Members of the Elk Horn-Kimballton School Board met Monday evening in Elk Horn. Superintendent Dean Schnoes said they voted to approve a contract with Jessica Larsen for the Junior High Track. Schnoes said the Board discussed but took no action on the 2014-2015 School Year with regard to whether to base the amount of education on 1,080 hours or the traditional 180 days.

He said they’re leaning toward 1,080 hours because it gives the district more lee-way when it comes to severe weather situations, and because that’s the way most districts in the area of leaning toward implementing their calendars. He says both the Exira and EHK Boards are in favor of the hourly schedule. The new “Super Board” will take a look at the proposal and finalize it a later meeting.

Schnoes said also they’re working on negotiations with teachers for the upcoming school year. And, in his report to the Board, Schnoes discussed the “Rural School Advocates of Iowa,” who lobbies for its member schools in the legislature. He said a similar effort was attempted several years ago, to make sure legislators in the State were aware rural schools “Are still a lot of your backbone for what goes on in the State of Iowa,” and that “Those people are going to be important as education moves along in the years to come.”

RSAI works to ensure students in rural schools receive a “Fair, equal and quality education.” Dues for the organization run $1,000 and serves to lobby legislators on behalf of rural schools to securing adequate resources, both academic and financial, in order for the quality of education to be sustained, and for maintaining local control through the flexibility and authority of locally elected school boards.