Board debates paying ISBA for policy services; large membership proposal fails

Trustees spent extended time discussing whether to contract with the Idaho School Boards Association (ISBA) or other firms to review and maintain the district’s policies. Options presented to the board included: a full ISBA membership (spread over a multi-year payment schedule), a policy-only subscription from ISBA, a mid-size review firm that quoted a flat hourly rate, and a smaller five-day on-site review from another vendor. Administration noted it already performs extensive policy work internally and had a candidate clerk doing much of the drafting and statutory cross-checking. The board debated cost, legal support and perceived past problems with ISBA, including community objections to using taxpayer funds for a lobbying organization and past complaints that ISBA-provided policy updates sometimes still required substantial local editing. One trustee moved to approve a laddered membership approach with ISBA; the motion failed on a 2–3 vote. A subsequent proposal to buy a policy-download-only package (about $3,500 for a year) was discussed but no final, binding purchase was completed that night. Why it matters: Board policy maintenance affects legal compliance, reduces litigation risk, and shapes day-to-day operations. Trustees said they wanted a transparent record of policy work and a public-facing policy tracker on the district website. Next steps: Trustees directed staff to continue internal policy work, to prepare a clearer list of subscriptions and contracts for the district, and to bring refined cost options back to a future meeting. The clerk and trustees discussed creating a dedicated web page or “tracker” so community members can see which policies are under review and how to comment.