Staff writer
USD 408 Board of Education voted Monday to approve a calendar adjustment to bring the schedule in line with the requirements of its contract with teaching staff.
Parent-teacher conferences in the district occur in evenings, outside of regular school hours, Superintendent Lee Leiker explained.
“Because we have conferences that go throughout the week in the evenings, we do a comp day for teachers,” Leiker said.
Leiker explained the compensatory day made the approved school calendar one day longer than the 178 contact days with students specified in the negotiated agreement with teachers.
Leiker recommended designating Dec. 22 as a non-school day to correct the imbalance. The board unanimously approved the recommendation.
Don Krause, former school board member and farmer/rancher northeast of Marion, was present to express his appreciation to the board for the use of a district bus to take 35 people in September to Husker Harvest Days in Wood River, Neb., and to thank Leiker for driving.
Krause also used the opportunity to encourage the board to consider ways to support agriculture education that prepares students for jobs created by technological innovations in agriculture.
“There are so many good jobs in agriculture,” Krause said. “There’s a lot of jobs in agriculture that don’t require deep pockets.”
Leiker displayed one of 10 new recycling containers to be used at USD 408 facilities and events. The containers feature a small billboard, and Leiker said local businesses have signed up to be advertising sponsors of the containers.
“We want to move them around as our crowds dictate,” Leiker said, suggesting they could also be used for community events such as Chingawassa Days and Art in the Park.
Leiker reported a replacement pool pump for the one which malfunctioned Nov. 6 and caused the pool to close has been received. Leiker expected the pool to re-open today.
In other business:
- A work release request from Marion High School student Jessie Taylor was approved.
- Valerie Wasmuth was appointed as district representative for Marion REC commission.
- Board president Chris Sprowls was designated as official representative to the Kansas Association of School Boards delegate assembly.
- An activity bus request by John Swarm of Florence for a group Christmas tour was approved.
The next board meeting will be Dec. 12. The board will conduct a business meeting beginning at 7 a.m., and will spend time after the meeting touring classrooms and facilities.