001This meeting is being recorded and the recording does not constitute the official record of this meeting. All documents from the meeting are available on the school board page of the district's website. Call to meeting order. Stand for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for Something to look at with the pledge of allegiance. Are there any revisions to that red document? Oh, maybe that's fine. What a joke that is. Uh No revisions. Yes. Um public comment. We can talk about that, but I think we're doing that in May. Uh I'll I'll look at it in my report. I reached out to Betsy. Okay, perfect. Um taking approval for the minutes, please.
002I motion to approve the minutes that was from uh March 10th. Second. >> [laughter] >> Any discussion? On favor? I. >> I. I, Betsy. Any opposed? Passed unanimously. Moving to reports. Herb I would like to show them in. Hi Herb. Hi Herb. Hi Herb. You didn't miss really anything. Mr. Pledge. Yeah, yeah, say anything you would like. Okay. I don't want to interrupt. >> [laughter] >> I'm sorry. No, it's okay. We're just talking to Betsy with the scores up. I would like to start this report with some really, really good news and really good and kudos um to our system in general. So, every year in the spring our juniors take the ACT test. Um and you'll remember like every given number of times in the past we've had high scores in the state. We're
003always well above the state average and generally we're second or third, the Clovis High School or La Vida High School. Um and I just wanted to show you the difference. We just got the scores today from the test that was sat I think 3 weeks ago. Um and so I just put I just put the ACT in there and in parentheses is the change the net score difference in each of those different categories. Those are really, really good averages. They are. They're much better than they were in the years ago. Yeah. What inspired you to do that? Yeah, and you can look and see where kind of they were just from a year or two. Is that what that difference difference is? >> in in the parenthesis is the is the actual point difference in
004each category. That's a really big deal. >> What's the score range, Dustin? Uh 36 is the highest and zero is the lowest. And 18 is What? 18 would probably be state average. We'll bring that up. We'll bring all that data once they publish it for the state. >> Yeah. Um but this I I mean the reading score 25 average, that's Really good. amazing. Um everything is. Everything, science up to 2 and 1/2 points, math up almost 3 points. You know, I mean 22 almost a 23 composite. So, you know, if if we look at it and and we looked through it with Dr. Mitchell today kind of on a kid basis. Obviously I'm not going to share the kids' individual data with you. But all but four of our kids would qualify for the Montana
005University System Best and Brightest, which is $4,000 a year. I mean, that's that's 50% off the tuition. That's basic. Just based on that ACT score. That's great. Um so, I just really wanted to get that on the record that this really, really is a big deal for the students and faculty faculty and a testament to the program and the teaching and learning that we're doing every day here at the school. So, Now, thank you to everybody. That's fantastic for Yeah. And as we look at the kind of classes and kids, you know, we anticipate that staying level and even increasing some more and as programming starts to, you know, get refined too. Um and then enrollment, you know, starting next month we'll be on to anticipated enrollment. I just put in the last 3 years
006or this year and then the last 2 years. I mean, you can see we're down 50 from a year ago um at this time. The the the initial uh report that I sent out to you for the superintendent's report, I had a math error. Surprisingly Corky didn't pick me up on it and just [laughter] sent it out, but I picked it up myself. Um so, yeah, we're at 344. I think and and you know, we've had a lot of people coming in and talking to us and different things. So, we'll see kind of where we get and as we start to unfold the budget uh with the budget committee over the course of the next 6 weeks, we'll be talking about how the budget and the staffing pattern is going to start to change reflective
007of of the enrollment and everything like where we're at. That's what's going to be. And then tech and I'll I'll welcome Betsy at any time too. Um I'm bringing this up as as Trustee Biggerstaff mentioned it and and possibly maybe hearing some things in the community about it, some struggles and challenges that some of our students are having with some tech things. Um and I just want to provide some context for that and how we're going to be forward. We have we do have some issues with kids accessing inappropriate stuff with our devices or with their own devices. And you know, the kids are in front of us on a lot of this stuff, maybe not in front of Andrew, but certainly in front of us as teachers um and educators. Like you know, we
