School board enjoys 'quiet' meeting
November 12, 2013
The School District Board of Trustees enjoyed a remarkably quiet meeting this evening, and even a special hour-long session on school security and safety that was expected to be at least a little bit heated turned out to be a reasonable and productive discussion that laid a foundation the board can build on.

A couple of parents expressed concern regarding the "distract and attack" discussions at the middle school, not about the need for the discussion, but on the fact that some students were singled out specifically to be the attackers and distractors.

No one questioned the importance of talking about the worst imaginable scenario on many people's minds across the nation, an active shooter singling out a room full of students with no means of escape.

Superintendent Dick Conley gave a rundown of events that keep him awake at night, from Columbine to Sandy Hook.

"This is highly emotional issue, for grandparents even more than parents," he said. "We could just not talk about it, pray it never happens, but what if it does? Kids could die. Or we can talk about the worst that could happen, get people thinking about what to do if it does, and kids could die! There are no easy answers, but I think we'd all be foolish not to talk about it."

"What we teach is that your first recourse in such a situation is to always run, escape if you can," said Manny Figueroa, lead agent of the Bonners Ferry Station, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, who has children in local public schools. "Get out, get away. Break windows if you have to. We train for things like this all the time. For years, students were taught to stay at their desks; at Columbine, that proved tragic. By all means, run if you can. But there may be a time when you can't run, there's no place to hide."

Bonners Ferry Police Chief Steve Benkula was also in attendance, and he also has children in the school system. He agreed with the concerns of parents.

"In an extreme situation, you don't know how a person will react," he said. "That six-foot three kid might be frozen in fear, the smallest kid in class might be the one who saves the class ... you never know."

What was abundantly clear is that student safety is at the top of everyone's priority list.

In the discussion, a number of ideas and suggestions were raised, all of them good, and board chair Melanie Staples, who opened the meeting by saying that a special community forum on these issues would be set in November, was grateful for the input.

"The safety of your children and grandchildren is something we will not ignore," she said, "but it's a very complex and emotional issue, and one we must have the entire community involved in from the outset. When we set the date for our forum, we need everyone to help. We'll get word out in every way we can, and we need everyone to help us spread the word and get everyone we can to take part."

While informational, the regular meeting was almost jovial ... after the auditor's report by Leonard Schulte, who proclaimed the district's accounting practices sound but fiscal resources slim ... a condition the district is well used to, and once again the same thing he's been noting Since Sharon Watson (then Smith) held the position ... the district puts an awful lot of responsibility on its clerk/treasurer.

"In a small school district like this, it's not always possible, but to reduce risk, there should be three people, each equal, taking care of separate aspects of school financing and accounting," he said. "In an audit, there are ways to accommodate the deficiency when only person is responsible for so much, but it's my job to let you know the deficiency exists."

The principal reports were, in the main, positive and upbeat. At Valley View, Principal Gary Pfleuger said, student body elections were held November 5, students are eager to see the African Dance and Drum Troupe December 5 and 90-percent of parents took part in parent teacher conferences last week. Not enough, he said.

Principle Tim Gering spoke of what Bonners Ferry High School staff and students were up to, and that about 40-percent of parents showed up. A lot is going on, too, at the Boundary County Middle School, where about 45-percent of parents showed up for conferences, and Naples Elementary is gearing up for the Family Fall Harvest Dance put on by the Naples Parent Teacher Association from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, November 21 ... and 95-percent of parents attended conference, said principal Steve Morton.

Naples is also looking at the feasibility of giving students a few more minutes of morning shut-eye, pushing the start of the school day half an hour ahead, from 7:15 to 7:45 a.m.

"We're going to do a test bus run to see how it works this Friday," Morton said, "And if everything fits, we'll have it on the agenda in December to go into effect January 6."

Jim Nash, principal at Mt. Hall, encouraged everyone to attend this Saturday's Mt. Hall Auction and Dinner at 5 p.m., but he said that dinner is spaghetti ... when in fact it's something better this year, lasagna. After a bit of calculation, he reported that 95.023-percent of parents attended  parent teacher conferences.

Curriculum Director Robin Merrifield told of her pride in how well teachers and administrators were not only adapting, but getting excited by impending changes in the classroom, epitomized by an alleged "expert," middle school teacher Kelly Hinthorn, who reported that kids aren't only adapting to the changes, but savoring the challenge.

"If I could," Hinthorn said, "I'd call all my past students back and apologize that I hadn't engaged them in the way I can now. My students are excited about learning, they're engaged."

And she wasn't talking about "Common Core," but of new ideas in education and how some simple concepts and ideas can transform not only students, but energize teachers.

Merrifield passed out a book to trustees on the "monster," "Something in Common; The Common Core Standards."

"By Stephen King?" one trustee (guess which) shouted.

There was more, all good, and the board zipped right through its action agenda and was near to adjournment, a bustle of noise, when trustee Mike Weland chimed in with an unexpected motion.

"Based on the audit, I move we hire two more Diane Cartwrights," he said. The motion died in a fit of giggles and without second.

This district is blessed with great people, and Sharon Smiths and Diane Cartwrights are rare. They only show up one at a time.

Mr. Schulte's "deficiency" will have to last at least another year.