October Followup

I  have some updated information since our board meeting that I wanted to post. As you know from my last post about our discussion on the field trips, I didn't like how this decision was made and thought the board should have had input. I called ISBA (Idaho School Board Association) and asked if the board should have discussed this issue and made the decision about field trips and not had the policy changed by the Superintendent. I found out my thinking was right we as a board should have decided this. In the Idaho code for responsibilities of board members it says. The board of trustees of each school district shall have the following powers and duties. Under the list of duties at no. 12 it says. To supervise and regulate, including by contract with established entities, those extracurricular activities which are by definition outside of or in addition to the regular academic courses or curriculum of a public school, and which extracurricular activities shall not be considered to be a property, liberty or contract right of any student, and such extracurricular activities shall not be deemed a necessary element of a public school education, but shall be considered to be a privilege.
After finding this out I decided to call Bart Cook the board chairman. I explained what I found out and requested this issue be put on our next board meeting agenda on November 10th so we can discuss this in open session and get public comment. As I said in my last post I have a dairy board meeting and convention on that date and didn't think I would be able to attend. Since this came up I will miss the end of that meeting and come home in time to be at school board meeting.
Since the board meeting I have talked to some patrons and a couple of teacher about this issue. I was told by them they were told having no more field trips was a board decision, which it was not. I didn't know this had been changed until the day of our last board meeting.
I also found out the PTO fundraiser they had at the beginning of the school year raised about $3500 and they had intended to give most of this money to the school to help pay for the field trips.
I have some ideas that I want to propose at the board meeting. One is to have the school district budget committee, which I am on review the field trips, discuss each one they have had in the past, consider if they are appropriate, the cost, and ways to fund them, and to decide if they should be modified to do something less expensive. Then after their review, present what they decided back to the board to make the final decision. Another idea is to have the committee work with the PTO and others to determine what money there is available for field trips, ways to raise more money without putting a burden on the patrons, then give each grade a certain amount of money for field trips. From there the class teachers working with some interested parents can decide what field trips or activities to spend their allotted amount of money on. I feel an approach like this should be acceptable to most patrons.
You can ask my wife and she could tell you I don't always remember things like I should, but I do remember some of the field trips I went on in Firth elementary school over 40 years ago, and I would bet if you asked old timers like me what they can remember from their elementary years, I would bet going on some of the same field trips would be a big part of those memories.
I don't have a list of the field trips they have gone on in the past. I talked to April about this issue and she is going to get a list, and what the cost has been in the past from the school so we can go over this at the board meeting.
I would encourage anyone interested in voicing their opinion, or just to hear more about this issue, come to the November board meeting. If anyone would like to talk to me about this issue or any other send me any email or give me a call. Thank you, Brian