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Whitefish Elementary School District board meeting, Jul 14, 2026

1 h 36 min · 0 public speakers

Enrollment ▶ 31:41

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 36 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Whitefish board hears high school expansion update, reviews preliminary budget and field lease 3:33

  • A district staff member reported that total spending to date on the high school expansion projects was $7,716,204, about 21% of the overall budget. 3:33
  • A district staff member presented the 2026⁠-⁠2027 preliminary budget, saying levy funds were roughly $30 million, with over $30 million more in other funds and about $900,000 in federal and state grants. 23:16
  • A motion to approve the MOU as presented was made and seconded, but the transcript does not state the result. 40:17
Item by item (12)
  1. Opening, agenda revision and minutes 0:02
    • Darcy Schellinger led the Pledge of Allegiance. 0:02
    • A district staff member noted a correction to the interview team listed for the middle school interim assistant principal item. 0:35
    • Motions were made on minutes of the June 9th business meeting, the June 23rd work session and the June 23rd special meeting. 1:28
  2. High school expansion owner's report 3:05
    • A district staff member said approved use of contractor contingency to date was $361,519, with $670,000 remaining, partly due to truss reinforcement at the black box and music area. 4:57
    • The staff member said interior academic remodel work was shifted to complete in December, and the football practice field was on track for practice in mid-August. 6:03
    • A district staff member said beyond-the-bond fundraising was not meant to cover existing obligations and that the project was well within budget. 22:19
  3. Item 23:16
    • A district staff member said most federal Title and IDEA grants were expected to decrease, with final numbers not released until September. 27:27
    • Rayne Beach asked about reports that federal funding for computer and wireless support might be taken away, and a staff member said a reduction had been heard but there was not enough concrete information. 29:22
    • A district staff member said the state's maximum inflationary increase is 3%. 32:18
  4. Education foundation memorandum of understanding 36:45
    • A district staff member presented an annual memorandum of understanding between the Whitefish Education Foundation and the district, which legal counsel also reviewed. 37:03
    • A motion to approve the agreement as presented was made and seconded. 40:17
    • Asked whether the group would be asked to put its meetings on there, a district staff member said the district would ask. 40:24
  5. Supplemental curriculum adoption 40:41
    • A district staff member said Character Strong would replace the Getting Along Together and Second Step programs with a K-12 program. 40:54
    • The staff member said the program also provides screeners for kindergarten through 8th grade. 44:03
    • A district staff member said the curriculum would cost about $10,000, less than what the district currently pays. 49:22
  6. Community foundation donations 49:50
    • A district staff member presented a $9,000 check to support summer student internships at the greenhouse. 49:56
    • A second check for $12,000 was for a new sound console for the Performing Arts Center. 51:21
    • Jerrie Boksich moved to accept the checks from the Whitefish Community Foundation. 54:26
  7. Item 58:33
    • A district staff member said the lease was needed for one more year because the practice fields would be ready but not the field for games. 58:47
    • The staff member said the cost was $7,400 annually, including a $6,000 lease payment and $1,400 for maintenance. 59:47
    • A speaker raised concerns about contract terms restricting other entities from advertising during the lease. 1:04:08
  8. Policy updates 1:05:08
    • A district staff member said the policy committee made no changes except to policy 2410, which concerns a certificate of achievement for students who do not complete their credits. 1:05:14
    • A district staff member said Presidents Day is not a required holiday for classified staff under state law, and a speaker said the matter would be added to items to bargain. 1:06:23
  9. Personnel recommendations for hire 1:11:29
    • A district staff member said administration recommended approval of 9 positions. 1:11:38
    • A district staff member said the district was still hiring 3 special education teachers and 4 special education paraeducators, among other positions. 1:13:08
    • A speaker raised high turnover among paraeducators, and a staff member said the district was doing training. 1:14:34
  10. Middle school interim assistant principal 1:17:45
    • A district staff member said the position drew 10 applicants and 3 were interviewed. 1:18:08
    • A district staff member said the interim title is typical when hiring this late in the year. 1:19:49
  11. Reports and announcements 1:22:11
    • A speaker suggested repainting the meeting room wall, and a staff member proposed asking high school art students for proposals. 1:24:05
    • A district staff member said the administrative team would attend the School Administrators of Montana conference in Helena at the end of July. 1:31:07
    • A district staff member said the June 2026 financial report was preliminary and all budgeted funds were within budget. 1:32:55
  12. Consent agenda and adjournment 1:35:20
    • Motions to approve the consent agenda and to adjourn were made and seconded. 1:35:20

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “Whitefish School Board Business Meeting July 14, 2026”