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USD 408 superintendent Leiker reflects on past, looks to future years ago

Sports reporter

On the wall opposite the desk in USD 408 Marion-Florence district superintendent Lee Leiker's office, row after row of shelves hold more than 130 coffee cups and mugs Leiker has collected over his years as a school administrator.

"When I first became an administrator, I was at a conference and I got a cup, and it just started there," Leiker explained.

While all the cups share similarities in form and function, each is unique, with its own special story.

Leiker sees the students and families of USD 408 in much the same way, as he works to guide the educational mission of the district.

Leiker's career in education began in 1986, as a math and computer teacher at Smith Center High School.

He got his first taste of school administration in 1992, when he became a high school principal in Colby, followed by a similar stint in Atwood.

In 2001, Leiker landed his first superintendent job, overseeing Stanton County USD 452 in Johnson.

Leiker said the Marion-Florence position was an appealing move because of the district's reputation.

"When I came here in 2004, I knew the district was strong academically, and the community was strong in its support of education — it was interested in the activities of the district," Leiker said.

"The district didn't have anything it was running from," Leiker continued. "Gerry Henderson had done a number of great things when he was here."

As with any new administrator, Leiker began by assessing the district's needs. He identified two main issues that have become guideposts for his leadership.

Academic Excellence

"One of the things I saw was the need to improve academically, not because the district was weak, but because of the state of education due to No Child Left Behind," said Leiker.

The federal legislation includes stringent, escalating benchmarks for student achievement. Districts failing to keep pace can potentially experience penalties as a result.

"Every district has to have leadership to keep it moving forward academically in order to meet the requirements of NCLB," Leiker said.

Teachers are the ones who must accomplish this ongoing growth, and Leiker was full of praise for the competence and dedication of his staff.

"We have some outstanding veteran staff members at all levels, who have spent the majority of their careers in this district," Leiker said.

"We've been able to hire some staff members who have brought new enthusiasm to the district," he continued, "so I think we have a wonderful balance, and they do a great job of maximizing the benefits to students because of that balance."

Leiker pointed to new programs, such as Pathways to Reading, and all-day kindergarten, that already are paying dividends in terms of improved student outcomes.

Optimized class scheduling at Marion High School, and enhanced preparation for ACT tests are two other examples of numerous steps the district is taking to improve outcomes for students.

"We cannot be content with where we're currently at, or we'll fall behind," Leiker asserted. "As soon as we become content or complacent, we'll fall behind.

"We plan to be leaders, we'll push to be leaders," he concluded.

Financial Stability

The second major issue Leiker identified was to ensure the financial stability of the district.

"They had taken a look at and made some significant cuts just prior to me taking on the superintendency, and those were painful for everybody," he observed.

The cuts included a certified librarian and a counselor at Marion Elementary School, as well as a teaching position at Marion High School.

Decreasing student enrollments, a trend found throughout Kansas, makes the task of ensuring financial stability increasingly more tedious.

USD 408 has seen its enrollment drop by nearly 18 percent over the past nine years, from 749 students in 1998-99 to this year's total of 617.

Leiker expressed confidence in the district's current financial status, but acknowledged the trend dictates continuous scrutiny about how services are delivered.

"Every opening you have, you have to take a look at it," Leiker said. "Looking at our academic trends, our student-teacher ratio, do we need to fill that in the same fashion, or is it an opportunity to combine something, to try something different?

"We're going to maximize the dollars we have," he said.

While finances are challenging, the district has done well enough that in 2005 the board of education increased the base salary for teachers, beyond what had been originally negotiated.

"It brought our teachers to the point where they were very competitive with teachers in the area, which is an important factor in recruiting," Leiker explained.

New Facilities

Construction of a new gym/aquatic center and new auditorium will help to further another of Leiker's goals, having a strong connection to the community.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for the school and community. It's a key component to developing strong school-community relations."

In addition to providing community recreation opportunities, Leiker envisions the auditorium as a performing arts center capable of hosting events area residents would otherwise have to travel someplace else to experience.

"I think how the new auditorium and the current city auditorium are used in the future has yet to be determined," Leiker said.

"I don't believe the new school auditorium will replace or eliminate the need for the city auditorium, but I think the successful use of those facilities hinges on the ability of the school and community to work hand in hand."

With groundbreaking for the auditorium a month away, and with no start date set for construction on the gym/aquatic center, Leiker admitted to growing frustration with the process.

"You work with somebody as best you can, but at some point the board has to get those answers to start feeling comfortable," he said.

"They're getting questions, and they don't have answers, and they want answers for the taxpayers of this district," Leiker continued.

Completion of the auditorium is still tentatively scheduled for Sept. 1, and the gym/aquatic center for December. Leiker acknowledged neither of those projections can be considered solid until the district receives confirmation from the general contractor.

While he had hoped construction would have started by now, Leiker explained the extra time has allowed refinement of building plans that should ultimately result in better buildings.

"Taking a little additional time to explore design possibilities has created facilities that will be more beneficial to students and community members," he explained.

Next week, Leiker discusses parent and community relationships, transportation, and the changing face of education.

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