Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part one, with part two set to appear in Sunday’s Tribune.
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GRANGEVILLE — In a 3-2 vote that came suddenly at the end of a three-hour special meeting Monday, Mountain View School District voted to go to a four-day school week.
Trustee B Edwards made the motion, seconded by trustee Laci Myers. Board chair Larry Dunn voted yes, while trustees Casey Smith and Melisa Kaschmitter voted no.
The motion called for a two-year trial of the four-day week, starting with the 2022-23 school year.
The meeting had circled various cost-savings and cuts ideas before the vote, with several motions dying for lack of seconds or voted no on.
“I know there are people who hope there will be savings from a four-day school week, but the national studies that I’ve read show the savings are from 0.4% to 2.5%, and that’s under ideal conditions,” Smith said.
“I’m very uncomfortable that it may or may not save us money,” Kaschmitter said, adding research for both sides could be equally stacked. “Our school district did form a task force in 2006 and decided it was something they did not want to do. If the cost savings are questionable, I would not want us to step into it lightly.”
Myers reported she had spoken to representatives at Orofino and Kamiah, who told her there had been substantial cost savings.
Earlier in the meeting, Smith moved to outline a path forward to eliminate any future levy requests for MVSD 244. Dunn seconded this.
Smith said he did not feel a levy would have any chance of passing in the near future, especially as the economy is “looking to be much worse.”
“Things aren’t going to change when our (federal) administration is in bed with the environmentalists and the global warming hoax,” Smith said. “Things will get harder, so I’m suggesting we make our way forward to do the best we can.”
The motion failed 2-3, with trustees Myers, Edwards and Kaschmitter voting against it.
Smith suggested asking some businesses, such as Idaho Forest Group, to “put their money where their mouth is,” and pay for some of the extracurriculars in the district since they “saved money by not having to pay for the levies these past three years.” Smith referenced an IFG employee previously publicly stating the business supported the levy.
While Dunn said he would not necessarily state it the way Smith did, he would ask community businesses, organizations and individuals to partner with the school district, so levies would not be required.
“I join in with Casey that we move forward and be a district that doesn’t run a levy. There are people back there smirking and we just continue on with the demagoguing — I don’t get that when we’ve got problems to solve,” Dunn chastised patrons in the audience.
Edwards pressed for Smith to come up with ideas to make up not only the $1.7 million deficit because of the March 8 failed levy, but also make up another $3 million (the levy was “bought down” by Forest funds, thus turning a $4-million-plus deficit into $1.7 million for 2022-23).
“I want to hear your ideas for cuts if you don’t want a levy,” Edwards questioned. “Everybody has been waiting for it. We all want to hear it. You’ve been a board member for seven years.”
“My point is, I just don’t see a levy passing,” Smith said. “If the levy had passed, it would have come off the backs of the widows and those on fixed incomes.”
Kaschmitter had moved to cut all extracurriculars for the year at a savings of approximately $375,000 and curriculum adoption for $300,000 during two years, a freeze on salaries for an approximate $300,000 savings, and use about $700,000 out of the cash flow.
The motion died for lack of a second.
No specific cuts were made at the meeting. A workshop is set for April 7 in Grangeville, and the regular meeting will be held April 18 in Kooskia.
— Lorie Palmer, Idaho County Free Press, (Grangeville), Thursday
Three resign from MVSD district office
GRANGEVILLE — Mountain View School District 244 was faced with the resignations of three more employees last week.
District office personnel, including business manager Becky Hogg, director of special education, federal programs and curriculum Cody Weddle, and human resources/payroll employee Becci Gehring all tendered resignations.
Hogg has worked for the district for 35 years, while Weddle has been in the job for 20 years and Gehring for 22 years.
The news came following the failed $1.7 million levy March 8 and the resignation of superintendent Todd Fiske and Grangeville Elementary School Principal Adam Uptmor, as well as that of Michael Stevens, technology coordinator. District office administrative assistant Chandra Eimers is set to retire this year, as well.
The school district has experienced criticism during the past two years, especially for its inability to explain what a levy will pay. In addition, Hogg has been scrutinized for not providing easy-to-read and clear financial documents. She has explained at past board meetings that school funding is complex, and many salaries or programs may be financed through several different coffers, including local, state, federal and special monies.
MVSD has seen many staff members — including administrators, teachers and paraprofessionals — leave the district within the past two years. Upward of 35 employees have chosen to leave the district within this time period.
“There have been a lot of negative swipes at Becky (Hogg) and the district surrounding a forensic audit, money stealing,” Fiske shook his head at the March 21 board meeting, before the announcement of Hogg resigning.
Fiske presented several scenarios of what the district could do to make up for the failed levy.
“These are in no particular order and are estimates, at best,” he said.
Fiske said the first scenario was to “do nothing.”
“You use the cash flow and cover the whole loss,” he shrugged.
— Lorie Palmer, The Clearwater Progress, (Kamiah), Thursday
