School District 
#261

Board of Trustees present: Zone 1 Liz Bingham, Zone 2 Peter Gibbons, Zone 3 Jeffrey Schroeder, Zone 4 Annette Lott, Zone 5 Staci Leavitt. Others present: Superintendent Brent Johnson, Assistant Superintendent/Curriculum Director Ryan Evans, Business Manager Brian Bridwell, District Clerk Jodi Stewart, HR Director Gina Cakebread, Transportation Director Tim Hicks, Federal Programs Director Kim Lickley, District Social Worker Rachel DelValle,  Jerome High School Principal Nate Tracy, Jerome High School Assistant Principal Melissa Rice, Jerome Middle School Principal Nicole Ferreira, Jerome Middle School Assistant Principal Sam Sharp, Tarrence Handyside Kyle Cleveland and Matthew Tipton with SSC Services, Stephanie Clay with Chartwells, Jonathan Gillen with Charter Impact, Dan Coleman with Quest CPA via zoom. Amber Van Ocker with LKV Architects, Mike Arrington with STAR Corp, Bill Carter with Musgroves, Jerome High School Student Body President Christopher Norato, community members, teachers and staff.

1. Call to Order 4:30 p.m. 

   1. Pledge of Allegiance - Jeff Schroeder

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

   3. Approval of Agenda (Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Peter Gibbons to waive the reading of the minutes of the previous board meeting and approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

2. Jerome School District Presentations:

   1. Excellence in Education Staff Awards for October

      1. Certified Elementary - Patti Harvey, Horizon Elementary

      2. Certified Secondary - Amanda Burlingame, Jerome High School

      3. Classified - Brian Bridwell, District Office

   2. STAR and LKV Presentation

      1. Critical Infrastructure Improvements

   3. Administrator Special Reports

      1. Nate Tracy - Jerome High School

         1. Board Report

         2. Unified Sports Coach

         3. Christopher Norato - Senior Parking Space Painting

3. Consent Agenda (Action)

   1. Approval of Previous Minutes

      1. September 23, 2025

   2. Financial Report 

      1. Cash Report

         1. Reconciliation Report

      2. Accrual Report

         1. Revenue and Expense Summary 

         2. Balance Sheet 

      3. Building Financial Reports

         1. Jefferson Elementary School -- Reconciliation -- Check Register -- Balance Sheet

         2. Frontier Elementary School -- Reconciliation -- Check Register -- Balance Sheet

         3. Horizon Elementary School -- Reconciliation -- Check Register -- Balance Sheet

         4. Summit Elementary School -- Reconciliation -- Check Register -- Balance Sheet

         5. Jerome Middle School -- Reconciliation -- Check Register -- Balance Sheet

         6. Jerome High School -- Reconciliation -- Check Register -- Balance Sheet

         7. Falls City Academy – Reconciliation – Check Register – Balance Sheet

         8. Special Services -- Reconciliation -- Check Register -- Balance Sheet

   3. Personnel Changes 2025-26 SY

   4. New Hires 2025-26 SY

      1. Loni Butler Jerome High School SPED Para

      2. Bailee Bowen Jerome High School College/Career Coordinator

      3. Rebeca Nune Jefferson Elementary Para

      4. Sandra Cooley Jefferson Elementary Para

      5. Iselda Rodriguez JEEP Para

      6. Bianca Sozzi District Office Receptionist/Sub Coordinator

   5. Declaration that an area of need exists for the 2025-26 school year in the schools as listed:

   6. Emergency Provisional Certification 2025-26 SY

      1. Kambra Hayes Frontier Elementary Kindergarten Teacher

   7. Resignations 2025-26 SY

      1. Cynthia Hutchison Jerome Middle School Para

A motion was made by Liz Bingham  and seconded by Annette Lott to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

4. Scheduled Visitors (Information)

   1. Dan Coleman, Quest CPA (Zoom)

      1. Communications with Governance Letter

      2. Audit Report

         
         

