October School Board Report: Land Lab for Agriculture program moves forward & more

Posted Date: 10/20/25 (5:30 PM)

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Board Report

Recap of the October 2025 Kuna School Board regular monthy meeting

A group of four people stand in front of a gray wall, smiling for a photo. They are all wearing black and white vests with a letter 'K' on them.

October highlights

The Kuna school board met on Tuesday, October 14, 2025

📺 Watch the full meeting

📖 Read the agenda

In this report:

➡️ State property tax relief funds pick up $5 million of school taxes

➡️ Busing services won't be contracted

➡️ Board reviews staff, community survey on superintendent search

➡️ Proposal to create an ag land lab for the agriculture program moves forward

➡️ Other reports & actions

Parent University events support families in transition years
Annual financial audit shows no findings
Trustees discuss Idaho School Boards Association resolutions
Board accepts bids for finishing Kuna High HVAC
Board to review bids on 4th Street Gym in November
Replacement mower bid approved
Policy decisions
Consent Agenda

➡️ Next meeting: Nov. 11, 2025

State property tax relief funds pick up $5 million of school taxes

Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Gillen reviewed the property taxes the district will levy this year noting it will be significantly lower than estimated. He noted state property tax relief funds were $2 million more for a total of $5 million which is good news for local property tax payers. The school tax rate will be $47.68 per $100,000 of taxable value.

📺 Watch this report

📖 Review information

A table compares KSD costs per mile over three years, highlighting districts.

Busing services won't be contracted

After reviewing cost data from the Idaho State Department of Education, the Board decided not to seek proposals for contracting bus services. Kuna School District operates its own fleet, and the data showed its cost per rider and per mile are lower than contracted services in similar-sized districts.

📺 Watch the discussion

📖 Review the information

Board reviews staff, community survey on superintendent search

Katie Russell of the Idaho School Boards Association summarized the results of recent staff and community surveys to inform the search for a new superintendent. Trustees agreed to hold a special meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6 to finalize the application.

Timelines:

Applications accepted from November to January 2026.
Board review of applications February 2026
Board interviews February / March 2026
New superintendent Begins July 1, 2026

📺 Watch the discussion

📖 Review the survey results

Proposal to create an ag land lab for the agriculture program moves forward

The Board gave district representatives approval to start formal discussions with the City of Kuna about a proposed land lab for the agriculture program. The city is interested in building a lift station on a small corner of the property. Board members asked their representatives to negotiate an agreement that could include considerations from the city, like waiving development fees in exchange for the land.

📺 Watch the discussion

📖 Review the information

A detailed floor plan shows the layout of a facility, including parking and buildings.

Other reports & actions

Parent University events support families in transition years

Superintendent Kim Bekkedahl reported that the Parent University: Senior Edition went well and shared the dates for the other events:

February 4: Parent University: Welcome to Middle School
March 24: Parent University: Welcome to Kindergarten
April 20: Parent University: Welcome to High School

📺 Watch this report

Annual financial audit shows no findings

Quest CPA Dan Coleman reviewed the legally required annual financial statement audits for 2024-25 school year. He said there were no findings. He noted the district's ending fund balance was within recommended levels. The Board accepted the reports.

📺 Watch the discussion

📖 Review the Audited Financial Statement for 2024-25

Trustees discuss Idaho School Boards Association resolutions

Trustees discussed 13 resolutions that will be voted on by members of the Idaho School Boards Association attending its conference in November. Those approved by the membership will shape ISBA's advocacy work with state lawmakers.

📺 Review the resolutions

📖 Watch the discussion

Board accept bids for finishing Kuna High HVAC

Board approved $2.23 million in bids for the second phase of the Kuna High School's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system including:

Structural & miscellaneous steel - Mountain Steel $86,820
Plumbing - ACCO Engineered Systems for $686,208
HVAC - ACCO Engineered Systems for $1,296,380
Electrical - Anderson & Wood Construction Company Inc. $163,664

The work will be done starting at the end of the school year and will close the use of KHS for the summer.

The project is part of the district's 10-year facilities plan paid for with state funds.

📺 Watch the discussion

📖 Review information

Board to review bids on 4th Street Gym in November

Assistant Superintendent Brian Graves said the district is currently accepting bids for the 4th Street Gym property until Nov. 6. The bids will be opened on Nov. 7 and reviewed by the board at its Nov. 11 meeting. Idaho law does not require the board to accept any of the bids received.

📺 Watch the discussion

📖 Review the presentation

Replacement mower bid approved

The Board awarded a bid for a Jacobsen Mower to Turf Equipment & Irrigation Inc.

📺 Watch the discussion

📖 Review information

Policy decisions

The board adopts new, amends existing, and removes policies through a series of "readings."

The first reading is typically the start of the process and can include discussions about changes.
The second reading allows for changes to be reviewed and/or additional changes to be made.
The third reading is typically the final step.

The public may provide feedback at every reading.

For this report, all policy decisions are reported below:

First reading

Approved for first reading

Amendment of

292 - Reasonable Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities
292.1 - Americans with Disabilities Complaint Procedure
414 - Sexual Harassment
449 - Release of Contract of Certificated Employees
457 - Supplemental Contracts
661 - Copyrighted Materials

Removal of

802 - Fidelity Bond

Adoption of

664 - Workforce Skills
675 - Career Technical Schools
732 - School Bus Emergencies

Second reading

Approved for second reading

Amendment of

566 - Student Suicide Prevention
411 - Personnel Files
416 - Whistleblower
462 - Staffing Patterns
506 - Juvenile Sex Offenders
507 - Foreign Students
508 - Tracking Foreign Students and Foreign Exchange Visitors
852 - Payment for Goods and Services

Removal of

607 - Idaho Promise Scholarship Program

Adoption of

512 - School Climate

Third reading

Approved for third reading

Amendment of

216 - Code of Ethics
280 - Waivers of State Board of Education Rules
350 - School Calendar
352 - Emergency School Closure
400 - Reporting New Employees
403 - Employee Drug and Alcohol Use
544 - Student Expulsion / Denial of Enrollment
632 - Open Enrollment

Adoption of

314 - Employing Retired Administration
403.5 - Drug and Alcohol Testing
912.1 - Display of Flags and Banners on School Property Procedure
912 E - Display of Flags and Banners on School Property Complaint Form

Consent Agenda

A consent agenda groups routine items for a single motion and vote, saving time in board meetings. It includes non-controversial items like approving minutes or standard reports. Any board member can request to pull an item for separate discussion and vote if needed.

Approved

About our trustees

The Kuna School District is governed by an elected board of trustees, with each trustee representing a specific geographic area of the district, known as a Zone.

Each year, the trustees elect a chairman and vice chairman to lead the board.

In addition to board meetings, trustees may also serve on district committees.

Below is information about each trustee.

Don't know who’s your elected trustee? Look up which trustee serves your address here.