"I have concerns about the abandonment of the nine national content standards and the way they are shrunk to five or six at the middle school level and down to essentially three at the high school level," said Collett, who represents the board on the District School Improvement Team.

"I am going to ask that this (proposed curriculum) be sent back down and have more of the national standards included in the high school curriculum."

Missy Stubenhofer, district curriculum coordinator, responded that the community expects good bands and vocal music.

"I guess we look toward you" to determine the community standard, she said, "and the community wants it to be performance- based."

Collett maintained that performance and scholarship are not mutually exclusive. He quoted G.K. Chesterton: "Sometimes if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

He went on to say that students "need music from other eras, other cultures, not just music written specifically for high school choirs in the past 30 years."

Stubenhofer said that Jim Versch, representing the high school art department, will attend the April board meeting to answer questions about the "whittled down" visual and musical arts curriculum. She said perhaps music educators should attend as well.

The board also received a curriculum handout for social studies. Stubenhofer quipped that the curriculum committee "spent three months just arguing over the title" of the curriculum, now called "History and Government, Economics and Geography" instead of "Social Studies."

The local curriculum committee, headed by Chad Adkins, decided to adopt the state's curriculum in the district's guide. Adkins will be at the April board meeting to answer specific questions about benchmarks.

The board also reviewed physical-education credit requirements. The handout board member Chris Sprowls shared with reporters and audience stated that the activities to count toward waiver of the local credit requirement would be football, volleyball, cross country, wrestling, track, baseball, softball and golf.

Students must complete the entire season of the chosen sport. Zero-hour weights will also count for the local credit.

Students who have not fulfilled the additional credit requirement for physical education prior to the start of the senior year will have to enroll in a physical education course to meet the local requirement.

Also changed is the content sequence of required physical education and health classes. Those previously separate-semester classes will be integrated into a year-long health and life skills program.

2005-06 school year & calendar

On other issues, the negotiated agreement specifies 182 student-contact days plus eight in-service/work days, for a total of 190 days in a teacher's contract.

However, the school calendar is now based on hours (1,116), not days, per school year.

According to Superintendent Lee Leiker, the current school year is already based on hours rather than days, making snow-day makeup easier on students and staff.

The board approved the 2005-06 calendar, 6-0. New teachers will begin Aug. 11 and all staff report Aug. 12 for a work day followed by two in-service days.

New students and grades kindergarten through grades seven and grade nine will begin Aug. 17; all other students begin the following day.

The following were identified as days off for students: Sept. 5 (Labor Day), Oct. 19 (staff in-service and work day), Oct. 28, Nov. 24-25, Dec. 23 (staff work day), Dec. 26 through Jan. 2 (winter break), Feb. 20 (staff in-service), March 10 (staff in-service and work day), March 20-24 (spring break), and Friday, April 14.

The final day of classes will be May 25, with dismissal at 12:30 p.m. A staff work day is planned for May 26.

Recreation Commission budget

Rodney Richmond, of the Marion Recreation Commission, asked that the board "clear the air" about its intentions for funding MRC.

Richmond reported City Manager David Mayfield's concern that the city couldn't continue to fund MRC forever. That comment, plus the fact that the school board has recently changed its method of support, prompted rumors that MRC might need a levy of 1 to 4 mills to maintain its service to the community, and that about 18 months' lead time would be required to begin such a mill levy process.

Sprowls, who has worked extensively with MRC, acknowledged that many recreation programs are funded by the schools and a mill levy rather than from a city budget.

Richmond said local volunteers and booster clubs have generated more than $6,000 into the complex and program, but MRC can't succeed on these efforts alone. The baseball and softball programs are expensive, Richmond said, "and we fight with trying to keep the cost down for the kids, but we can't spend all our money on that one program."

The total budget for MRC is about $42,000 per year. The city contributes $17,000 of the total, and previously the school has budgeted $10,000 and paid for some salary, Social Security and other expenses.

Now, based on audit requirements, the school district is giving a fixed $17,000 budget yearly instead of paying for various items throughout the year.

Richmond said he was not asking for a budget increase and foresees no major purchases or expenses.

Margo Yates, whose job as Marion Chamber of Commerce secretary expands into MRC activities, said baseball boosters have spent about $12,000 at the ballpark; swimming and basketball boosters also contribute, with new teams wanting to come already.

"I am adamant about personnel being on site at all times" when young participants are present, she said.

Board members Gene Bowers said, "The program has grown a lot since I was on the (rec) board."

Collett summarized the intentions of the board: "I haven't seen any interest by the board of moving Rec to the top of the cut list. I think you can expect the board to continue funding as we have in the past."

Waiver of penalty

Continuing traditions of the past, however, did not extend to elementary teacher Susie Best's request for a waiver of penalty when she leaves March 30.

Last month the board approved Best's request for release from her 2004-05 contract. But the negotiated agreement between teachers and school board specifies that a monetary penalty be paid by the teacher breaking the contract.

According to Board Clerk Martin Tice, with support from veteran board members Keith Collett and Gene Bowers, said on the rare occasions of a waiver of contract, the board has waived the penalty also.

Bowers said, "We pick and choose; it's in there so we have that option. I'm more willing to err on the side of compassion in this case, because she has worked hard for the district."

Other board members agreed that Best has been an asset to the district, but said the negotiated agreement should be enforced as written.

Collett's motion to waive the penalty was defeated, 2-4.

Board President Rex Savage was not present at the meeting.

Other actions

In other business, the board:

-- voted 5-0 to approve use of school buses and drivers for taking students to Wichita for their after-prom party. Board member Kathy Meierhoff abstained from voting.

-- voted to allow use of Florence gym as the destination point in case of an emergency. Permission is contingent upon approval by Marion County Special Education Cooperative, lessee of the building. Use of district buses was not part of the motion, by general consent.

-- approved request by Robert Kiblinger, superintendent of the Centre school district, to use Marion's pole-vault pits, with insurance and hold-harmless agreement included.

-- approved Steve Janzen, Doug Vogel and Sean Spoonts as instructors for driver's education, with classroom instruction paid at $27.50 per hour and driving practice at $20 per hour.

-- hired Charles Dannenfelser as bus driver subject to meeting all requirements.

-- approved a recommendation to pay Cindy Vinduska and Sarah Waddell $1,200 each as coordinators of the elementary school's PATHS program, with aides Anne Collett and Laurie Secrest maintaining their regular rate of pay. Keith Collett abstained from the vote, which carried 5-0.