Malta School Board Shuts Down 8th Graders Competing in HS Athletics

On Wednesday, August 10, Chairman Carter Clausen called the regular meeting to order in the Boardroom of the Malta Middle/Senior High School at 7:00 PM. Board members present were Carter Clausen, Kevin Koss, Justin Lamb, Scott Meneely, and Jessica Oyler. Others present were Superintendent Matt Genger and District Clerk Jane Knudsen. 

Visitors attending the meeting were Malta High School Principal Shawn Bleth, Alex Wiederrick, Activities Director Desiree Egger, and Jasmine Young. 

There were no public comments, so the first items to be discussed were the approval of the minutes from the July 13, 2022, regular meeting and July 27, 2022, special meeting, approving the agenda, approving the current month's bills, and approving the substitute list. Board member Koss abstained from voting due to nepotism.

For Committee Reports, there is a review of a new psychology textbook. 

High School Principal Mr. Bleth reported on the upcoming high school events, A. D. Mrs. Egger gave a short report on the coaches meeting, and the transportation report was provided to the Board members.

The first action item to go before the Board was to approve the 2022-2023 contracts.  There was a motion, seconded and approved to approve hiring Mary Kalal, .875 Paraprofessional and .125 Elementary PE Teacher; MS Volleyball coach Emma Oyler; and Shay Garfield and Kaitlyn Indreland as Assistant HS Volleyball coaches. It was then amended to add the approval of the hiring of Allen Williamson as a MS Football coach. The amended motion was passed 4-0 with Board member Oyler abstaining due to nepotism.

Other action items were the Out-of-District Student Attendance Agreements, which was passed with a 5-0 Board member vote; the 2022-2023 Elementary, Middle School, and High School Student Activity Account List were approved as presented with a motion made by Board member Meneely, seconded by Board member Lamb, and all members present voting AYE.  The Board members voted and approved the 2021-2022 Trustee Financial Summary, the 2022-2023 Final Budget, and approved the increase in the price of school lunches. Mr. Bleth presented the updated staff handbook to the Board, which they approved with all members voting AYE.

Regarding the Bus Route action item, Mr. Genger requested the routes be approved but he said there may be some changes to the routes once the school year begins. As of now, he said they are short one driver. Mr. Genger suggested that they move the Strater route to individual contracts and move that driver to the Loring Route. The Board approved the 2022-2023 School Bus Routes with the routes as follows: North Wagner – 124 miles, South Wagner – 84 miles, Zortman – 220 miles, Strater Route – 110 miles, and Loring Route – 180 miles.

The ninth action item was MSHA Eighth Grade Participation in High School Athletics. The Malta School administration recommended that eighth-grade participation not be allowed in high school activities. Board member Oyler made a motion to not allow eighth-grade participation in high school athletics; seconded by member Meneely. The motion passed 3-2 with Board Chairman Clausen, members Meneely and Oyler voting AYE, and members Koss and Lamb voting NAY.

Chairman Clausen discussed possible goals and plans for the 2022-2023 School Board Goals and asked the members to bring suggestions to the September meeting. No action was taken. 

There was discussion about the current COVID issues for the final action item on the agenda. 

Mr. Genger gave his Superintendent's report to the Board.  

The next regular board meeting is set for Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at 7:00 PM in the Boardroom of the Malta High School.

MHS Holds Special School Board Meeting

Chairman Carter Clausen called the special meeting to order in the Malta Middle/High School Boardroom at 6:00 P.M. on July 27, 2022.  Board members present were Carter Clausen, Justin Lamb, Scott Meneely, and Jessica Oyler.  Kevin Koss was present by phone.  Others present were District Clerk Jane Knudsen in person and Superintendent Matt Genger by phone.

The Board had three action items needing attention: the first being the 2022-2023 Contracts. The Board approved hiring Whittney Olson as an Elementary Teacher, Bobi Shores as an Elementary Secretary, and Mary Grace Kalal as the Head High School Volleyball Coach, with a vote of 5-0.

Whittney Olson comes to us from Lolo, MT, where she taught at Woodman Elementary, a rural, multi-aged classroom school near Lolo, for seven years as a kindergarten-1st grade teacher. She and her husband, Jason (a Malta native), have two Bulldogs, Ophelia and Dillenger; two cats, Buddy and Mimzy; and a Chihuahua, Gizmo. They also own a food truck, Graze Hwy 12, which features family recipes from both sides of Whittney and Jason's families.

Malta Elementary students will be welcomed by a new face, well, sort of, in the office this school year. Bobi Shores is looking forward to this new adventure as the Elementary Secretary with Malta Public Schools. She started as a substitute teacher and most recently served as the Paraprofessional in the Resource Room for 17 years. Bobi and her husband, Danny Paul, have been married for 29 years and have two children, Trey (Timberlee), and Taryn (Bret VanValkenburg). Her hobbies include spending time with her grandson, Barrett, and gardening; she is known as the "Garden Lady" and am told her garden is impressive and one to behold! She is very excited to add another hobby, spending time with her soon-to-be granddaughter!

A 2016 Malta graduate will be stepping into the Head High School Volleyball Coach position. This will be Mary Grace Kalal's first coaching job since graduating from college in December, and she said, "I'm extremely excited because I've been away for six years. I was able to experience so many new things within the volleyball world that I get to bring back and teach the girls." She was a P. E. Paraprofessional in Arkansas for two years. She joins her parents, John and Candy Kalal, from Zortman, and a sister, Hannah Skinner (husband Eric and son, R.J.), while another sister, Beth Nichols, resides in Arkansas with her husband, Benny, and daughter, Ivy. She states, "Overall, I'm just ready to get into the gym and get to work!"

The second action item was also a 5-0 approval vote for Resolution Authorizing Participation in the Intercap Program.

The third and final action item was the Board of Investment Intercap Loan Resolution, the loan papers for the funds needed to purchase the bus barn were AYE votes all around the table.