008didn't know you could access super duper inappropriate films and stories on Spotify. Oh, yeah. What else did you see? So, maybe they're just ahead of me by a year. >> [laughter] >> You need to spend more time on the internet. It's called the worldwide web. So, as we've kind of now are looking back to look forward, you know, our one-to-one program has been, you know, the first iteration was it was all our devices K through 12. Um and then kind of Andrew and I were talking about it before the meeting, you know, the bring your own device was kind of a a catalyst that COVID was a catalyst for that or something. And then it just became we just had an open network. You know, just like walking into the Starbucks. Yeah. Um so, we're
009seeing some different things where we don't have as much probably control over what the kids do as we would like to have. So, we'll be coming uh in May, tech department admin and then Betsy's volunteered to also work with us with a really good proposal where we can get back to devices that are under our own control. Um which will be more control and then giving more opportunity for kids to use a better device and it won't be, you know, we won't break the numbers cuz it won't be significantly higher than what we've been spending anyway just because there's a better product on the market now. Yeah, okay. And again, Betsy, feel free to jump in anytime you'd like with with, you know, what you've been hearing and uh we'll take any questions or conversation
010around this as well. Sure. Yeah, I think thank you for bringing it up. I just think that we had the the policy we implemented this fall was great, but we kind of missed the mark a little bit with not including the home computers because the where the kids are able to access and do with those at school. So, I think it would just be after this first year a good idea to revisit that and see what's working and what's not. Yeah, I agree. I think that makes a lot of sense compared to where we started especially and like you said, there's better devices out there and things we can do and stay back on that same page we were. Yeah, and so there it's really two two-sided, right? Because the kids are able to access
011very, very inappropriate stuff, but then some kids or 20% I don't know, let me say 30% of them bring their own device, they can access everything as if they had their phone. Right. Yeah. Which [clears throat] is I think what Betsy's talking about. >> Exactly, yeah. I guess kind of Dustin, you said it the network is open for all. I mean, I recognize the network's available. Is there is it is it not regulated at the I don't know, Andrew, I mean, he's the one who would like at the firewall side. It's still highly filtered. Yeah, even when they bring in their home devices, but the thing with a home devices is it allows them to install software like VPNs, which we play whack-a-mole with, but I mean, they can get around it. >> work. I've
012tried it. Is that My VPN doesn't Your VPN doesn't We tried here. >> [laughter] >> There's dozens of them and they come up with new ones every day. So, it's just this constant battle and if we control all the devices that are, you know, connecting to our network, then we can really And there's a better product. And that was it, too. We really we couldn't afford in the past to deliver the high quality solutions that everybody wanted in the high school, but with this new, I don't know if you've read about it, Apple, you know, came out with a new MacBook that is priced very competitively for education and it it's a whole new ball game. >> Yeah. And then Dustin What about um going this direction, will that help us with uh all of
013the AI assists or not? Yeah, we'll be able to control just every bit of access and what the computers can do. So, then that becomes an admin policy decision to make, but we'll be able to follow whatever the policies are to achieve once we control all the devices. Does that have to be a policy that comes with it? >> don't maybe you can answer that. Well, yeah, like the writing. I mean, you know, I talk about walking away from I know the teachers are playing that constantly. I would just say you know, so we have policy right now around, you know, there's obviously the acceptable use of technology. And then the BYOD is and it's it's in the handbook, so it's really policy cuz I didn't know that is board approved that there is a
014bring your own device for this particular age group. What you're talking about is more I wouldn't call it an instructional policy, but it's more based in instruction and tech probably. Um, and that's what the I think there's a group there's a group Well, there's a group of teachers who are working on AI acceptable use and things like that that will all see You'll see. And you're still able to keep really good hands on that and notice when people are using AI group papers or whatever. Well, we have software that detects it. But then there's also software that un-AIs your work. I mean, it's really It's very challenging. There are so many challenges, but I feel like we know our kids well and we know their voice well and that really helps us with identifying writing
