Savage, Bowers remain as USD board officers
Staff writer
Long-serving Rex Savage will remain as president of Marion-Florence USD 408 Board of Education during the 2004-05 school year. Gene Bowers will retain his current position as vice president.
The annual re-organization took place during Monday's board meeting, under the direction of new superintendent of schools Lee Leiker.
Besides the re-organization, the district approved the foreign language curriculum, heard a summer school update, scheduled a special meeting, and made preliminary plans for a board retreat.
Foreign language
After hearing from Missy Stubenhofer, curriculum director, the board approved the foreign language curriculum.
Stubenhofer said foreign language instructor JoAnn Good had created the curriculum.
Spanish used to be taught at the third to sixth grade level, but that was eliminated previously due to budget problems. Now, the program will not be offered to seventh graders for the same reason.
"The comment was made during the DSIT (District School Improvement Team) meeting that we're moving in the wrong direction when it comes to teaching foreign language for this day and age," Stubenhofer said.
"Whether we like it or not or what our personal feelings are we need to teach foreign language in the United States in order to function and do what we need to do," she said.
Board member Gene Bowers questioned whether foreign language is offered via ITV (interactive television).
Marion High School principal Ken Arnhold said it is, but also that Good's foreign language classes always are full. He noted some students take German through ITV in order to fit their schedule better. "It lets them get in more electives," Arnhold said.
Stubenhofer noted how lucky USD 408 is to have an instructor like Good.
"Not only do we have a teacher who is certified to teach three foreign languages, but she's also qualified to teach three foreign languages," Stubenhofer said.
Summer school update
Stubenhofer noted summer school was in its last week. There were 130 teaching slots available this year, with some students taking more than one.
"Our summer school attendance has been better than in the past," she said. "Several teachers had 100 percent in terms of their referrals. Our teachers are doing an excellent job."
Stubenhofer also noted the district's state assessment scores — except for two students — had been corrected and results will go out next week.
Budget meeting
The board set a special meeting to determine the 2004-05 budget for noon Tuesday.
Business manager/board clerk Martin Tice said his preliminary figures would keep the mill levy "flat." Currently, the levy is at 46.194 mills. His proposed preliminary budget would bring it to 46.196.
Tice noted he would be attending budget meetings in Topeka this week and would use that information before making final budget preparations.
Board retreat
Superintendent Lee Leiker said the board had held retreats in past years after a change in superintendents and asked members when they would like to schedule one.
"I see its purpose as twofold. To learn the organizational, working operations, expectations, and communications you would like to see from me.
"Then the more traditional purpose — for goal setting, where we're heading and vision, and how we coordinate that so we're all driving toward the same thing," Leiker said.
Savage asked Leiker if he was comfortable enough with the "process we've begun" to get along for awhile before scheduling the retreat.
Leiker said he was very comfortable with the status quo. "If you'd rather go later in the fall, that's fine," he said. "If there's no big rush we can bring this back again in August."
Bowers said he believed the retreat was important to allow board members to speak on what they would like to see or like to see changed. Bowers also suggested board members meet individually with Leiker.
"Let's aim for doing this in September and get the new school year underway a little while," Savage said.
Following a 25-minute executive session for personnel, the board approved jobs for the Bal-A-Vis-X instructor and paraprofessional, an oversight from the June meeting.
Leiker told the board the district had received a thank you from Deanna Theiroff for the board's support of the "Warriors of the Water" swim team, and from Linda Ogden, director of Marion County Communities in Schools for the annual donation.
Tice told the board Marion Elementary's new sloped roof project should be done by the end of the week and officials would be going over the punch list Friday.
"It looks good," Tice said. "Hopefully, we've taken care of a lot of problems."
Re-organization
Conducting routine re-organization business, the board approved:
— Appointing Martin Tice as board clerk and Becky Summerville treasurer.
— Faculty handbooks for Marion High School and Middle School. Leiker said some changes were being made to the Marion Elementary School handbook and it would be approved later.
— Two out-of-district requests for four students coming from Centre USD 397.
— Board meeting dates for 7 p.m. the second Monday of each month. However, the December meeting was changed to the first Monday due to a conflict with an MHS concert.
— Chris Costello, board attorney; Marion County Record, official county newspaper; and Marion National Bank as the district's bank.
In past years, the district has rotated banks yearly; however, due to the number of transactions "it's just another challenge to switch annually," Leiker explained.
The district will only switch every two or three years, Leiker said.
"The banks will do the same amount of business, we just won't switch as often," he said. "We certainly want to give them the same amount of business over time."
Savage said the possibility had been discussed in the past.
— Set attendance officers as each school's principal, Ken Arnhold at MHS, Tod Gordon at MMS, and Stan Ploutz at MES.
— Named board members Chris Sprowls to the District School Improvement Team, Kathy Meierhoff as special education representative, and Roger Hannaford III as TEEN representative.
— Appointed Rhonda Hett food service representative; Lee Leiker, hearing officer for free and reduced meals; Leiker as suspension/explusion hearing officer; Tice as official KPERS representative and Summerville as KPERS additonal signer; Tice as Blue Cross/Blue Shield representative; Leiker and Tice as authorized purchasing agents; and Ploutz in charge of the local consolidated plan (what used to be known as Title I programs or federal grants).
The board also waived accepted accounting procedures, necessary in conforming to the Kansas Cash Basis Law requirement; adopted petty cash fund limits, authorized activity funds, and transferred authorization to the new superintendent.
The school calendar of 1116 hours was approved as opposed to 186 days. The hour system gives the district more leeway, Leiker said.
