Powder River Examiner -

The Broadus School Board Trustees met for their regular monthly meeting on Monday. The full school board was on hand for the meeting, including Rob Jones, Raquel Mader, Waylon Billing, Patrick Emmons, Amanda Zimmer, Danny Johnson, Lori Fortner, and Shasta Madsen.

The board approved attendance requests for several out of district elementary and junior high students to attend school in Broadus, as well as transportation contracts for the majority of the students.

Two volunteers were approved to work at the school – Wyatt Williams will help coach wrestling, while Kristy Lanke will help with JH basketball. A substitute teacher request was also approved from Melani Drane.

The board next considered the sale of the Moorhead bus route, from Darold and Sylvia Zimmer to John Blain. Last month the Zimmers successfully bid the Hammond bus route, and planned to sell the shorter Moorhead route. Superintendent Jim Hansen explained to the board that sales of bus routes have occurred several times over the 25 years of his tenure in Broadus, and this sale would keep the same contract as previously bid. John Blain explained that the route would be up for bid again after the 2021-22 school year, and Kim Blain will drive the Moorhead route.

The board moved to approve the route sale, with all members voting for the motion.

A lengthy discussion was then held between the board and members of the school staff in attendance at the meeting regarding planned updates to the school’s COVID plan. The plan has undergone changes throughout the year as the situation on the ground changed, with the new plan instituting several major changes. Perhaps the most obvious addition to the plan is that students opting out of in person learning (that is, those who choose to go to school fully online, not those who are sick or on quarantine) will no longer be eligible for sports or extracurricular activities.

Another change discussed extensively at the meeting was that students making decisions to opt out of in person learning would be able to change back at the quarter break, and those who have previously opted out and then return to in person learning will need to go through an appeal process if they choose to opt out again.

The thinking behind the changes, which were well argued by Broadus Schools Counselor Dori Phillips, was that students have been shown to perform much better in an in person learning environment, and the school should do what is necessary to have kids in class as in person instruction is the most positive learning environment for the students and the teachers. The online environment has added a great deal of extra work for the teachers, who have been teaching simultaneously in class and over the internet, essentially doubling their workload. Currently five students at the 7-12 level are choosing to learn at home.

The board passed the aforementioned changes, then moved to pass the second reading of several board policies, which are available at the school if interested.

A discussion then took place on the findings of the buildings and grounds committee. Trustee Danny Johnson informed the board on updates and fixes that could take place at the school, including windows at the elementary, a drainage issues at the high school, some cement in front of the high school, repair of the ash augers at the elementary, updates to the electrical system, fixing some chain link fence, and basketball hoops at the elementary. The front fascia of the roof at the high school is expected to be completed on October 28th, otherwise the high school roof is complete. Additionally, the apartment complex across the street from the high school purchased several years ago by the school will now be rented to school staff (not just teachers). The board made and passed a motion to allow the administration to fund these changes.

The next meeting of the school board will take place on Monday, November 9th at 7 PM.