Great Falls Public Schools 1100 Fourth Street South, Great Falls, Montana

AGENDA Board of Trustees

Special Meeting July 15, 2020

Welcome to the Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees meeting!

If this is your first meeting If this is your first time attending a meeting, let us extend our special welcome! These meetings are designed to give everyone the opportunity to participate in seeing how the Great Falls trustees facilitate school business.

What is the purpose of these meetings? The meetings of the Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees are always open to the public. These meetings are held to officially conduct the business of the school district, as governed by Montana law. Trustees are responsible for key decisions, some of which include hiring of employees, reviewing negotiated agreements, approving new curriculum or changes to existing curricula, facility usage requests, and paying of monthly expenses.

How can I address the trustees? If you’d like to address the trustees on any matter, please fill out a “Request to Speak” card available from the Clerk of the Board at each meeting. Return this card to the Clerk of the Board or the Board Chairperson. This will allow the Chairperson to recognize you at the appropriate time in the meeting and to guarantee you the opportunity to address the board. There are federal and state laws that must be followed when addressing the board to protect the privacy of individuals and to conduct business in an orderly manner. Details can be found on the “Request to Speak” form and on the district’s website at www.gfps.k12.mt.us.

Again – thank you for participating in this democratic process – we appreciate your presence and are glad you are here.

– The Great Falls Public Schools Trustees

GREAT FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Great Falls, MT

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jan Cahill Chairperson Jeff Gray Vice Chairperson Bill Bronson Trustee Mark Finnicum Trustee Gordon Johnson Trustee Teresa Schreiner Trustee Kim Skornogoski Trustee

SUPERINTENDENT’S CABINET Tom Moore Superintendent of Schools Brian Patrick Director of Business Operations Ruth Uecker Assistant Superintendent, K-6 Heather Hoyer Assistant Superintendent, 7-12 Kerry Dattilo Director of Human Resources Lance Boyd Director of Student Services Tom Hering Director of Information Technology Dave Crum GFPS Foundation Director

Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees Special Meeting

AGENDA

July 15, 2020 5:00 p.m.

Aspen Meeting Room – District Office Building 1100 4th Street South, Great Falls, Montana

We Successfully Educate Students to Navigate the Future

Page I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson

Cahill

II. ROLL CALL Brian Patrick III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chairperson

Cahill

IV. ADOPT AGENDA Chairperson Cahill

V. COMMUNICATION

A. Audience Communication VI. ACTION ITEMS

A. Transfer of Budgeted Funds – Elementary General Fund Budget (101) to Elementary Compensated Absences Fund (121) and High School General Fund Budget (201) to High School Compensated Absences Fund (221)

Brian Patrick 6

B. Board Consideration of Current Circumstances Related to COVID-19 for Possible Declaration of Unforeseen Emergency

Tom Moore 8

C. Healthy, Safe and Secure Schools Reopening Plan for the 2020-2021 School Year

Tom Moore 9

VII. ACTION: OTHER Chairperson

Cahill

VIII. REPORTS, DISCUSSION, AND POLICIES

A. Discussion, Committee Reports, and Comments Chairperson Cahill

UPCOMING EVENTS Chairperson

Cahill

Monday, August 10, 2020 5:30 p.m. Regular Meeting District Office Building Thursday, August 20, 2020 5:30 p.m. Special Meeting District Office Building Monday, August 24, 2020 5:30 p.m. Regular Meeting District Office Building Monday, September 14, 2020 5:30 p.m. Regular Meeting District Office Building ACTION TO ADJOURN Chairperson

Cahill

Great Falls Public

Schools Great Falls, MT

Skornogoski

Schreiner Johnson Gray Finnicum Cahill Bronson

Motion Second Ayes Nays Abstain

GREAT FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MEETING DATE: July 15, 2020

CATEGORY: Action

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: VI. A.

CABINET MEMBER: Brian Patrick TOPIC

Transfers of Budgeted Funds – Elementary General Fund Budget (101) to Elementary Compensated Absences Fund (121) and High School General Fund Budget (201) to High School Compensated Absences Fund (221)

STRATEGIC PLAN Stewardship and Accountability

Provide prudent stewardship and accountability of public resources to best support educational opportunity and student success.

https://gfps.k12.mt.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019-2020-Final-Goals-Key-Results-Objectives.pdf BACKGROUND The Compensated Absence Fund transfer is authorized by Section 20-9-512, MCA, for the purpose of financing

the accumulated sick leave and vacation pay that a non-teaching or administrative school district employee is entitled to upon termination of employment. The existing fund balance came from previous year General Fund budget transfers. Funds in excess of the limit must be returned to General Fund. It is limited to 30% of the sick and vacation leave payout for non-teaching and administrative employees. There must be budget authority in the General Fund in order for the transfer to be completed.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

This has been an annual transfer from the General Fund to the Compensated Absence Fund to return the balance to 30% allowed by law. The amount of $210,000.00 in the elementary and $128,000.00 in the high school budget is slightly less than the end of year balance in the account and the 30% limit of sick and vacation leave payout for non-teaching and administrative employees.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The District Board is requested to approve the total of $210,000.00 transfer from the Elementary General Fund Budget to the Elementary Compensated Absences Fund (121) and $128,000.00 transfer for the High School General Fund Budget to the High School Compensated Absences Fund (221).

