turned out. Craig Duff received 4,913 votes. Chairman Johnson received 5,300 votes. Uh, Paige Terroski received 5,748 votes. And Tony Rosales received 3,147 votes. There were four candidates running, three positions open. So the top three were uh Craig Duff, Gordon Johnson, Paige Terroski. So uh you have the election results as part of the packet and my recommendation is to approve those as presented. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Trusty Bronson, I move that we approve the certification of the school district election held on May 6,
0062025. Trustee election results, including the election of Craig Duff, Gordon Johnson, and Paige Terasi is dually elected to three-year terms of trustees. Second. Been moved and seconded to approve the certification of the school district election held on May 6, 2025. Any questions or commentary from our board of trustees? Any questions or commentary from uh the folks in the gallery here this evening? Hearing and seeing none, I'll call for the questions. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. I oppose. Same sign. Motion carries. Thank you very much. Action item D, actions of the present board. Mr. Patrick. Thank you, Chairman Johnson, members of the board. This agenda item virtually concludes all the actions of the present board. Um, and it in approving the motion on this. Um, there's no reason for
007the existing board to come back and deal with any issues. It just terminates the entire business of this board. Any new matters that come up will be before the new board. So my recommendation is to um request to ratify all actions of the present board. Mr. Chair, Trusty Turoski, I move that we ratify all actions of the present board as presented. Second. I moved and seconded to ratify all actions of the present board. Any questions or comments from our trustees? Questions or comments from our gallery? Seeing none, I'll call for the question. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. I. Opposed a same sign. Motion carries. Action item E, swearing in and oath of office of newly elected trustees, Mr. Patrick. Okay. I'd like the new trustees to step out
008here in the middle and get sworn in. Raise your right hand. [Music] action item. Do I have to? So at this time I believe we need to have Mr. Duff come forward. We need need to approve the swearing in. Right. Sure. Okay. That's going to take a Mr. Chair, Trusty Truski. I move that we approve the swearing in and oath of office for newly elected trustees Craig Duff, Gordon Johnson, and Paige Traskky as presented. Second. All right. It's been moved and seconded to approve the swearing in of these three trustees. Any questions or commentary from our trustees? Any questions or commentary from those in the gallery? Hearing and seeing none. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. I oppose same sign. Thank you very much. Organization of the new board,
009Mr. Just leave a half drinking water here. She's switched out. Okay. At this point in time, the board is to take action to elect a chairperson and a vice chairperson. Mr. Chairman, Trusty Bronson, I hereby nominate Mr. Gord Johnson to serve as chair of this board for the ensuing year. I second it. Been moved and seconded to elect Gordon as chairperson. Any questions or commentary? You have to ask for nominations again twice under Robert's rules. Thank you. Thank you. Any additional nominations? Speak up now or for that's two. Are there any additional nominations for chairperson of this board of trustees? Any additional commentary from our board of trustees on this from our gallery hearing? None. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. I. Oppose. Same sign. Motion carries. Well, thank
010you for your confidence. It's very deeply appreciated and I will work my level best to make sure that uh our business is done the manner that'll make each and every one of us in the room proud. Mr. Chair, Trustee Terroski, I nominate Scornoski as vice chairperson for the next year. Second. Been moved and seconded to elect Kim Skagoski as vice chair. Are there any further nominations for vice chair? Are there any further nominations for vice chair? Any questions or commentary from our board of trustees? Any questions or commentary from our gallery here with us this evening? If not, I'll call for the question. All those in favor of electing Kim Skornagoski as vice chair, please signify by saying I. I opposed. Same sign. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Action item G, designate and swear swear
011in clerk of the district board. Um, Mr. Patrick How do we How do we move on this? Ally comes up. Ally comes up and administers that Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Patrick. Thank you, Ally. Now, do we do we make a motion then to Mr. Chair, Trusty Scodski? I move that we appoint uh director of business operations by Brian Patrick as the clerk of the district and board until June 30th, 20. [Music] [Laughter] Oh man, 25. You may want to do it until the position is filled. All right, let me amend that. Perfect. I move that we appoint Director of Business Operations Brian Patrick as the clerk of the district and the board until his position is filled. Second. Been moved. Uh and seconded to appoint Mr. Patrick as director of business operations until the
