At a meeting Monday night, the Marion Center School Board unanimously approved a reconfiguration plan for the elementary grade levels.
The plan makes Rayne Elementary School a Pre-K to 2nd Grade school and W.A. McCreery a 3rd to 6th grade school, with arrival to begin at 8:40 for Rayne and 7:30 for McCreery. The plan did meet with some criticism with members of the public, and after the vote was taken, Adriene Smochek said that she and several other members of the community were disappointed with the decision because they felt their concerns were not adequately addressed.
Board member Christy Young issued a statement before the vote was made, saying that she did listen to the community members, and this decision was not one of convenience. She added that with the grade levels in the same building, planning and helping students will be easier for the district’s teachers.
The new configuration goes into effect at the start of the 2024-25 school year.
In other business, the board approved contracts for the Rayne Elementary School Air Condition Project. The HVAC contract went to Renick Brothers with a bid of $1,378,000. The electrical construction bid went to Leverknight Electric for a bid of $122,150.
