There are no major changes in the Marion school calendar for the 2010-11 school year.

USD 408 Board of Education approved the calendar Monday evening with the possibility of the dates of spring break changing.

The district has tried to follow the spring break schedule of universities so families with children in college and in local schools could vacation together. However, in recent years, spring breaks for colleges and universities have not been the same week as in the past.

To set the calendar for the coming school year, Superintendent Lee Leiker said he contacted regent universities and was told spring break would be March 21 through 25, a week later than in the past.

For the coming school year, the first day of classes will be Aug. 18.

Students will have no classes the day before Thanksgiving Day as well as the day after.

Christmas break will be Dec. 23 through 31 with classes resuming Jan. 4.

Easter will be later next year, so students will have no school April 22.

Classes will end for the year May 25.

There will be the same number of student contact days as this year. The state requires the district to have 178 contact days with students. The district is also required to have 1,116 hours of class time each year.

There will also be nine professional development days for staff, including special education staff.

The board met for 60 minutes in executive session for negotiations and personnel.

When the board returned to open session the following decisions were made:

• A request for a student from Peabody to attend classes in USD 408 was approved.
• Health insurance will be offered to Dick Maggard and Bob Good, as per school policy, to age 65. The positions they held were cut.
• A high school English teaching position was offered to Darby Simpson. She will replace Mary Griffith who retired this year.
• Shannon James will work in the middle school/high school kitchen, replacing Laurie Jackson.
• Negotiations were approved as ratified.
• A half-time high school English position held by Janet Killough, that was previously cut, was retained.

The next regular board meeting will be at 7 p.m. May 10 in the central office, 101 N. Thorp St., Marion.