Following a 20-minute meeting in executive session, a 6-0 vote approved purchase of the properties at 508 E. A St. for $74,623 and at 109 S. Adams for $69,142.

Funds for the purchase of the properties will come from the district's cash reserve.

According to Superintendent Gordon Mohn, the district has agreed to allow Paul and Sheryl Pankratz, who owned the East A home, to remain there until June 1, 2007.

Final plans for the use of the property, Mohn said, will not be made until Marion County Special Education Cooperative decides a location for its facilities and the architect completes the district's facility improvement.

By consensus, board members agreed to target spring 2007 to develop and adopt resolutions for changing the method of electing board members.

Mohn reviewed the district level results for state assessments in math and reading that were administered last spring.

He said the five performance categories have been renamed to exemplary, exceeds standards, meets standard, approaches standard and academic warning, with the goal that all students score in the "meets standard" level and above by 2013.

The board discussed possible approaches to take for those who perform below that level.

In other business, the board:

-- approved issuing an employment contract to Vickie Stultz as food service employee.

-- voted to compensate Phil Oelke for using his planning time for instructing physical education to sixth- and seventh-grade students by increasing his annual salary from $40,850 to $45,033.

-- approved issuing supplement contracts to Culture Club sponsors Janette Brubacher for $2,725 and Jill Hein for $525, to Jason Dechant as head middle school boys' basketball coach and to Curt Bowman as assistant high school wrestling coach.

-- approved the proposal from Bremyer and Wise, a law firm with an office in Hillsboro, for the development of a joint-use agreement with Tabor College for the proposed football and track facility.

Attorneys for Tabor College would review the agreement, Mohn said, adding that Tabor and USD 410 will share costs incurred by the district in developing the agreement.