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Jerome School District #261

Board of Trustees Agenda

March 17, 2026

4:30 p.m. Regular Session

Administrative Complex Board Room


Board of Trustees: Zone 1 Liz Bingham, Zone 2 Peter Gibbons, Zone 3 Jeff Schroeder,

Zone 4 Annette Lott, Zone 5 Staci Leavitt

Superintendent Brent Johnson, Assistant Superintendent Ryan Evans, Board Clerk Jodi Stewart


“The Jerome School Board of Education is committed to supporting students’ need to graduate from high school equipped with the character, skills and knowledge to successfully enter work or postsecondary training. “


The Jerome School District School Board Meetings will be conducted in person and 

available by audio as a courtesy to Jerome School District staff and patrons.(The meetings will not be recorded.)


The board meeting will be available by audio to the public through the following link:


Video call link: https://meet.google.com/frr-spzc-ahp


Or dial: (US) +1 470-705-3645‬ PIN: 911 806 151‬# ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬


All public comments or questions will be accepted in written form and can be sent to the District Clerk

 via email to jodi.stewart@jeromeschools.org


  1. Call to Order 4:30 p.m.

    1. Pledge of Allegiance - Liz Bingham

    2. Waive reading of the minutes of the previous board meeting as submitted to each board member.

    3. Approval of Agenda (Action)


Individuals who wish to address the Board of Trustees regarding any action items must sign in prior to the start of the regular board meeting at 4:30 p.m. and placed before each action item on the agenda.


  1. Jerome School District Presentations:

    1. Excellence in Education Staff Awards for March

      1. Certified Elementary - Jorma Fletcher Horizon Elementary

      2. Certified Secondary - Rachel Del Valle District Social Worker

      3. Classified - Betty Herrera Jerome High School Food Service


  1. Consent Agenda (Action)

    1. Approval of Previous Minutes

      1. February 24, 2026

      2. March 12, 2026

    2. Financials

      1. Financial Report

      2. Building Financial Reports

        1. Jefferson Elementary School

        2. Frontier Elementary School

        3. Horizon Elementary School

        4. Summit Elementary School

        5. Jerome Middle School

        6. Jerome High School

        7. Falls City Academy

        8. Special Services

    3. Personnel Changes 2025-26 SY


  2. Approval of Bills (Action)

    1. Bills Approval


  1. Scheduled Visitors (Information)


  2. Correspondence from the Board (Information)

    1. Trustee Committee Report

      1. Staci Leavitt

        1. Teacher Leadership Team

      2. Jeff Schroeder

        1. Wellness Committee 

        2.  Facilities Committee

      3. Liz Bingham

        1. Policy Review Committee

        2. Legislative Update

      4. Peter Gibbons

        1. Foundation Committee 

        2. Safety Committee

      5. Annette Lott

        1. Curriculum Committee


  1. Reports to the Board (Information)

    1. Chartwells

    2. Terrance Handyside - SSC

    3. Tim Hicks - Transportation Department

    4. Kim Lickley - Federal Program Department

    5. Tyler Wardle - Technology Department

    6. Gina Cakebread - HR Department

    7. Toni Harbaugh - Special Services Department

    8. Ryan Evans  - Curriculum Department

    9. Brent Johnson - Superintendent

      1. Shared Goals/Building Admin Board Reports


  1. Board Business 

    1. Continuing Business

      1. Policy (Action)

        1. 7430 Travel Allowances and Expenses (2nd Reading Action)

        2. 7430F Travel Expense Reimbursement Form  (2nd Reading Action)

        3. 8100 Transportation  (2nd Reading Action)

        4. 8103 Vehicles Other than School Buses Used to Transport Students  (2nd Reading Action)

        5. 8105P Extracurricular Transportation - Discipline (2nd Reading Action)

        6. 8110 Safety Busing  (2nd Reading Action)

        7. 8120 Bus Routes, Stops and Non-Transportation Zones  (2nd Reading Action)

        8. 8130 Transportation of Students with Disabilities  (2nd Reading Action)

        9. 8140 Student Conduct on Buses  (2nd Reading Action)

    2. New Business

      1. Policy (Information)

        1. 8000 Series (1st Reading Information)

        2. 8170P District Owned Vehicles (1st Reading Information)

        3. 8180 Driver Training and Responsibility (1st Reading Information)

        4. 8185 Use of  Wireless Communication Devices by Bus Drivers (1st Reading Information)

        5. 8190 Emergencies Involving Transportation Vehicles (1st Reading Information)

        6. 8195 District Vehicle Idling (1st Reading Information)

        7. 8320 Fire Drills and Evacuation Plans (1st Reading Information)

      2. Approve scheduling the Annual Budget Hearing for the Jerome School District on June 23, 2026 (Action)

      3. Consideration and Approval to Authorize Administration to Proceed with a Reduction in Force of four (4) additional Certified Positions Effective the 2026-27 School Year (Action)

      4. Approval of the New English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum for Grades 6-12 (Action)

      5. Approve an adjustment to the 2025-2026 school calendar, contingent upon there being no additional snow days. (Action)

        1. The revised schedule would designate May 19 as the last full day for students, May 21 as the final teacher contract day, and June 4 as the last working day for principals and secretaries on 210-day contracts. This change would not impact year-round staff.

