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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-29-2025 Minutes Board Special MeetingDr. Scott Woolstenhulme, Superintendent 3497 North Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401  (208) 525-4400  Fax (208) 557-6800  www.d93schools.org Board of Trustees  Paul Jenkins  Carissa Coats  Randy Smith  Mindy Clayton  Richard Hess Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 is an Equal Opportunity Employer Special Meeting Thursday, May 29, 2025, The meeting will start following the Lincoln High School Graduation Hillcrest High School Library 2801 E Sunnyside Rd Ammon, ID 83406 Mindy Clayton: Present Carissa Coats: Present Richard Hess: Present Paul Jenkins: Present Randy Smith: Present I. Welcome Chairman Jenkins welcomed those in attendance to the meeting. II. Call to Order Chairman Jenkins called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. III. Roll Call IV. Approve/Amend Agenda (Action Item) Motion: To approve the agenda. This motion, made by Randy Smith and seconded by Carissa Coats, Passed. V. Planning and Personnel Reports and Recommendations V.A. 2025-2026 Master Agreement and Salary Schedule (Action Item) Negotiations Summary - Bonneville Education Association & District Superintendent Woolstenhulme reported that the District concluded negotiations with the Bonneville Education Association (BEA) after four sessions. He described the process as successful. Key outcomes and recommendations included: • Delegate Assembly Funding: The District agreed to continue funding delegate assembly participation as in prior years, despite pending legislative uncertainties. • Grievance Procedure: No changes were made to the grievance procedures in the master agreement, as the District preferred to align this language closely with existing Board policy. • Duty-Free Lunch Compensation: Teachers asked for compensation when required to attend meetings (e.g., IEP or 504 meetings) during their duty-free lunch period. The District agreed to treat this similarly to class coverage compensation—teachers may receive comp time or pay, pro-rated based on time spent. • Association Time in Faculty Meetings: BEA representatives will be allowed for up to five minutes during faculty meetings to address members. Additional time may be granted with principal approval. • Teacher Compensation: The agreement includes an 8.1% salary increase for teachers, slightly exceeding the state’s 7.5% allocation. This increase draws slightly on fund balance. • Insurance: The District entered into a two-year agreement with PacificSource, with a 9.9% increase this year. For the first time, the District received detailed usage data, revealing a few high -cost claims driving up costs. • Stipends: The Stipend Committee approved several new and adjusted stipends, including increases for middle school cheer coaches and additional assistant coaching positions in large athletic programs. Stipend costs, funded through the supplemental levy, now total n early $1 million districtwide. Superintendent Woolstenhulme concluded that while not all BEA requests were granted, the final agreement reflects a fair and responsible approach that supports teachers and preserves District priorities. Motion: To approve the 2025-2026 Master Agreement and salary schedule as presented. This motion, made by Richard Hess and seconded by Randy Smith, Passed. V.B. Proposed FY26 Classified Pay Increase (Action Item) Superintendent Woolstenhulme presented a detailed proposal for increasing classified employee pay for fiscal year 2026. Historically, classified pay adjustments have been included within the overall budget and not brought separately to the Board, but Woolstenhulme emphasized the importance of highlighting the specific impact and long-term implications of this year’s proposal. Key Points: • 5% Pay Increase Proposed: Although the state increased funding for classified staff by 5%, the district only receives funding for a limited number of classified positions. Since Bonneville School District employs significantly more classified staff than the state funds, the actual impact of the state’s increase translates to only about 2.5% per employee if spread evenly. • Using Fund Balance to Bridge the Gap: To honor the full 5% increase, the District proposes drawing $400,000 from its fund balance. Combined with the $200,000 already allocated for classified staff increases, this brings the total fund balance drawdown to $600,000. • Two-Part Pay Structure: o Classified employees would advance one step on the pay scale (approximately 2.75 -3% increase). o The remaining funds would be used to raise the value of each step by 2%, bringing the total raise to 5%. o This mirrors the approach taken with certified staff compensation this year. • Long-Term Financial Caution: Woolstenhulme emphasized that while the District can currently afford this increase due to a healthy fund balance, continued reliance on one-time funds is not sustainable. Future years may require either fewer salary increases or reductions in staffing, pa rticularly if state funding levels remain stagnant or decline. • Special Education Staffing Challenge: Reducing classified positions in special education is especially difficult due to individualized education plan (IEP) mandates and rising enrollment in specialized programs. These areas are both resource - intensive and legally required, limiting flexibility in staffing cuts. • Equity & Retention: Advancing classified employees on the pay scale helps recognize and retain long -term staff, who often feel overlooked when raises are focused only on base wages. However, without adjusting starting wages, the District struggles to stay competitive with entry-level jobs in the private sector. • Communication Needs: Board members discussed the importance of communicating clearly with classified staff about the limits of future funding and the District’s ongoing subsidy of positions the state does not fully fund. Superintendent Woolstenhulme concluded by affirming support for the 5% pay proposal this year but cautioned that difficult budget and staffing decisions lie ahead to realign expenses with sustainable funding. Motion: To approve the FY26 Classified Pay Increase. This motion, made by Richard Hess and seconded by Mindy Clayton, Passed. V.C. Proposed FY26 Admin Salary Schedule (Action Item) Superintendent Woolstenhulme presented the proposed administrative salary schedule for FY26, recommending a 4.5% increase to the base pay for all administrators. Key Highlights: • State Funding vs. Actual Pay: The state increased administrator funding by 5%, but since the district employs fewer administrators than the state funds but pays them significantly more, the actual impact of that increase only translates to about 3-3.5% per employee. The District’s prop osal to offer 4.5% helps close that gap. • Longevity & Education Increments: In addition to the base increase, administrators are eligible for further increases based on longevity (every three years) and advanced degrees (e.g., Ed.S. or doctorate). • Equity Across Groups: While administrators will receive a smaller percentage increase than teachers (8.1%) and classified staff (5%), the dollar amount of raises remains comparable, with administrators receiving approximately $4,500 on average, in line with increases for teachers. • Work Calendar Adjustment: The proposal also includes a restructuring of principal work calendars by removing paid holidays and reducing total contract days accordingly (e.g., from 235 to 225 days). This strategy raises the daily rate, which benefits principals at retirement when calculating leave payout and insurance contributions—a net-zero change in pay, but advantageous long-term. • Superintendent’s Salary: Superintendent Woolstenhulme noted that his salary now fits within the proposed schedule and asked the Board to consider approving a contract aligned with the updated schedule. The Board plans to address the contract length during the June meeting. Board members expressed support for the proposal, agreeing it helps retain and reward high -quality administrators while maintaining competitive compensation and a fiscally responsible approach. Motion: To approve the FY2026 Admin Salary Schedule as presented. This motion, made by Randy Smith and seconded by Mindy Clayton, Passed. VI. Learning and Instruction Recommendations VI.A. Student Travel Requests TRHS Student Council to Utah State University Leadership Conference - Logan, UT - 06-09-2025 to 06-11-2025 (Action Item) Motion: To approve Thunder Ridge High School's Student Council request to attend a Student Council Leadership Conference in Logan, UT. This motion, made by Randy Smith and seconded by Carissa Coats, Passed. VII. Adjournment (Action Item) Motion: To adjourn the meeting. This motion, made by Carissa Coats and seconded by Mindy Clayton, Passed. The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.