015that is more sophisticated. Again right? There are very few schools. I was just at a conference 2 weeks ago. There There are some schools who are just going, you know, very few schools are going bad. Whatever. But everybody's trying to figure it out of, you know, here's acceptable uses, here's unacceptable uses. And that's what we hope to that will come out of this faculty group to and then the training around this. I mean, our former principal Alex is training significantly around uses of AI in schools. What do you hear about going oral exam? Is that something you guys are I know that's what some schools are doing. I mean, IB kids do oral exams. >> Well, you know, just whenever possible to because that is peak anti-AI around you know, the Yeah. I think that's
016as soon as we get the process and all the Yeah. Then it's going to all be conversations. >> There's certainly a a move to paper and pencil for assessment as much as possible. Paper and pencil or that. Right? And if you're monitoring a classroom, there's nothing's coming into the room. Then you need AI to read the handwriting to you. >> [laughter] >> I need to catch up on that again. Great. Any questions on that? Yep. Move on to elementary, please. Um, so [clears throat] we have some celebrations um that I'll be sharing, so um, we had our IB art show right before spring break. I don't know if any of you guys got to see it, but it's pretty exceptional work. Um, it's just I can't believe what our 12th graders are able to produce
017when they were leaving. And then we will also have our high school art show May 6th, so you guys are all invited to Lone Peak for that. Um, we've sent out our spring IB exam schedule. I'm at school board meeting right now. You're good. >> [laughter] >> And that's okay. And we're in our current uh we're in our final weeks of intensive preparation for IB exams and senior exams. And then next Monday as well, we have our Big Sky Futures Group will host our annual job fair for our students. And then I'm going to read off not a completely comprehensive list, but um a list of the college acceptances for the class of and 26. I just wanted to head us off there. Air Force Academy, Bowdoin, Bucknell University, Chapman University, uh Colorado College, Colorado
018State, College of Charleston, Dartmouth, Denison University, Elon University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Hamilton, Knox College, Lewis and Clark, Lewis University, Michigan, Middlebury College, Montana State, Montana Tech, Northern Montana, NYU, Oregon State, Portland State, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Connecticut, University of Denver, University of Montana, University of Nevada, University of Puget Sound, University of Vermont, Western Washington, Willamette, and Xavier University. So, we're really proud of what our students have accomplished in this class. And on top of that, we have six seniors tomorrow with our college signing day for college athletics. Um, and that's the most we've ever had out of a class graduating from Lone Peak. And we have one more on the way, so we're going to have seven in total out of a class. Almost a third of
019a class. How big is that class? 26. Yeah, 26. Two of them are athletes. Yeah. Two of them are athletes and two of them are in science. That's it. Two pretty athletes and what are the other sports? They are Nordic, soccer, golf. Nice. Wow. Yeah. So, they're pretty impressive. Um, so anyway, um I also want to just give a shout out to the theater production that was put on before spring break. I don't know if you guys got to see how to survive a Shakespeare play, but was absolutely hilarious. Um, I loved seeing James Wilson die about 10 times in the final scene. It was really good. Uh so we appreciate it making that happen. And then we've got prom next weekend at Lone Mountain Ranch and they've been really generous and supportive of us.
020We held a blood drive before spring break. And then professional development, um we're on our year-end transition getting ready to close out the year and prepare for next year and then teacher evaluations are done. That's it. All right, I believe it's wrapping up. Yeah, I know. Any questions? Thank you. That concludes move on to elementary. I should have gone back to the wall. What do you got? I could have gone first. Um, we had CPI training that Matt Doherty hosted for our staff um on our PIR day, which is really great. Um, like de-escalation techniques and well, actually a lot of classroom management. Um, the pie auction happened, so big thank you to PTO. They raised $220,000 for our school and programming. Um, we hosted autism awareness um day before spring break, which is all
021of our students dressed up in blue and it was just a day to have more inclusive activities and thought around that and that was spearheaded by um Emily, one of our aides, which was really great. Uh just welcomed Ms. Beamer back from maternity leave and she's excited actually to be back in the building and have a sense of routine for herself again. Um, and we only have 37 days of school. So, we are on the fast forward Yeah. trying to get it all done. Thank you guys. Questions? Uh activities you've Big Sky year. The spring sports are in full full swing. Yeah, it was 36 kids gone this afternoon. I was going to say sports taking up a lot of the motion there, please. I move to approve the Bridger Care lessons as presented. Second.
