USD 408 board unhappy with Hillsboro s participation in TEEN years ago
Sports reporter
Marion-Florence USD 408 board of education member Keith Collett expressed concerned Monday with Hillsboro High School's participation in the cooperative, Teen Excellence Education Network (TEEN).
The program offers ITV courses for students who otherwise would not be able to take the class.
Collett pointed out to other board members Hillsboro has 87 students participating in the program but does not teach any classes from its facility.
"Hillsboro, the largest school in the program can't manage to teach a single course," Collett pointed out at the meeting. "I will not be voting to continue this cooperative with Hillsboro until something changes."
Right now the TEEN agreement is in its third year of a five-year contract.
Collett and other board members agreed the larger schools in the program like Marion and Hillsboro should be offering as much as they can to the smaller schools like Centre, Herington, and Peabody-Burns.
"It's unacceptable," Collett said. "Hillsboro is exploiting the program."
MHS principal Ken Arnhold said at the meeting he appreciates efforts of his teachers who take extra time to teach the ITV classes.
"If we weren't teaching them," he said. "Those students wouldn't be able to take those classes."
USD 408 Superintendent Lee Leiker said what Hillsboro is doing does not benefit the program, but does not cause any breech of contract.
Still, other board members agree with Collett.
Board vice president Chris Sprowls displayed his anger by saying Hillsboro needs to pull its weight.
"It's infuriating to me," he said.
President Rex Savage agreed with Leiker in the fact Hillsboro cannot be forced to teach any classes, but he wasn't happy with the situation.
"It's a gentlemen's agreement," Savage said. "But it requires a gentleman participating."
Currently, Marion, Peabody-Burns, Centre, and Herington offer multiple courses.
In other news:
— The board elected vice president Chris Sprowls to be the USD 408 delegate Dec. 2-4 at the Kansas Association of School Boards conference in Overland Park.
— Leiker shared the results of the spring 2005 state assessment scores with the board. He felt the district was doing a great job in helping each class meet the standard of excellence.
While not every class reached its goal, Leiker was confident changes are being made so in the near future everyone will.
— The board approved to pay for two chaperones to accompany Marion High School's FCCLA members when they attend an annual conference this year in Louisville, Ky.
The students will pay their own expenses with fund-raisers.
— The board unanimously approved MHS business teacher Jennifer Owen to be adviser for the MHS FBLA club, and for that to be a supplemental staff position.
— The board approved to renew the lease of the saddle club for one more year.
The school stores sports equipment as well as buses in the facility. The board discussed other options, but decided this was the best for the approaching year.
— The board approved all fund-raisers for MHS clubs for the school year.
