School Board holds workshop to examine goals

By ALEX STRICKLAND/Bigfork Eagle

After a five minute meeting to approve the hiring of a slew of coaches and a few teachers for next year, the Bigfork District 38 School Board set to work examining and revising the district's goals.

Among the points that were discussed were safety plans, communication both within the school and with the community, and funding sources.

The Board urged Superintendent Russ Kinzer to review and revise the administration's safety plan. The plan, which was initially designed as a seven-year plan, was authorized by the board in 2000, and was reviewed with principals in the fall of that year.

The board also discussed the possibility of increasing the percentage of staff who undergo CPR training. Kinzer said about one-third of the staff is currently trained in CPR and all coaches and activities supervisors have been trained.

Trustee chairman Maureen Averill noted that the Red Cross and other organizations are constantly updating CPR, so offering updated training for each year could be beneficial.

The Board decided to set a goal to have 50 percent of the staff trained in CPR.

The Board also briefly discussed drug testing, after member Mike Roessman brought up the controversial proposal recently shot down in Whitefish to test all students.

The Board was unanimous in agreeing that such a policy is not needed at BHS currently, and reiterated that students involved in athletics and activities are subject to random testing at any time.

Kinzer said that besides not being seen as necessary right now, drug testing is expensive in both time and money.

"Do you want your principals taking samples or in the classroom?" he asked. "We can only reach so far."

The Board was in agreement that drug and alcohol violations on campus seemed to be down this year, and said that having random sweeps by a drug dog on campus seemed to be an effective deterrent.

The next board meeting is scheduled for June 18 at the high school band room.