For more information about this item, please contact Superintendent Tom Moore at (406) 268-6001 or Director of Business Operations, Brian Patrick at (406) 268-6050.

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Great Falls Public

Schools Great Falls, MT

Skornogoski Schreiner Johnson Gray Finnicum Cahill Bronson

Motion Second Ayes Nays Abstain

GREAT FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MEETING DATE: July 15, 2020

CATEGORY: Action

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: VI. B.

CABINET MEMBER: Tom Moore TOPIC

Board Consideration of Current Circumstances Related to COVID-19 for Possible Declaration of Unforeseen Emergency Pursuant to MCA 20-9-801 through 20-9-806

STRATEGIC PLAN

Student Achievement, Stewardship and Accountability and Safe and Secure Schools https://gfps.k12.mt.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019-2020-Final-Goals-Key-Results-Objectives.pdf

BACKGROUND

The meeting is called pursuant to MCA 20-3-322(3), which provides “Special meetings of the Trustees may be called by the presiding officer or any two members of the Trustees by giving each member a 48-hour written notice of the meeting, except that the 48-hour notice is waived in an unforeseen emergency or to consider a violation of the student code of conduct, as defined in accordance with District policy, within a week of graduation.” An unforeseen emergency is defined in law as “a storm, fire, explosion, community disaster, insurrection, act of God, or other unforeseen destruction or impairment of school district property that affects the health and safety of the Trustees, students, or District employees or the educational functions of the District.” I have determined that the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 continues to constitute a community disaster that I am permitted to call this meeting.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS Fiscal Implications are unknown at this time.

RECOMMENDATION

The District Board of Great Falls Public Schools 1 & A is requested to declare an unforeseen emergency in accordance with MCA 20-9-801 through 20-9-806 due to the community and school health concerns related to COVID-19 and to authorize the administration to take necessary steps to execute and inform the public and government agencies of this declaration. This declaration will be effective, retroactively from July 1, 2020 until June 31, 2021 or until Montana State Health Officials and/or the Governor’s Office declare that the COVID-19 Pandemic emergency has subsided.

For more information about this item, please contact Superintendent Tom Moore at (406) 268-6001.

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Great Falls Public Schools

Great Falls, MT

Skornogoski Schreiner Johnson Gray Finnicum Cahill Bronson

Motion Second Ayes Nays Abstain

GREAT FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MEETING DATE: July 15, 2020

CATEGORY: Action

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: VI. C.

CABINET MEMBER: Tom Moore

TOPIC

Healthy, Safe and Secure Schools Reopening Plan for the 2020/2021 School Year

BACKGROUND

On July 2, 2020, Governor Bullock’s Office, The Office of Public Instruction, and the American Academy of Pediatricians provided school district’s in Montana with guidance on the reopening schools. These comprehensive documents included information in the areas of Health and Sanitation practices, Physical Distancing, Personal Protection (Masks, Shields, etc.), Busing, Food Service, Restricting Access and Limiting the size of events, Extra-curricular Activities, Academics and the Social/Emotional well-being of students and staff.

DISCUSSION

Great Falls Public Schools’ staff has been drafting plans and protocols in preparation for the reopening of schools since early May of 2020. The summary plan for the reopening of schools in Great Falls for the fall of 2020, is a flexible and dynamic document that will be updated regularly and on an “as needed” basis.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Many of the action items will require monetary resources. The CARES Act budget, recently approved by the Office of Public Instruction, and the 2020/2021 General Fund Budget, which will be adopted in August of 2020, will fund the implementation of this plan.

RECOMMENDATION

The District Board of Great Falls Public Schools 1 & A is requested to approve the Healthy, Safe and Secure Schools Reopening Plan for the 2020/2021 school year as it has been presented. In addition, the Trustees authorize the Superintendent or designee, in consultation with state and local health officials, to make necessary adjustments in the plan as to meet the changing dynamics of the community spread of COVID-19. For more information about this item, please contact Superintendent Tom Moore at (406) 268-6001, or Chairman Jan Cahill at (406) 899-1988.

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