The Kuna Joint District board voted to advance Jeffrey Gee, Marcus Myers and Dr. David Reinhardt to finalist interviews and scheduled finalist visits — including campus tours, a staff forum and a community forum — for Feb. 24; the board also named several staff and community representatives to help conduct forums and assigned two board members to make reference calls.
Athletic director Luke Wolf and the board recognized the girls’ wrestling team for recent state and tournament performances and highlighted growth in girls’ wrestling participation and scholarship opportunities.
An Idaho School Boards Association representative told trustees the superintendent search had five applicants so far, described confidentiality and background/media scan procedures, and outlined next steps including screening and community forums.
Trustees elected Michael Thornton chair, appointed Jonathan Gillen as district treasurer and Deanne Greaney as district clerk, set the 2026 meeting schedule and named committee representatives; several motions carried by recorded votes.
Board approved the consent agenda with one policy (item 971) removed for discussion; trustees debated a teacher request to bring a dog to class, liability concerns and whether current policy already covers curriculum-based animal presentations.
Assistant Superintendent Brian Graves reported the district was about 46 students down from its fifth-day count year-over-year, with recent month-to-month gains and notable increases at Hubbard, Ross and Fremont tied to zoning shifts.
Interim CFO Jonathan Gilliam told the KUNA JOINT DISTRICT board the district should prepare for possible federal and state funding shifts—including discussion of up to 15% program reductions—while noting current figures are preliminary and urging caution rather than immediate cuts.
The board voted unanimously to award multiple subcontractor bids for HVAC Phase 2 (Indian Creek and Ross) totaling $1,035,918, covering asbestos abatement, roofing, mechanical, electrical and carpentry, with trustees asking that individual bid slides be attached to meeting materials.
Administrators told the board the new cell-phone policy is showing positive anecdotal results: teachers report more engagement and fewer students buried in phones at lunch; administration will compile behavior data after a semester for formal comparison.
IT director Cam Elwood told trustees the district had identified thousands of phishing attempts during a trial of Abnormal and described a recent student-account compromise; the board approved a $22,715 yearly contract to extend staff email protection.