5. Correspondence to the Board (Information)

   1. Trustee committee report

      1. Teacher Leadership Team held Monthly 1st Thursday 3:45pm-4:45pm - Staci Leavitt

      2. Wellness Committee held Monthly 2nd Wednesday  3:45pm-4:45pm beginning September 10th, 2025 - Jeff Schroeder

      3. Facilities Committee held Weekly on Wednesday 8:00am-9:30am - Jeff Schroeder

      4. Policy Review Committee- Every other Thursday 3:45pm-4:45pm - Liz Bingham

      5. Foundation Committee Meeting held Monthly 1st Thursday 12:00pm-1:00pm -  Peter Gibbons

      6. Safety Committee held 3rd Wed. Monthly @ 10:00am - Peter Gibbons

      7. Curriculum Committee held TBD -Annette Lott

6. Reports to the Board (Information)

   1. Stephanie Clay - Chartwells

   2. Terrance Handyside - SSC

      1. September Updates

   3. Tim Hicks - Transportation Department

   4. Kim Lickley - Federal Program Department

   5. Brian Bridwell - Finance Department

   6. Tyler Wardle - Technology Department

   7. Gina Cakebread - HR Department

   8. Toni Harbaugh - Special Services Department

   9. Ryan Evans  - Curriculum Department

   10. Brent Johnson - Superintendent

       1. Shared Goals/Building Admin Board Reports

       2. Four Day Week Committee

       3. Teacher Evaluations

       4. Chartwells Re Grand Opening

          
          

7. Approval of Bills (Action)

   1. Bills Approval

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Annette Lott to approve the bills as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

8. Board Business 

   1. Continuing Business

      1. Drop Policy 2540 Selection, Adoption and Removal of Curricular Materials (2nd Reading Action)

      2. Drop Policy 2630P Research-Based Homework Guidelines (2nd Reading Action)

      3. Drop Policy 3090 Foreign Exchange Students (2nd Reading Action)

      4. Drop Policy 3535 AIDS/HIV Infected Students (2nd Reading Action)

      5. Drop Policy 3535P Procedure for Handling Body Fluids that have the Potential of Transmitting Infectious Diseases (2nd Reading Action)

      6. Drop Policy 3572 Student Records Name/Gender Change (2nd Reading Action)

      7. Drop Policy 3572F Student Name/Gender Change Request Form (2nd Reading Action)

      8. Drop Policy 3515B Food Allergy Management-Background (2nd Reading Action)

      9. Drop Policy 4405 School Resource Officers (2nd Reading Action)

      10. Drop Policy 4410 Investigations and Arrests by Police (2nd Reading Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Annette Lott to approve the recommendation to drop Policies 2540, 2630P, 3090, 3535, 3535P, 3572, 3572F, 3515B, 4405 and 4410 as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

11. Policy 1505 Board Meeting News Coverage (2nd Reading Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve Policy 1505 as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

12. Policy 2585 Use of Therapy Dogs in the Training (2nd Reading Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Annette Lott to approve Policy 2585 as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

13. Policy 2700F High School Graduation Requirements Participation Form (2nd Reading Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Anette Lott to approve Policy 2700F as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

2. New Business

   1. Approval of 2024-25 Audit Report (Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Jeff Schroeder to approve the 2024-25 Audit Report.  The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

2. Declare Elizabeth Bingham as Trustee of Zone 1 per IC 33-502B (Action)

As per Idaho Code because there is only one candidate for trustee zone 1, there won’t be a need for a trustee election, therefore the Board declares the candidate as elected trustee and gives permission to the Clerk of the Board to immediately issue a certificate of election to Liz Bingham zone 1. A motion was made by Annette Lott and seconded by Jeff Schroeder to declare Elizabeth Bingham as Trustee of Zone 1. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

3. Declare Peter Gibbons as Trustee of Zone 2 per IC 33-502B (Action)

As per Idaho Code because there is only one candidate for trustee zone 2, there won’t be a need for a trustee election, therefore the Board declares the candidate as elected trustee and gives permission to the Clerk of the Board to immediately issue a certificate of election to Peter Gibbons zone 2. A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Jeff Schroeder to declare Peter Gibbons as Trustee of Zone 2. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

4. Adopt Committee Charge for 4-Day School Week Study Committee as presented (Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Anette Lott to adopt the Committee Charge for a 4-Day School Week Study Committee as presented with the agreed upon timeline for the committee to convene beginning September 2025 and present its findings and recommendation to the Board of Trustees by April 2026. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

