Welcome to The Summit, the Blaine County School District newsletter that’s designed to keep you informed of the latest happenings in our schools.

The Board of Trustees wants to hear from you! Please submit your public comments here.

Para ver este boletín en español, pulse aquí.

Leah Scarnegi Joins the Board

The Blaine County School District Board of Trustees is excited to announce the appointment of our newest school board trustee from Zone 3, Leah Scarnegi. For more information about Leah, see the Eye on Sun Valley article: Irish Native Named to Blaine County School District Board.

The Board of Trustees received numerous inquiries about the vacancy during the 90-day application window. We were pleased to have two highly qualified candidates submit applications and stand for interviews at the September 10 regular meeting. (To watch, click here, then click Watch Video, and Interview Zone 3 Applicants to jump to that section of the meeting.)

Leah was sworn in at the Tuesday, October 8 regular board meeting.

Supplemental Levy Cost Decreases

Blaine County School District Board of Trustees would like to thank the Blaine County community for supporting our public schools with the May 21 supplemental levy.

Taxpayers will be happy to learn that due to a combination of increasing property values and money available from the state to offset supplemental levies, the cost per taxpayer will be closer to $0.87 per year (less than a $1!) per $100,000 of assessed value, down from the initially projected $8.53 per year.

The Idaho legislature is requiring school districts to use this one-time funding to reduce the impact on taxpayers rather than increase revenues to schools. School districts may only use the funds for the items listed on the ballot for the levy: the Gifted and Talented Program, preschool, full-day kindergarten, and summer school.

Energizing Students with Idaho Power

This winter, Wood River High School 9th grade Physical Science students will enjoy a fun interactive learning experience about electricity, thanks to science teacher Keith Wohlwend’s 200+ hour externship at Idaho Power during the summer break. The externship was arranged through the Idaho STEM Action Center.

Students will take over an entire room to map out an electrical grid. Each student will have a role, using story cards, lines, and other props developed by Wohlwend that represent transmission lines, distribution lines, local power lines, transformers, substations and other aspects of the grid. Another lesson plan starts with students generating electricity for the grid they will build, and follows the trail of energy and electricity through the grid to show how electricity plays a role in our daily lives and the workings behind it to make it happen.

Read more...

Eliminating Hunger in BCSD Schools

It’s hard to do anything when you’re hungry. For students, having breakfast and lunch at school can be a gamechanger for learning and succeeding in school. 

During the pandemic, the federal government provided universal free meals for all enrolled students. However, in 2022 that funding ended. Thankfully, the Blaine County Education Foundation (BCEF) stepped in and expanded access to free meals to 583 students across the district—nearly one in five students. Last year, BCEF funded 412 students, and at the end of the year paid negative balances for every student who had applied and qualified for either federal free meals, for federal reduced meals, or under the BCEF program’s expanded qualification guidelines, which take into account the high cost of living in Blaine County. Read more...

What you can do:

• Apply here for free or reduced-cost meals for your children
• Donate to BCEF to support the School Meals program

What Would You Do with an Extra 5 Hours?

The average youth spends five hours per day on social media. 5B Digital Wellness Network has created a new flyer with links to resources to help parents navigate screen time with their children:

• Wait Until 8th Pledge
• Family Tech Agreement
• Bluelight Blackout Challenge
• Screen-free Challenge (see p.2)
• Let Grow Project

To subscribe to The Summit newsletter, email the school board clerk at clerk@blaineschools.org.

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