2026-10-13 Regular Board Meeting

The Blaine County School District Board of Trustees’ regular meeting on October 13, 2026, included several spending and procurement-related decisions. The board approved Paradigm’s request for qualifications (RFQ) for a construction manager/general contractor, beginning a roughly six-week selection process; early CMGC involvement is intended to support project budgeting and preparation for a potential future levy. The board also approved additional special-education staffing—a medically skilled paraprofessional and an increase of a certified position from 0.5 to full time—and authorized a $1,000 employee referral incentive for hard-to-fill positions, funded from budgeted but unspent salary allocations for vacancies. The incentive is split into two payments after the referred employee reaches 90 days and one year of service.

The board adopted temporary certified-staff negotiated language for 2026–27, to be rescinded if the negotiated agreement is later ratified, and approved the 2026–27 salary schedules. The discussion described negotiated provisions including three additional sick-leave days and a one-time payment of approximately $1,200 for eligible employees; the schedules do not change base salaries. HYA presented the superintendent-search process and discussed its agreement and fees, including $300 for each session beyond 25; no vote on that agreement is evident in the transcript. The finance report projected a tentative $3.5 million deficit and outlined possible cost controls for future consideration, without a recorded action on those measures. The board also discussed restructuring reserve funds to comply with state requirements, but no vote is shown in the transcript.