New vacation times set for coming school year
By Jean Jacques Bohl
The Blaine County School District Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, Jan. 17, to make a few important decisions.
Trustee Rob Clayton initially nominated newest board member Ellen Mandeville to be the new vice chair of the board, but she declined due to family reasons. Mandeville turned around and nominated Clayton, who will replace Elizabeth Corker, who resigned earlier this month.
The board started the process of filling the newly vacant Zone 5 seat. Interested Zone 5 residents need to submit a letter of intention to board clerk Amanda LaChance by Feb.10. Interviews will be scheduled the following week. The regular meeting scheduled for next week will be held instead a week later on Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the hopes that there will be a full board.
Other new business conducted at the meeting last week included the decision to have a full week off for Thanksgiving starting November 2017. Teachers will have in-service days on the Monday and Tuesday, following the holiday.
Spring break will also be aligned with all Region 4 schools to better accommodate the spring sports calendar.
BCSD will move ahead with plans to remodel the locker rooms and bathrooms at Wood River Middle School. The changes, as mandated by the district’s new gender-inclusion policy, will give students a better sense of safety and privacy. The existing facilities will be gutted and rebuilt. The new plans call for coaches’ offices to have a complete and unobstructed view of the premises at all times.
BCSD made the National Placement Test Honor Roll, a distinction it shares with four other Idaho districts. It recognizes the constant progress made by the district in increasing participation in Advanced Placement classes.