Staff writer
The USD 408 Board of Education approved a property insurance quote from Case and Son Insurance Monday. The quote, covering property, liability, worker’s compensation, and automobile insurance as a total annual premium, was $99,513, which was up $121 from 2009.
The board also approved moving the March 14 board meeting to March 7 because the original date coincides with spring break.
Superintendent Lee Leiker discussed the possibility of all the schools in the TEEN network — Marion, Hillsboro, Centre, Herington, and Peabody — becoming virtual schools. Centre is already a virtual school with students outside of the district taking classes from home. State representatives are already discussing plans for virtual schools in Kansas and Leiker is awaiting any state decision.
“I don’t know what the state is specifically looking to do. I think it will be a choice,” Leiker said. “We do online and ITV classes already. It’s just another form of online.”
Leiker’s Making a Difference segment this week centered on a successful Marion Classic Tournament. He noted the efforts of volunteers — Jan Helmer, Sarah Cope, and Brenda Maddox set up locker rooms for teams; Gene Winkler played music and videos during the tournament; Dean and Jeff Herzet worked the concession stand; and Greta Smith kept the pool open for interested teams. He also recognized Ginger Becker for hosting the Geography Club at Marion Elementary School and Brian Davies for painting a mural in the Marion Elementary School cafeteria.