KSD Board Report
October
Feedback: Build new elementary, continue expansion of Swan Falls, & more
Nearly 900 individuals provided feedback on school building needs through an in person study circle and survey. Superintendent Johnson shared the results noting some key points:
Top elementary priority: build a new K-5 school
Strong support for expanding Ross into a K-5 school
Majority supports projects at both middle schools
Strong support for continued phase-in build out of Swan Falls
She said the next steps are for the Capital Plan Task Force to review the feedback to finalize recommendations to the board to consider at its November meeting.
➡️ Review the presentation slides here.
📺 Watch this part of the board meeting here.
Board approves land donation agreement for new school site
The Board approved an agreement with Wood Properties for the donation of a 10.2 acre school site at Locust Grove Road and Hubbard Road in the Patagonia development. The donation means taxpayers will not have to pay for the land for a new school. A property tax bond would be needed to build a new school on the land.
➡️ Review the presentation slide here.
➡️ Review the agreement here.
📺 Watch the board presentation here.
Teachers, students share about the value of AVID strategies at middle school
Kuna Middle School Teacher Megan Mathias
Kuna Middle School students Lexi Pike and Mena Garcia
Fremont Middle School students Emma Anderson and Cannon Adams
Administrators, a teacher and students from the middle school provided the Board with an overview of how AVID strategies are helping improve teaching and learning. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is an in-school academic support program. Students learn how to organize their school work, practice effective study habits, learn how to critically think, and make engaging questions to help them learn.
➡️ Review the presentation slides here.
📺 Watch this part of the meeting here.
Board approves student's survey
Kuna High School 9th grader Emmaleigh Wright received approval from the Board to survey Kuna School District students. She will ask students what they would fix in education and what their school does well.
Wright will use the results to inform her feedback to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction's Student Advisory Council. Wright was chosen to serve on the council which is comprised of 13 students from around Idaho. Earlier this month, the group held its first meeting at the Idaho State Department of Education where members learned about the legislative process, toured the State Capitol, shared their perspectives on their schools and met state officials.
📺 Watch this part of the meeting here.
Certified Staff retention rate holds steady
Celebrating staff for Kuna Way Awards
During the school year, the Board recognizes individuals with the Kuna Way Award based on nominations from parents, staff, and the community. October's honorees are:
- Maintenance Director Kevin Lindquist (See video above.)
-
Transportation Greg Monroe
Hubbard Elementary School Markie Price
Kuna/Swan Falls high school Sandra Wheeler
Kuna High School Jessy Mendez, Anthalie Murekatete & Veronica Contreras
Hubbard Elementary School Kelly Ayers
Technology Matt Rauch
🗳️Nominate someone for the Kuna Way Award here.
➡️ Find out more about the honorees here.
📺 Watch this part of the meeting here.
Board supports legislative proposals
Trustees discussed and agreed to support 14 resolutions (proposals for changes to state law or rules for schools) that will be voted on in November at the Idaho School Boards Association conference. the Kuna school board is sponsoring and cosponsoring several of the items.
➡️ Review the resolutions here.
📺 Watch this part of the meeting here.
Other action from the October meeting
Trustees approved:
- Awarding the Kuna Middle School HVAC replacement bid to ACCO for $188,817 from the 2017 bond funds
- Using a grant to pay for a $79,000 ambulance simulator for the EMT program at Swan Falls High School
- Its consent agenda which included these items:
- September 13, 2022 Board Meeting Minutes
- Accounts Payable
- Personnel Report
- School Financials
- Trip requests
- Budget Status Report
- Project Tracker
- Community Development Tracker
- Declare surplus according to policy 920
- Extend suspension of student 101022 by 5 additional days according to policy 543
Next meeting
The Board will hold its regular November meeting Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Hello Patrons!
This past meeting we went over the results from the surveys that went out to the community regarding the schools to get a better understanding of what people want as far as reusing buildings or building new schools. You can look at the newsletter for a recap in numbers and see how the community voted. We did approve a land donation from a Builder that continues to work with the district. You can look at the presentations to get more info. We got to hear from some middle schoolers that are in the avid program as they shared what they do and how it works.
Brian shared about certified staff and what that looks like within the district. We approved a student survey by a student who is on the state superintendent committee to ask students about their school. We also discussed resolutions that will be brought up from the ISBA to the state and voted on which ones we support. To see what they are, check out the newsletter.
If you ever have any questions about anything in the meetings or concerns about school, please feel free to reach out. It is always good to come to a meeting to hear it In real time. My email is available to you: knbruce@kunaschools.org
Have a great week!
Kyrsti