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Blackfoot Charter credits governance overhaul, new facility and intervention model for academic gains
Summary
Blackfoot Charter board member Janelle Hill and Executive Director Craig Girard told the Senate Education Committee that behavioral reforms, a new 52,000-square-foot facility, new curriculum and a daily intervention model produced measurable declines in discipline incidents and gains in achievement scores.
Janelle Hill, a Blackfoot Charter board member, and Craig Girard, the school’s executive director, told the Senate Education Committee that coordinated changes in governance, curriculum, behavior systems and facilities yielded measurable academic and culture improvements.
Hill said the school identified systemic problems about five years ago — including low academic achievement, staff turnover, behavioral issues and facilities in poor condition — and concluded the board needed to play a stronger governance role. The board hired or charged leadership to develop a corrective plan and supported work on budgeting and stakeholder communication.
Girard described the corrective plan: adoption of a schoolwide behavioral framework (the “Knights Oath” emphasizing ownership, attitude, teamwork and honor), curriculum adoption and vertical alignment, pursuit of private bonding to build a new 52,000-square-foot facility, expanded professional development and a daily academic intervention model. Girard said suspensions, expulsions and some out-of-class consequences have fallen by nearly 60% from the prior year.
Girard reported achievement gains: local IRI literacy proficiency rose by about 20 percentage points; ISAT ELA proficiency grew by about 7 percent and ISET (math) proficiency grew by about 6 percent from last year, with an anticipated additional 5–6 percent growth in current measures. He said the school restructured daily schedules so every student receives targeted instruction — enrichment, acceleration or remediation — in small groups.
Both presenters emphasized that the work required board support, staff buy-in and broad stakeholder involvement. Hill said governance that aligns boardroom decisions to classroom practice is “critical” to sustaining improvements. Committee members asked questions about the role of facilities and governance; presenters said the new building and board-led priorities were instrumental in attracting families and stabilizing operations.
