Kiona-Benton City School District Packet Summary — 2026-06-22
School Board Meeting
The packet materials associated with this meeting include minutes documenting the June 22, 2026 regular board meeting, along with a separate tentative agenda dated August 10, 2026. Because the June 22 material is in minutes form, actions described below as approved or completed are identified as previously completed actions documented in those minutes. The August 10 agenda items are described separately as upcoming items and are not presented as June 22 outcomes.
Key Items Documented for June 22
Highly Capable Plan for 2026–2027
The June 22 minutes document a presentation on the district's Highly Capable program, including program operations, goals for the upcoming year, and survey results. Communication was identified as a major goal for the next year.
The minutes record approval of the Highly Capable Plan for 2026–2027 by a 4–0 vote, with one director absent.
Athletic Pay-to-Play Discussion
The board discussed a possible athletic participation fee. Preliminary concepts included $55 per sport, a $100 cap, and scholarship availability.
The superintendent said a report would be prepared for the next board meeting with preliminary projections for revenue and student participation, using similarly sized schools for comparison. The minutes characterize this as a discussion rather than a completed policy decision.
Policy 1250 — Students on Governing Boards
Policy 1250, Students on Governing Boards, received its first official reading. Board members were asked to review the policy and send requested changes to the superintendent.
The superintendent indicated that a second draft would be prepared for the next meeting. The minutes do not document final adoption of the policy.
Budget and Financial Outlook
Preliminary Draft Budget
The board received a draft budget presentation with preliminary figures reflecting the removal of middle school sports, the Tri-Tech bus, MAP Testing, and administration cuts.
The presentation indicated that the preliminary budget remained approximately $90,000 under budget, but additional improvement was needed to strengthen the district's fund balance. District officials also discussed declining Materials, Supplies and Operating Costs funding associated with enrollment trends, including a stated 7% reduction.
The June 22 minutes identify the figures as preliminary and state that the final budget was expected to be presented July 27.
Financial Update
The district reported that it was moving forward with binding conditions and that its negative fund balance was not getting worse. The minutes do not document a separate financial action resulting from this update.
Consent Agenda Financials
As a previously completed June 22 action, the minutes record approval of a consent agenda that included:
- Payroll: $1,641,932.33
- AP General Fund: $143,320.74
- ASB: $9,576.69
- Personnel items involving summer program hires and separations
The minutes record approval of the consent agenda by a 5–0 vote, while also noting one director was absent and another joined the meeting later.
Levy Planning
The superintendent outlined a timeline for a possible future levy and explained that levies may run for two, three, or four years. The district anticipated arranging a workshop presentation with Cory Plager of D.A. Davidson to explain the financial figures and compare the implications of different levy durations.
The minutes state that a levy resolution would be presented to the board so work could proceed if the measure were approved for the November ballot. Parent nights were also being planned for the end of August.
During the discussion, the superintendent identified $1.50 in response to a question about the minimum related to levy equalization and explained that the actual amount depends on the take rate. The board also requested information comparing levy-duration options.
Other June 22 Actions and Planning
June 6 Meeting Minutes
The board previously approved the June 6, 2026 meeting minutes by a 3–0 vote. One director was absent, and the board chair abstained because she had been absent from that meeting.
July Board Workshop
The board considered preliminary workshop dates of July 17 and July 20. The June 22 minutes document the board selecting July 20 at 6:30 for the workshop.
Executive Session
The June 22 minutes document an executive session under RCW 42.30.110, Section (1)(g) concerning the performance of a public employee. The board convened for the session at 7:52 p.m., with the session beginning at 8:04 p.m., and no business was to follow.
The June 22 minutes document public comments concerning both district programming and financial transparency.
- One speaker described the high school's summer math program positively and explained how it operates.
- Another speaker requested greater transparency regarding district cuts and asked for a list showing the items affected.
These comments are documented as public input and should not be interpreted as board findings or decisions.
Upcoming Items Included Elsewhere in the Packet
The packet also contains a tentative agenda dated August 10, 2026, which is distinct from the configured June 22 meeting. That agenda identifies several matters scheduled for consideration and should not be treated as actions taken on June 22.
Proposed Consent Agenda
The August 10 tentative agenda proposes a consent agenda including:
- A new hire for a Pre School–5th grade Special Education Teacher
- Voucher #1099 for curriculum, annual software, and communication — $72,416.27
- Voucher #1100 for employee reimbursement — $456.14
- Voucher #1101 for CBC, utilities, and custodial supplies — $69,808.59
- Voucher #1102 for ASB and a migrant trip — $13,672.82
Each is identified in the agenda as requesting approval.
Other August 10 Business
The tentative August 10 agenda also includes:
- Approval of minutes from July 27, 2026
- Athletic Pay to Participate for approval
- A Levy Committee Update
- Public comment
- Board comments
- An executive session under RCW 42.30.110, Section (1)(g) concerning the performance of a public employee, scheduled for 30 minutes with no business to follow
These are prospective August 10 agenda items; the packet does not establish their eventual outcomes.
What to Watch
Several issues documented in the June 22 minutes were positioned for continued board work:
- Development of an athletic pay-to-participate proposal, including projected revenue, participation estimates, fee levels, a possible family cap, and scholarship availability.
- Continued review of Policy 1250, Students on Governing Boards, following its first reading.
- Development of the district's final budget after preliminary reductions involving programs, transportation, testing, and administration.
- Levy planning, including financial analysis, possible levy duration, community information efforts, and preparation of a resolution for potential placement on the November ballot.
The separate August 10 tentative agenda indicates that athletic pay-to-participate and levy planning remained active matters in later board business.
The official public-body source supplied for this packet is the Kiona-Benton City School District meeting material hosted at:
https://files.smartsites.parentsquare.com/4634/board_agenda_8_10_2026.pdf
The district's meeting/document listing page is:
https://www.kibesd.org/41389_3
Provider: wordpress-documents
Provider Meeting ID: wordpress-documents-board-agenda-8-10-2026
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials.
