Slater Superintendent of Schools John McEachern made one thing very clear at the meeting of the school board on Tuesday evening, Oct. 22.

Despite predictions from state officials that meeting the goals of the No Child Left Behind program by 2014 is "impossible," McEachern said, "One district in Missouri will meet those goals, and that is this district."

Producing "quality students in the Slater district," is one of the reasons McEachern said he wants to lead the teachers and students back to the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic to prepare them for the challenges ahead.

"College is available to more and more of the population," said McEachern, "and I believe in being proactive, not reactive." By focusing on the basic building blocks, he said, "We are headed in the right direction."

High school principal Jim Audsley reported enrollment is staying relatively level -- of 166 students who began the year, 160 are still enrolled. The board approved participation in a study for tenth-graders sponsored by the University of Michigan. Slater was chosen to be one of only 150 schools nationally to participate.

A survey request from the University of Missouri-Columbia (UM-C) was also approved. The UM-C survey is essay-driven.

Audsley enthusiastically commended the superintendent's staff on their handling of the transition to new software that began earlier this year. He said, "They are outstanding, working really hard."

Principal Jean Dowell reported Alexander Elementary School students "have been very busy," with field trips to Big Bend Retreat, the ethanol plant at Malta Bend and a corn maze, in addition to anti-drug activities this week and the celebration of "Missouri Day" by the fourth grade classes.

The board approved repairs to the Alexander building entryway, and new lighting for the gym to be provided by Kammeyer Electrical at a cost of $13,815. The new lighting will provide 70 foot-candles of light and will replace the old breaker box with switches.

A request from Slater Lions Club to recruit students for "Leo's Club," a Lions Club offshoot for children, was not approved. The board went on record as very supportive of the project, with Superintendent McEachern emphasizing "it's an exceptional experience for the kids," but rejected the Lions request to use the school as a regular meeting place, pointing out the youth center as the right place.

In other business, the board heard a presentation from CTA President Cindy Beltz about the possibility of establishing a "Meet and Confer" committee to facilitate better communication among the board, school administration and faculty members. The board agreed to review the proposal.

The next regular meeting of the board will be held Tuesday, Nov. 20.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at

marshallhealth@socket.net