      6. Approval of Out of State Travel (Action):

        1. Jerome High School Fine Arts travel to Sandy Utah (Action)

      7. Approval of an Adjusted Schedule for Jerome High School on April 15, 2026, as presented (Action)


  1. Agenda Planning (Information)

    1. Meeting and Calendar Schedules (Information)

      1. Calendar discussion for an early April Special Meeting

      2. 2026 ISBA Spring Leadership Institute - Twin Falls - March 19, 2026 5:30p-8:00p

        1. Liz Bingham

        2. Peter Gibbons

        3. Annette Lott

        4. Jeff Schroeder

        5. Staci Leavitt

      3. 2026 Education Law Seminar April 27-28, 2026 in Boise

        1. Attendees

          1. Brent Johnson

          2. Ryan Evans

          3. Liz Bingham

          4. Peter Gibbons

          5. Annette Lott

          6. Staci Leavitt


  2. Audience of Citizens (Information)


  3. Executive Session (Action)

    1. IC 74-206(1)(b)(d) – Personnel or Student.(b)To consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent or public school student; and (d) to consider records that are exempt from disclosure as provided in Chapter 1, Title 74, Idaho Code.

      1. Student Issues

      2. Personnel Issues


  4. Consideration of Personnel Executive Item(s) (Action)

    1. Approval of 2026-27 School Year Certified Building Administrators Contracts (Action)

    2. Approval of 2026-27 School Year Classified Administrative Assignments (Action)


  5. Consideration of Student Executive Item(s) (Action)


  6. Adjourn (Action)

WELCOME TO A JEROME SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING


We take pride in our school system, and we as a board, are dedicated to the ongoing advancement of Jerome Schools. 

We are committed to fostering open lines of communication and resolving issues efficiently, 

to improve our school system for the benefit of our students and community.

 

We recognize that patrons of the school district may have concerns from time to time and may feel the need to bring those concerns to the attention of the school or teachers. There are steps in place for addressing concerns, starting from the closest point to the issue and escalating as needed.  


To best resolve these concerns, we recommend to our patrons to follow the steps below:

  1. The initial and most effective step is to address the concern with the staff member who is closest to the problem. In many cases, this will be the teacher, coach, or relevant personnel. Experience has shown that most issues are resolved at this level. 

  2. If the concern persists after addressing it with the staff member, we recommend bringing it to the attention of the principal. Many unresolved concerns from the previous step are typically satisfactorily addressed by the building administrator.

  3. If the concern remains unresolved after involving the principal, we advise taking it to the Assistant Superintendent and/or the Superintendent. Some of the more challenging concerns can usually find resolution at this level of administration.

  4. However, if the patron still feels that the concern has not been adequately addressed, they may exercise the right of appeal to the Board of Trustees. It is important to note that our board meetings, while open to the public, are not public forums, and therefore adhere to necessary rules and guidelines for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.

 

The following guidelines will assist you as you present your information to the board.

  1. Preparation: It's important to prepare thoughts ahead of time and it is recommended to provide a brief written outline to each board member to assist them in following the presentation and making notes.

  2. Spokesperson: If a group is involved, selecting one individual as a spokesperson to guide the presentation helps maintain clarity and organization.

  3. Presenters are encouraged to prepare their remarks to be as concise as possible. Each speaker is allotted a maximum of three (3) minutes to address the Board and must sign in prior to the start of the regular Board meeting at 4:30 p.m.


Public comment will be accepted prior to each action item on the agenda. For topics not listed on the agenda, individuals may sign up to speak under the "Audience of Citizens" section. The three-minute time limit also applies to these comments.

Individuals who require more time may request to be placed on the agenda for a five (5) minute presentation by contacting the Board Clerk at least one week in advance of the meeting.

If a speaker is unable to complete their presentation within the allotted time, it is recommended that they submit written comments or testimony to the Board prior to the meeting.


  1. Direct Comments: It's important to direct comments to the board as a whole and not to any individual personally or audience.

  2. Respectful Communication: Comments about individual staff, personnel, or students are not allowed during open meetings but may be discussed in executive sessions.


Following this process ensures transparency and accountability within the school district’s governance structure.  In most cases, the board will direct the administration in addressing concerns raised during the meeting. Please remember that some issues may take time to resolve depending on the complexity of the situation. Thank you for your patience and understanding.


Working together, we can cultivate a united culture within our community where we operate as

one town, one team, and one family. Thank you for attending,


Your Board of Trustees, Jerome Jt. School District #261


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