With contract renewal time approaching, as well as negotiations and additional issues, Peabody-Burns school board members spent about half of their meeting last week behind closed doors.

Executive sessions were called for private conversations about negotiations, certified staff, classified staff, and supplemental positions. Tim Caldwell asked for an executive session for personnel matters, and Travis Foth asked for one pertaining to a student matter.

In each instance, no action was taken when the board reconvened in open session.

The board did act on three unrelated personnel items. A resignation submitted by Brian Simmonds as middle school track coach for the 2017-18 school year was accepted. Emergency substitute licenses for Jordan Penner and Stacey Ruth Cook also were accepted.

Simmonds presented modifications to the driver education program that were unanimously approved.

Superintendent Ron Traxson briefly addressed the recent Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the block grant funding formula used by the state is inadequate and unconstitutional. The decision has little immediate impact, Traxson said, because the legislature is considering multiple alternative school funding formulas, one of which must be in place July 1.

Traxson also reviewed future needs for capital outlay expenditures, including school plumbing concerns and the need to replace two school buses.

Board members questioned whether leasing buses would be a viable alternative to buying, but Traxson said research he’s done suggests buying buses is a better option for the district.