5. Approval of Out of State Travel (Action)

   1. Consideration of Jerome High School Cheer to travel to Las Vegas Nevada for Cheerleading Nationals.

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve the Jerome High School Cheer Out of State Travel to Las Vegas Nevada. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

6. Approval of construction management architectural and general contracting services for critical infrastructure improvements at Jerome High School, Jerome Middle School and District Office. (Action)

A motion was made by Annette Lott and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve the construction management, architectural, and general contracting services for critical infrastructure improvements at Jerome High School, Jerome Middle School, and the District Office. An amended motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve the construction management, architectural, and general contracting services for critical infrastructure improvements at Jerome High School, Jerome Middle School, District Office, and to include Summit Elementary and Horizon Elementary.

he motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

7. Consideration of Jerome High School New Course Request Culture in Latin America Through Music (Action)

8. Consideration of Jerome High School New Course Request Vocational Welding (Action)

9. Consideration of Jerome Middle School New Course Request 8th Grade World History II (Action)

   1. Textbook Link

A motion was made by Liz Bigham and seconded by Annette Lott to approve new Courses: Culture in America Through Music, Vocational Welding and 8th Grade World History.  The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Annette Lott

Liz Bingham

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

10. Approve stipend for Unified Sports Coach (Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve a stipend for the Unified Sports Coach. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Annette Lott

Liz Bingham

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

11. Policy (Information)

    1. 6000 Series (First Reading Information)

    2. 1313 Conflicting Policies and Procedures (First Reading Information)

    3. 2435 Advanced Opportunities (First Reading Information)

    4. 4210F3 Community Use of School Facilities Form (First Reading Information)

    5. 6000 Goals (First Reading Information)

    6. 6320 Evaluation of Administrative Staff (First Reading Information)

    7. 6400 Principals (First Reading Information)

    8. 7400 Miscellaneous Procurement Standards (First Reading Information)

12. Approval for Seniors to Paint Their Assigned Parking Spaces (Action)

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Annette Lott to approve allowing Seniors to paint their assigned parking spaces. An amended motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Annette Lott to approve allowing Seniors to paint their assigned parking spaces with the final agreement to be approved by Principal Nate Tracy and Superintendent Brent Johnson.

The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Annette Lott

Jeff Schroder

Peter Gibbons

13. Approval of two (2) district buses chartered for Hailey Recreational District (Action)

14. Approval of two (2) district buses chartered for Hansen/Williams Wedding in Ketchum (Action)

    A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve the district buses chartered for the 2 (two) events as presented. The motion passed by the following:

    AYE: Staci Leavitt

    Liz Bingham

    Annette Lott

    Jeff Schroeder

    Peter Gibbons

c) Community Engagement and Support (Information)

d) Meeting Schedules and Governance (Information)

1. 34th Annual Education Law Seminar in Boise - Monday, April 27th-28th, 2026

9. Agenda Planning (Information)

   
   

10. Audience of Citizens (Information)

    
    

11. 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.

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Annette Lott that the Board of Trustees of Jt. Jerome School District #261 recess into executive session in the manner and for the purpose authorized by Section 74-206(1)(b)(d), Idaho Code, regarding personnel issues involving employees or student issues involving students of the district. The motion passed by roll call vote: AYE: Staci Leavitt

Liz Bingham

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Peter Gibbons

The board recessed into executive session at 7:05 p.m.

The board returned to open session at 8:09 p.m.

12. Consideration of Personnel Executive Item(s) (Information):

No action was taken on Personnel Executive Items

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

    1. Per Idaho Code 33-205(3) and 74-206(1)(b) the board considered one (1) student discipline issue and took action accordingly. Such action shall be documented in the students educational record and is confidential pursuant to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other applicable state and federal code and regulation provisions and parents and student were notified of the decision.

    2. Student Truancy

A motion was made by Liz Bingham and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve the District Clerks Declaration of Habitual Truancy for five (5) students as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Staci Leavitt

Annette Lott

Liz Bingham

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

14. Adjourn: There being no other business before the board, Chairman Staci Leavitt adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m.