We are thrilled to announce that Justin Jolley has been appointed as the new Principal of Bonneville High School! Having served as the Assistant Principal for several years, Justin brings a wealth of experience, boundless energy, and enthusiasm to our school community.

Justin is passionate about education and dedicated to helping students achieve their academic goals. His commitment to fostering a positive and supportive learning environment has made a significant impact during his tenure as Assistant Principal, and we are excited to see the continued growth and success of Bonneville High School under his leadership. Justin's excitement for this new adventure is palpable, and we are confident that his vision and leadership will inspire our students, staff, and the entire Bonneville community.

We also want to recognize Levi Owen for his years of service to the students, families and staff members of Bonneville High School where he served for the past 11 years as both an assistant principal and principal. In June, following the graduation of the class of 2024, Levi let us know that he needed to step away from the never ending demands and stresses of being a high school principal for a time. We want to thank Levi for the countless hours he devoted to Bonneville . He truly put his heart and soul into his work there and every day strived to make Bonneville the best it could be.

We are excited to announce that Kristen McDaniel has been named the new Assistant Principal of Bonneville High School! Kristen joins us from Hillcrest High School, where she has served as Assistant Principal for the past few years. During her time at Hillcrest, Kristen developed a deep love for the school community and gained invaluable experience from its leadership team.

Kristen is passionate about helping students and is eager to bring her skills and enthusiasm to Bonneville High School. Her dedication to student success and her collaborative approach will be tremendous assets to the Bonneville team.

In August, Jace Bundy, a graduating senior from Thunder Ridge High School, will be recognized at the IHSAA Hall of Fame Banquet by receiving the 2024 "Spirit of Sport" award. This Idaho High School Activities Association award is given to students who exemplify character, respect, and integrity. Here is his wrestling coach, Jody Webb, wrote in his nomination of Jace for this award:

In 2022, as a sophomore, Jace qualified for the state tournament and showed great

promise to be a future state placer. But the following September, Jace suffered sudden and unexpected symptoms that included intense pain and paralysis from the chest down. After weeks of hospitalization in testing in Utah, he was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis. Jace was wheelchair bound and drove to Salt Lake City every week for specialized therapy to try to regain feeling and movement in his legs. Jace eventually graduated from the wheelchair to forearm canes and eventually learned to walk with the use of a cane which he also eventually ditched and was able to walk with a significant limp.

Throughout all of this, Jace never missed a practice unless he was in Salt Lake City for therapy, attended wrestling and baseball summer camps while confined to a wheelchair or crutches and never missed a match or game. Jace would come into the wrestling room regularly to work with one of his coaches to see if he could figure out a way to be able to wrestle with the limited use of hls legs, trying desperately to get beck lo being the athlete that he once was. Progress was frustratingly slow for him. There were many times when Jace would break down in tears frustration.

No one could have ever convinced Jace that he was not going to fully recover and make it back to full competition at pasl strength. To this day, he still believes he will get back to 100%- his doctors will tell you otherwise.

Jace made it back on the mat In December 2023 wrestling four inspiring and tough matches. He had such an impact ori his teams that the Wrestling team placed "'4J" on their team shirts and state sweatshirts that represented "For Jace."

Jace embodies what the "Spirit of Sport Award'' stands for. He hasn't let his circumstances define him or hold him back. He makes the most of every opportunity he has and inspires anyone who knows him. He has a cumulative GPA of 3.67 despite all of the class time he missed In hospitals or therapy offices. He's been an integral part of our wrestling team for 4 years (2 years wrestling, 2 years inspiring and leading). If we could pul Jace's spirit and heart in all of our athletes. we"d be State Champions every year!

When Travis Hobson, Athletic Director at Thunder Ridge, introduced Jace to the Board of Trustees, he said, "sometimes it's the student who needs sports; however, in this case, it was the sport that needed Jace."

Thank you for your inspirational example, Jace! You truly embody all of the cornerstones of the culture in District 93.

The Board approved the budget for the 2024-2025 school year presented by Guy Wangsgard, Executive Director of Finance and Operations. Mr. Wangsgard reviewed a few key points from the budget with the Board. Here are the main highlights:

Revenue

• State revenue will increase by almost $2,000,000 next year, with most of this funding earmarked for salaries and benefits:
• Funding for teacher salaries will increase by approximately 5%
• Funding for administrative and classified staff will increase by approximately 3%
  

• We expect further decline in student enrollment (from 13,800 students to 13,258 students) next year with lower kindergarten enrollment and an estimated 150 students transferring to Elevate Academy
• This means that while we have more funds to increase salaries for staff, we will have less funding to pay for the number of positions we have.

• The allocation for employee insurance decreased due to decrease in cost for the state employee insurance costs
  

Expenditures

• We held our employee insurance costs level by switching from the statewide school pool policy with Blue Cross to Pacific Source
• The cost for teacher salaries will increase by 5% and 2% for classified and administrative staff.
• Our premiums for property and liability insurance will increase by 50% due to market conditions and claims.

Fund Balance

• Because we were conservative with our expenditures for ESSER funds and with a supplemental allocation from the state this year, we will be able to balance our budget next year by spending down our fund balance by $4 million to cover the shortfall in funding from the shift from being funded based on enrollment to attendance.