012position is filled, Mr. Patrick. Thank you for that. Any questions or commentary from the board of trustees? Any comments from you, Mr. Patrick, before we take any comments from our gallery hearing and seeing none, I'll call for the question. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. I. Oppos same sign. Carries unanimously. Thank you, Mr. Patrick. And then we go on to action item H, which is common resources of the board. Mr. Patrick, once again. Yes. Um, board members, what you have before you are the common resources of the board. They include our attorney of record which is for Holden attorneys at law and PC. Our property and liability and school boards errors and emission insurance is the Montana schools property and liability insurance plan from Marsh Mlennon agency. They were
013recently two years ago I think bought out by Payne West. They were pain west bought out by Marsh Mlennon. Uh banking and investments is first interstate bank. Our workers compensation insurance is the Montana school group insurance authority also known as MSGIA and workers compensation risk retention program is WCRRP and th those organizations have meetings at MSA. They meet um early one morning and go through the report for the year. They ensure a lot of schools in the state. The unemployment insurance is the Montana Schools Unemployment Insurance Program, also known as MSUIP. And the trustee organizations is the Montana School Boards Association, known as MTSBA. And in in your packet, there's a diagram that shows all the benefits that our district receives from MTSBA. And they're um they do a great job for the district um
014throughout the year. And so those are the common resources for approval tonight. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Trusty Bronson, I move that we approve the common resources of the board as presented. Second. Been moved and seconded to approve the common resources of the board as presented. Any comments or questions from our board of trustees. Any comments or questions from our gallery here this evening? Hearing and seeing none, I'll call for the question. All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying I. I oppose. Same sign. Motion carries. Thank you very much, Mr. Patrick. That moves us on to board communication and discussion. And um Amy, you want to launch us off? What's on your mind? Oh, took me by surprise. I know. I'm sorry for that. Okay. Well, I would just like to congratulate
015our newest board trustee um welcome to the board and congrats to um chairman Johnson and trustee and to as trustee Scornagoski for vice chair. Thank you Mr. Bronson. Ditto. But I want to add thank you to Mark for everything done and you were so helpful when I first came on and you were always good for a good laugh and we really appreciate it. Yeah, I echo those sentiments because Mark and I came out at the same time six years ago and so we were newbies together and went through these past six years and grew into these positions I hope uh reasonably well and uh thank you for your service. He's been chair of the finance committee, the budget committee, which is a big role, and also served us well, we being the Great Falls Public
016Schools, as our representative to the Montana School Board Association, and we're very grateful for for your service there, and I know they have been told that they are going to miss you as well. So, thank you for your service. Um yeah, I just wanted to add um you know, thank you so much Mark for um really providing steady leadership. um you've had to lead um through many many challenges um that our district has faced and you've always um been very thoughtful um and really I think bring a great perspective um with your military background which I think is really um cherished um in our district. Um, and I just have always um really just appreciated that you were a true cheerleader um for Great Bright Falls Public Schools. You were always the first person to
017thank um and compliment a staff member for hard work. Um, and I think it is just truly a gracious spirit that can see that in others. Um, so thank you so much for your service to our district. Um I know that that cheerleader spirit will continue um as you continue on as a community member um and a community leader. So thank you so much for for what six six years um of of time to this to this board to our district. Mr. Jeff. All right. I just want to say it's an honor to be here. I look forward to working with all of you. I know we got an allstar crew up here and I look forward to being a part of it and getting to know everybody and I've got big shoes to fill.
018Um, but I look forward to the challenge. Thank you, Busty Terraski. Mark, I just want to say thank you. You were a big help when I first got on the board three years ago and had great insights and great advice and you've you've set a really good example of how to be a great trustee and I appreciate that and I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to seeing you out in the community. Thank you, Mark. Thank you so much. Uh action to adjourn the regular meeting. I will adjourn this uh meeting and we're going to take a 902 interval to come back 10012. Mark's stuff. Things changed, didn't they?