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School board decides not to join Schools for Fair Funding

Staff writer

USD 408 school board voted unanimously to not join Schools for Fair Funding.

Schools for Fair Funding is a group of schools planning to sue the state to gain more funding for education. The consensus among school board members was that the state was not holding back any funds.

“You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip,” Kathy Meirhoff said. “They can sue all they want; the money is just not there.”

The board unanimously agreed to offer a metal office building, which the district currently owns in Florence, to the City of Florence. They also decided to pay the utilities on the gym that they own while the basketball teams practice there.

Nine wrestlers from Peabody will wrestle with the Marion team. The wrestlers would compete as if they were from Peabody, but they will use Marion’s coaching and facilities.

Marion High School Principal Brenda Odgers presented information about the school’s ACT scores and other test scores. The trend that Odgers relayed to the board indicated that the upper percentile of MHS students are no longer improving and their scores are starting to worsen. Odgers said that the students at the lower end of the spectrum have either stayed the same or improved.

The school still met the Kansas Standard of Excellence in reading and was just a few percentage points away from meeting the standard in math.

However, the ACT scores were lower than the state average and just over 50 percent of freshmen and sophomores are improving on their tests.

Odgers is concerned about these numbers and has proposed a few solutions for the problem.

The high school will offer two more advanced classes in English and Social Studies to reach students at a higher learning level.

The school has decided to give the state math and reading assessment in the Spring instead of the fall.

The school is also enforcing mandatory study time for students who are failing, and Odgers will try to impress upon each student the importance of these tests by informing students that some electives could be cut if MHS does not meet state standards.

But, Odgers proposed the most drastic change after her presentation was over — she asked the board to consider a seven-hour school day. The change in hours will break up the block schedule the school currently employs, where students have 90-minute classes, to a schedule where students have 50-minute classes. Odgers hopes the difference in duration will hold the attention of students more effectively.

The issue that held the most contentious argument of the night was the indoor batting cage to be installed in the Marion Elementary School gym.

The board ended up voting unanimously to accept the funds, which have already been collected. The money will be donated to the school so the school can own the cage, and put the cage into the MES gym. The argument that reoccurred was a the supervision of the cage.

Superintendent Lee Leiker and MHS athletic director Tod Gordon posed that the year-round use of the cage could cause a power struggle among Marion coaches. Keith Collett was worried about Marion athletes specializing in one sport too soon. His point was this: If baseball players can play year round, what’s to stop every other sport from doing the same?

Other members were more worried about the supervision of players facing a pitching machine.

“It is not neutral,” Collett said. “We are actively encouraging a school activity.”

During routine items, the board approved the resignation of Deanna Thierolf as Marion Middle School volleyball coach and approved Janice Waner as Key Club Sponsor.

Last modified Nov. 10, 2009

 

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