The Board voted unanimously to not reduce the elementary GATE program from 5 hours to 2 1/2 hours per week. It had been proposed to eliminate one teaching position from the program due to decreases in state funding caused by the return to attendance based funding. Following public input from parents of students in the program, and recognizing the importance of GATE in our promise to design success for every student, the Board voted to use additional money from our fund balance to delay this cut to the program. However, the Board also recognized that we will need to increase revenue to be able to continue a full-day program after next year.

We presented the results of our Continuous Improvement Plan for 2024 to the Board. Highlights from the plan include:

• 74% of kindergarten students reached grade-level reading, our highest percentage since 2019
• 85% of 3rd grade students were reading grade-level texts continuing, an increase of 16% since 2021
• 92% of our graduates earned college credit while in high school
• 70% of our graduates earned 9 or more college credits while in high school
• Our graduation rate for the Class of 2023 was 90%, 10% higher than the state average, and the highest we have had since the introduction of the new federal definition of graduation adopted in 2012.

You can see this data as well as other our progress on each area of our "Pyramid of Student Success" by clicking on the picture below.

You can also share your thoughts on our Continuous Improvement Plan by going to d93.org/cipfeedback or clicking the button below our Pyramid.

This summer we would like to invite you to participate in our district-wide summer reading program. At this link you will find a Bingo card: Bonneville Joint School District 93 Summer Reading Bingo Children ages 0 to 18, or students enrolled in district programs until age 21, are welcome to participate. If your child gets a BINGO or a blackout, you are welcome to pick up their prize at the District Office, or your school library if it is open. Children 5 and under, or with disabilities, may be assisted with reading tasks.

Please click this link to see if your school library is open this summer: Open School Libraries Your schools will be sending out more information.

Our district’s online library/eBook service will be available all summer. Please see this link for more information: Sora Information. You may also download the Sora app on any device. If you have questions or need help, please contact Julie Briggs at briggsju@d93mail.com

Little Community Libraries are installed at Cloverdale, Bridgewater, Fairview, Falls Valley, Mountain Valley, Rocky Mountain Middle School, Tiebreaker, and Ucon. Students can take a book for their reading enjoyment. These will be stocked throughout the summer.

District 93 is inviting 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students to get out and enjoy outdoor learning at Pine Basin Lodge! Activities include group games, outdoor classes, hiking, swimming, campfires, visiting Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Playhouse, and more!

To register, please go to pinebasin.com and click elementary application. You may select one of the following weeks for the elementary camp (Please note that some weeks may be sold out):

The cost is $226.42 plus state tax of $13.58 for a total of $240.00 (includes Pine Basin Summer Camp T-shirt and admission to Jackson Hole Playhouse). We cannot guarantee a reservation until it is paid in full. Follow the fee payment portal instructions to reserve your date.

Send questions to pinebasin@gmail.com

7th - 12th grade students may also register for an outdoor high school science credit on one of the following weeks:

• Week 1: July 29 – Aug 2
  Week 2: Aug 5 – 9

To complete the registration process for 7th-12th grade Science Camp:

1. Fill out the Pine Basin EcoScience Application
2. Pay your fees

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I am excited to share information regarding a summer work experience opportunity for your student. District 93 has partnered with Vocational Rehabilitation to offer your student a chance to work and get paid while learning valuable job skills. This opportunity is open to any student aged 14 and older who has an IEP, a 504 plan, or a diagnosed disability. We have 40 spots available.

The program will run from July 1st through August 1st, with July 4th off, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants will work on weeding and trash pickup at the Campbell Gym, each of the high schools and middle schools, and possibly some elementary schools. The student (and/or their family) will be responsible for transporting the student to and from the job site each day.

The student needs to bring food to eat during a break, during which we will also discuss and practice job skills. Additionally, the student should bring water or other hydrating drinks to limit the effects of working in the sun. The student also needs to bring their own gloves; all other tools will be provided.

If your student is interested, please contact Rachel Schuldt (see information below). This opportunity is on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning that those who submit their completed paperwork first will be considered first for the job.

Thank you for your interest in this program.

Best regards,

Rachel Schuldt

The recently opened youth crisis center “Rise Up” is now able to serve children in our region ranging in ages of 5-17 years old. This center provides a safe, secure, facility for children in crisis for up to 23 hours and 59 minutes (per crisis). This fully staffed facility will provide food, lodging, case management services to connect children and families with community services, and programming to support de-escalation, stabilization, and support. This is all free of charge to the family or individual and is funded by the State of Idaho. This is a great referral source for students in crisis. The contact information is below.

Phone: (208) 862-0994

Email: ybhcccdirector@gmail.com

Website: www.riseupyouthcrisiscenter.com

Address: 1140 Science Center Dr. Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402

ParentGuidance.org is website with free online courses and resources for parents and anyone who needs support. There is Parent Coaching, Ask a Therapist and Get Help options as well as specialized courses for your specific needs and support measures. Spanish is available if needed. Again these services are free.

Students, parents, and employees can reach out for help with bullying, harassment, suicidal tendencies, self-harm, threats, or to report weapons at school by going to d93.org/gethelp or sending the text @gethelp to 855-528-0074.

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