022After being tabled for three weeks at the board meeting, um, they're very in Quite a bit of detail in this. Yeah, let me second. >> [laughter] >> They'll go to the middle school, high school. We share with parents to give them the option to opt out. I want to opt out. >> [laughter] >> Great. Yeah, I'm pretty sure the board Yeah. seems like so. Any questions? Call for a vote. All those in favor? Aye. >> Aye. Aye. All right, Betsy. Passes unanimously. I move to approve the student teaching candidate for fall 2026. Second. Uh yeah, so her her information's in the packet. Ella Olsen is Montana State University. We've had really good luck this past Really? 5 years with our student teachers. Um, Ella looks like a great candidate and she's going to work with
023Karen Schreiber and John Harris cuz PE is K-12. Nice. Questions? Call for a vote. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Passes unanimously. I move to approve the collective bargaining agreement for the 26 through 28 school year as presented. And I second that motion. So, this is in your packet, too. Um, Danielle and Betsy were members of that. We concluded negotiations with the Big Sky Professional Teachers Association. I mean, as in most years, the biggest changes are to to salary matrix and the increases are as as listed here. Fiscal year 27, all certified staff will receive a flat rate of $1,100 and then and the matrix will get a 1.5% increase. Um, that's an average of 6.1% for the certified staff across the board, which is pretty good. Yeah. And in fiscal year 28,
024all staff receive 550 and the matrix will get >> [laughter] >> percent. Student degree. [clears throat] Okay. And then so next year that's an average of 4%. So that's 10.1% in 2 years. Um, neither association or committee members, right? We didn't have any big language changes around working conditions or anything like that. Just some some small clean up stuff. So what you see in the packet is kind of where it's going to land. Um, you know, after the budget committee meeting we had way back in February and March, we had certain numbers that we wanted to hit. Um, as far as what aggregates we would have for outgo for this and the following year and we were able to get there. So all in all, a really successful negotiations. Anything to add, Daniel or Betsy?
025No, I'm good. Very so Not for me. Okay. Chris? Other questions? Anyone? Well, thank you guys for all your work on that. I know that's always kind of a tight situation, so we appreciate that and hope that everyone's happy with that. Um, we'll call for a vote. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Betsy. Any opposed? Passes unanimously. All right, I'll take that. Our next is just informational. Yeah, just informational. Certified certified staff resignations along with policy 5251. Um, so I formally accepted um, all the resignations. You can see in there and what's going on with people, where they're going. Yeah, it looks like everybody's moving out of the area. Well, the most all of them. Yeah. So So how many of those have to be replaced as you look at enrollment? All of them?
026More? I'm going to say right now two. Possibly three depending on the numbers. So hopefully when we start looking at it Three will be the maximum. Yeah, okay. Okay. All right, uh, move on to action five, please. I move to approve the certified staff renewals as presented. Second. So those are in the packet and I'm just trying to get to them right now. Bear with me. Um So we have I think four folks becoming tenured this year. Yeah. And three non-tenured for renewal. Questions on that? Discussion? Okay, call for a vote. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Passes unanimously. I move to approve Ashley Janks maternity leave without pay for August 18th, 2026 through February 1st, 2027. Anything we need to know about that? Um I mean, Ashley is I mean I
027mean that is good. I mean, she's going to be out on maternity leave. Um Yeah. Yeah. Call for a vote. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Passes unanimously. She's librarian now, yeah. Yeah, she is a librarian. So do we have an assistant in there? Uh, so we're we're going to meet with Ashley tomorrow or this week. Um, so this will be the second time she's had a maternity leave in the library role. Um, and we've got some ideas about people to reach out to to help cover that and start the year out. Yeah. Okay. I know a librarian that Do you? I do. [laughter] Oh, you have a library certificate. That's great. She does. I know, we talked about it. We had her on the list. >> [laughter] >> So that's the
028second person that's certified we're going to reach out to. And she's got We can be really flexible. I know. I think ready. Uh, next item. I move to open discussion Oh, wait, do we No, go ahead. Uh, I move to open discussion of the safety and security manager position for the 2026 through 2027 school year. Second. So Matt has indicated he he isn't intending to renew his contract. He did a formal with you today and I'll I'll put that in the next packet. So I just want to have a conversation regarding kind of the filling of this position. If we rewind, what was it, three and a half years ago, um, or three years ago, right? We had there was private funding lined up for this position that's since dried up. Um and it was
029relatively contentious over the course of a couple board meetings. Yes. And I think one of the reasons the position was so successful was because it was Matt. Right. That couldn't have just been, you know, somebody off the street. Um, so I you know, I think as we were moving down the road of, you know, like Barbara asked about, you you know, how many teachers are we going to how many of them need to be replaced? You know, certainly we could replace them all, but given the conversation we had earlier, yeah. Um, you know, This is falling under that same This is probably falling under that same category. And one thing I'll say that was a great outcome of of Matt being in this position is our SRO is a lot more engaged in our school
030now than they probably ever been. Yeah. Um, so you know, there's and that that's three days a week. Yeah, that is nice. Two days every other week or every third week. So and he's very active. He coaches our kids in track, you know, he does a lot with us. So um, you know, I don't know that we need to necessarily, unless we do it at the next meeting, have a a vote on replacing this position or not. We certainly can. Well, if your recommendation is what it sounds like, which is not, yeah, then I think that I don't know what the protocol is, but wouldn't you have to bring that position? It's not automatic. Right, it's not automatic. So So you'd have to bring it to us to approve rather than to replace. >> Right.
