BOARD, COUNCIL TO MEET MONDAY

Sedalia school administrators are seeking the help of the City
Council as they wrestle with whether to seek another tax increase to
build and improve schools.

The Board of Education has called a joint work session with the City
Council for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Smith-Cotton High School.

The meeting will be open to the public. The board also plans to take
up the issue of drug testing for student athletes at a special
meeting after the work session.

In the work session, the school board wants to discuss:

*Ways in which the council and school board may work together to
better the community.

*Concerns that the council might have about the June 6 election, in
which voters rejected a 69-cent per $100 valuation increase in
property tax. The tax increase would have paid for a new high school
and improvements to all the other school buildings.

*Suggestions to the district to address overcrowding.

*Suggestions to the district for becoming a "first-class district in
the eyes of the public," according to the agenda.

"I hope to gain a better relationship between the city and the
schools, a better understanding of responsibilities," said schools
Superintendent Doug Ebersold. "We serve the same population. ... We
also want their feedback and input about the election because they
represent the cross section of the city."

Sedalia City Administrator Keith Riesberg said the city officials
view the meeting "as an opportunity for the City Council and the
school board to discuss some of the areas where we do have common
interests."

Mr. Riesberg said because the city and schools share the same tax
base, they must work together for economic development.

Dr. Ebersold said he, Mr. Riesberg and Mayor Bob Wasson would like to
make such joint meetings an annual event.

Drug testing

The school board also will review the results of a poll taken of 162
Smith-Cotton High School students May 17 and May 18 about the use of
drugs and the need for drug testing athletes.

The most commonly used drugs in Smith-Cotton High School are
marijuana, alcohol and tobacco, according to the survey. The survey
showed that 55 percent of the respondents favored drug testing of
student athletes only, and 49 percent opposed it.

Such results hardly define whether students favor the tests, said Dr.
Ebersold.

"I am not against it. I don't think it would be a bad thing to do. I
just don't think the timing is right," Dr. Ebersold said. "I think we
need to look at it a little bit closer and make sure it is what we
want to be doing."

The board first considered drug tests for athletes last summer. Some
grant money is available for testing.

"I think we would need to plan further ahead to get the grants to
make it happen," Dr. Ebersold said. ... "The advantage of doing it is
it gives the students the opportunity to be able to say no to drugs
and alcohol. ... The better reason is to say no because 'It's not
going to help me in my life or benefit me in the future.' "

Also, the board will have a closed session to discuss hiring, firing,
disciplining and promoting of particular employees by a governmental
body when personal information about the employee is discussed or
recorded.

The district has been hunting a director of curriculum and
instruction to replace Tamara Kimball, who resigned.

The board had declined to extend her contract past June 2007.

The Missouri Sunshine Law requires the board to make public any
actions taken in closed session within 72 hours.