RE-1 Valley board to review budget, staffing and school handbooks

Families in RE-1 Valley faced a meeting with direct consequences for next school year, as board members gathered in Sterling to weigh the district’s budget, staffing plan and handbook changes all in one session. The June 16 board meeting at the Hagen Administration Center put the FY2027 budget, employee pay structures, special service contracts and multiple policy revisions in front of trustees at the same time.

The district’s budget notice said the proposed FY2026-2027 spending plan had been available for public inspection and that any taxpayer could file or register objections before adoption. Final budget approval was scheduled for the June 16 meeting, making it the board’s clearest financial deadline of the month. The district listed Superintendent Dustin Hunt and CFO Luke Janes as the contacts for budget questions.

Staffing changes were also central to the agenda. Trustees reviewed a proposed director of information technology position, a move that points to growing demands on the district’s digital systems and student support tools. The board also looked at salary schedules and a working-days memo that laid out the 2026-2027 structure for teachers, paras, special service providers, bus drivers, food service workers, health assistants, library staff, principals and assistant principals, along with 10-month and 11-month administrative assistants.

Several contracts tied directly to student services were included in the agenda as well. The district listed school psychologist support through Gillem Staffing, occupational therapy through ProCare Therapy, educational audiology services from Whitney Hodges and teacher of the deaf services from Shana Bokelman. In a rural district, those outside providers can be crucial to filling specialized needs that are difficult to staff locally.

Policy work carried as much weight as the budget. Trustees took up second readings of revisions to PTO and sick leave rules, including Policy GBGH, which would update sick leave bank language so it applies to PTO days only and removes references to donating sick-leave days. Policy GBGJ would update bereavement leave definitions for immediate family members. The board also reviewed intra-district choice and open enrollment procedures, along with new part-time student enrollment forms.

The policy changes came after a May 18 work session in which the board said it would present responses to requests from four employee groups: Administration, Certified Staff, Classified Staff and SPEA. That broader labor discussion framed the June agenda as more than routine housekeeping, especially for staff weighing pay, benefits and working conditions.

The board’s broader facilities plans also remained in view, with district materials pointing to aging infrastructure and maintenance needs as major priorities. Superintendent Hunt, who says he has nearly 30 years in education in Idaho and Wyoming, has described RE-1 Valley as a district with strong traditions, dedicated educators, supportive families and exceptional students. A June 29 board work session is scheduled as a training session with no formal action, leaving June 16 as the key vote night for the budget and the policy items that will shape the year ahead. The meeting was open to the public at 6 p.m. at 301 Hagen Street in Sterling, with the board also posting its agenda for the Sterling and Caliche communities.