031So I I don't have any problem with I agree. Matt knew the kids, knows the parents. Sometimes he thinks he knows the parents. Remember that, Matt? It was my driving behavior. It wasn't me because there's so many Audis. It was >> [laughter] >> hilarious. I'm sitting in Gateway and I get this, "Barbara, you've got to slow down." >> [laughter] >> I am not listening. It's another girl who looks like me driving an identical car. >> [laughter] >> It was probably Chad, wasn't it? Anyway, sorry, Matt, but it was funny. It was funny. >> [laughter] >> Well, and I guess He boasts all the time now. Yeah, I would imagine. Because he thinks he has. It's been a very very very helpful in our structures and systems and trainings in place and you know, if Matt
032weren't moving to something different, then I would be sitting here having a different conversation about where do we go and scrape up the money for this particular position. Sure. So I I agree and I think we have to keep looking across like that cuz it's easier when someone leaves to then to not extend, like I had to say I'd, you know, like when we tenure people now, you know, we're we're committing and we don't know what the future is and we can still lay off tenured people, I suppose, if it gets to the point we don't have it, but better to It's it's easier on everyone. It truly is. Someone goes. I would like maybe to hear if Matt has any advice. Not right now, but if you have any um, recommendations about places where,
033you know, where we might need some something or if we, you know, just direct your knowledge to what we might need to look out for. Yeah, that's a good that's a good point, Matt. That could be something I think you could work on and put it to writing. Like here here are kind of the key things that Right. kind of lay it out, like, you know, lay it out for somebody as if we were going to replace you, like, lay out here here's scenarios, here's the scope and sequence of the job. Exactly. Some of those things could be taken on by other people that are already here. Um, and so that would be awesome to have and and suggestions on gaps. I think I said interviews as I said before are always good to find
034out [clears throat] things. And congratulations on more people in sort of law enforcement in your family. Well, she's in the military. Oh. >> [laughter] >> I was so scared of having a baby. It's like I was thrilled by the whole park the whole time. >> [laughter] >> Well, not that you're done yet, but I I might be happy to at least want to give you a huge thanks, Matt, for everything you've done in stepping into that role and taking that by the horns and it's been great. So you bring a lot of just calm presence That is true. to this area. Thank you so much. Sorry to tease you. >> [laughter] >> I'm not teasing. >> Um okay, any other discussion there? Okay. Um all in favor all those in favor? I. I. All those
035opposed? Pass unanimously. Why did you pass? No other discussion? Nothing nothing else that everybody seems to be met with. All right. Um then we just talked about That was it and it's tabled. Um I was hopeful to have more prices for the for comparative bids but we don't so we got a two-week time period now as it is in the newspaper to call for public prices. Okay. Um Once we get those then we'll I'll just call a special meeting. It'll have to be online cuz I would like to get these people under contract. So it's for the foundation, the dirt work and a lot of other stuff. Um and we really shouldn't chop it into five different contracts and approve them because they're less than 80,000 dollar threshold cuz this one contract Is this messing
036up our time frame? It shouldn't. It shouldn't. Okay. That's good. Great. Yeah, it'd be nice to just have that still going and we're just we're keeping the ball rolling. We're good. Yeah, we're we're moving along really really well with it. I mean I I imagine it's it's always going to be at least one to two weeks late. Yeah. Um but that would be good. They're shooting for like a late July. I don't think it's easy. That's awesome. Great. Any other questions there? Good. Move on to the consent agenda, please. I don't understand that. There's nothing under Just warrants and payrolls. Okay, so I move to pass the consent agenda as presented. I move to second. All in favor all those in favor? I. I. I, Betsy. Opposed? Pass unanimously. Okay, so as just mentioned our
037next meeting is going to be on Thursday. And that will be election results, trustees regroup at the board, all that good stuff we always do. County superintendent. County superintendent will be here. Yeah. Phone vote. Sorry again. So Great. Anything else? We can do that. I think that's everybody.