The Broadus School Board Trustees met for their regularly monthly meeting on Monday, with all members present at the meeting.
The meeting began with Student Council President Jayce Schroeder briefing the board on what the council has been up to, including homecoming. The senior class won the locker decoration contest, while the junior class won the best float in the parade. Over homecoming, the student council sold passes for students to wear a hat in the school for $1 a day, with proceeds going to pay for the crown and tiara for the homecoming royalty. Jayce figured they had made around 50-60 dollars in proceeds from these sales.
The board accepted, with sadness, the resignation of District Clerk Dixie Mitchell, effective at the end of her contract next summer. The board will look to hire her replacement to help train in under Dixie prior to her leaving. A meeting is scheduled for next week to look at future administrative hirings.
Eli Jurica returned this month to ask the board to accept his request to join the Broadus FFA program. Jurica, a home school student who is taking an accredited Ag class online, initially approached the board at the September meeting. He was advised to take his request to the local FFA alumni advisory board to attempt to amend the chapter constitution. On Monday, Eli mentioned that the advisory board sent the matter back to the school board.
During his comments to the board on Monday, Eli cited a variety of board policies that he felt would allow him to enter the program, which currently has a student who homeschools but attends the ag program in person. Jurica also cited letters of support from Jim Rose, State FFA Advisor, as well as a letter from the State Parliamentarian.
Superintendent Hansen countered with evidence from the MT Rural Education Association, as well as the MT School Board Association, showing that if Jurica would be willing to attend the class in person he was free to enroll, as was consistent with previous students. Trustee Schroeder noted that he had spoken to Jim Rose, who advised him that entries must meet the local standard policy.
Ultimately the matter was taken to a vote, with the board voting 5 to 3 to allow Jurica to enter the FFA program.
The board voted to move from 8 man football to 6 man football; the change is expected to be effective next football season.
Superintedent Hansen briefed the board on his goal to move forward with replacement of several air handlers in the high school, as well as asbestos abatement in the east wing of the elementary over Christmas break, in anticipation of the plumbing replacement project slated for next summer.
The air handlers are large units in several portions of the high school such as the gym, auditorium, shop, and superintendent/clerk’s office that direct airflow to several rooms, and Hansen said the units are exceptionally old (from the 1950s). As work is completed on replacement of the unit ventilators in the rooms, replacement of these older air handlers would also be a priority, and this work was quoted at 20 weeks out.
The asbestos abatement is a project which could potentially be completed over the Christmas break, and would reportedly save around two weeks of work over the summer, on the large-scale plumbing project.
The board voted to move forward on both projects.
During the Principal’s report, Principal Denise Ternes commented on a survey given to staff at the high school, with 100% of staff voting in favor of increased security at the high school, with something similar to the elementary’s locked door policy where a person in the office buzzes in visitors. Problems have reportedly cropped up this year as a local resident has been wandering the hallways without signing in. Quotes to install these locked doors will be looked into in coming weeks.
Superintendent Hansen commented that the long awaited generator project at the high school was near completion and was expected to be tested this week.
He also commented on a University of Montana study on four day school weeks throughout the state. The study found that the 4 day week has not been beneficial to most students in the state, and the author’s recommended a revision to MT code to mandate 180 school days, meaning schools would either go longer in the year or revert to 5 day school weeks.
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