The Austin Board of Education wants to return to the days of yesteryear.

Kathy Green, a school board member, proposed scheduling spring parent-teacher conferences again.

"I think communications are so important to academics," Green observed at Monday night's regular meeting of the Austin Board of Education.

The observation came during an examination of the proposed new school calendar for the 2003-2004 school year, which was approved by the school board.

For the last few years, the Austin school district has dropped the spring conference for parents and teaches in favor of a pre-school year conference schedule followed by a fall conference.

The proposal won immediate favor from Austin faculty member Dave Brown, present at the meeting to express his support for the targeted services programming in the district.

Adding more time to the parent-teacher conference schedule is not an easy matter and would involve negotiating the time with teacher bargaining units.

Since the 1996-97 school year, the school calendar has been at the 176 day level. Another school board member, Susan Fell Johnson wants the next negotiating teams to reexamine that figure and consider expanding it to 192 days.

Board President Bev Nordby told the school board members, "Keep these things in mind for the next negotiating session."

Board member Fell Johnson

and Nordby both had information for their fellow school board members on the upcoming negotiations sessions with the district's teachers.

The goal is to streamline the process and hopefully expedite the contract talks for the mutual benefit of both sides.

Superintendent Corrine Johnson reported to the school board on the Minnesota House education policy committee's recent discussions.

The superintendent is closely monitoring the Minnesota Legislature's budget deficit reduction discussions and the governor's own cuts.

Johnson said Minnesota schools "dodge a bullet" in the first-round of spending reductions ordered by the governor and that after-school programming was the only service to be seriously affected.

Johnson and Austin High School principal Joe Brown plan to meet with area legislators to lobby for protecting education funding, Johnson said.

In other action Monday night, the Austin school board:

n Approved depositories for school district funds as recommended by Lori Volz, director of finance and operations.

n Approved a resolution directing administration to make recommendations in programs and positions. This is an annual formality since 1994 and required by state law for all school districts.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com