The meeting began with a report from student council representatives who highlighted a power outage that occurred on the planned first day for upperclassmen, leading to a two-hour delay and eventually the cancellation of the day. The outage affected Oakland Middle School and the high school, causing significant confusion among parents due to flawed communication about bus schedules. The superintendent acknowledged the communication failures and detailed the events, noting that approximately 700 students were present at the high school when the decision was made to cancel classes for the day.

The superintendent explained that the goal was to ensure a safe environment for the students, stating, “We were able to take care of them, we were able to feed them.” However, the miscommunication led to some students waiting for buses that were never scheduled to arrive. This prompted board members to query the rationale behind the decisions made during the outage and discuss how to prevent similar issues in the future. The superintendent took responsibility for the communication breakdown and emphasized the need for better protocols during crisis situations.

In addition to the power outage, transportation issues were another major topic of discussion. The superintendent detailed ongoing challenges with the district’s transportation system, particularly the transition to a new GPS routing system named Traverso, which had been problematic due to delays in obtaining necessary GPS components. The district had previously relied on an outside vendor for routing, which was criticized for being less attuned to local needs. The transition from the previous system, Versa Trans, to Traverso was complicated by data issues stemming from the shift from Skyward to PowerSchool, leading to discrepancies in student addresses and information.

One specific instance highlighted was a case where a student, who had moved from one school to another, was still being routed to their previous school due to outdated information in the system. This led to incorrect routing for many students, causing frustration among parents. The superintendent expressed frustration over the incompatibility of the systems, stating, “Parents are getting information, wait I don’t even live there. I used to live there four years ago; why do you have that information in your system?” To address these issues, the district plans to designate PowerSchool as the single source of records for students and improve processes for updating student information.

The board also discussed the emotional toll that the first day of school brings, particularly when transportation issues arise. Participants expressed gratitude to the transportation coordinator and the entire team for their efforts in managing the challenges presented by the system failures. There were calls for additional human resources to support the overwhelmed staff, with concerns that burnout could lead to further complications. The need for more staff support was considered essential to maintain morale and efficiency in addressing the ongoing problems.

The meeting also included a performance review for Superintendent Funk, assessing his second year in the role and setting the stage for the upcoming school year. The evaluation criteria encompassed governance, team dynamics, finances, communications, operations, human resources, teaching and learning, student support, and leadership standards. The board expressed strong support for Funk’s accomplishments over the past year, including successfully passing a facilities referendum, updating older schools, restructuring professional development for staff, and implementing priority-based budgeting.

Policy matters were addressed, beginning with a first reading of Policy 515 concerning the protection and privacy of pupil records. This policy aims to clarify the district’s responsibilities regarding pupil record management and privacy rights as mandated by federal and state laws. The board also considered the revocation of two outdated policies that have been rendered redundant by more recent policies.

The Adventure Club, the district’s before and after school care program, was another topic of discussion. The enrollment in the program increased significantly, but staffing shortages remain a challenge. The board was informed that the demand for child care fluctuates with employment rates, complicating staffing efforts. Recruitment efforts have included using postcards and a community catalog to raise awareness about job openings, which offer a starting wage of $18.40 per hour. Despite these efforts, the hiring process remains challenging due to the need for staff to align their schedules with the operational hours of the Adventure Club program.