When it came down to the wire, the Mancos School Board of Education meeting was fairly short Monday, but well attended.

During the hourlong regular session meeting, board members heard a plea for funding for the school garden program, honored students for their creative writing and heard from a community member demanding a board member resign.

The call for the resignation of Beverly Humiston-Scott came at the end of the meeting.

Minutes before the meeting ended, Margie Russell, chairwoman of the committee to recall Humiston-Scott, asked her to resign.

"If you were to resign, this would not cost the school anything," Russell said, referring to the cost of a recall election, which must be paid for by the district. "We have excellent staff and schools, and I couldn't be prouder to be a retired teacher of this district. ... It is in the best interest of the entire school district if you resign."

Humiston-Scott sent a response to The Mancos Times on Tuesday:

"I would like to thank Margie Russell, spokesperson for the recall committee for acknowledging that I was acting within the scope of my duties when I questioned the expenditures on the budget and presented bills. As that was a large part of the reasoning behind the petition, I do not feel that I should resign from my position. While it was nice to see the large turnout at the meeting last night, I feel they should have attended meetings prior to initiating the petition so that they would be informed to how the meetings go and my part in them. At any time the recall committee could have and can withdraw the petition, therefore saving the school the cost of a special vote," Humiston-Scott wrote.

The board room was packed Monday with about 30 and a Mancos marshal in attendance.

Prior to that, Erin Bohm, director of the Mancos School Garden Program, gave the board a presentation on the garden program and eventually asked for funding in the amount of $7,391, about 10 percent of the cost of the program.

Since the garden project started, 1,940 pounds of produce have come from the school garden into the cafeteria, and the program has been entirely grant-funded.

"I can grow a lot of vegetables in that small area," Bohm said.

In addition, Bohm said teachers value the program because she incorporates science and math standards with the class.

Humiston-Scott said she was in favor of the program, which will likely come back to the board next month for approval.

"Kids are eating vegetables they didn't' think they would like," Humiston-Scott said.

Bohm said that meant she was doing her job.

"It is my job to make sure these kids eat all these vegetables," she said.

In addition, Mancos Secondary Principal Adam Priestley released the CMAS test results taken last year. At the fourth-grade level, 6 percent of the students tested strong or distinguished, the highest levels of the test, while 41 percent tested moderate, and 53 percent tested limited, the lowest category in the test. When compared with the state level, about 15 percent of students performed at the distinguished or strong levels at the same grade level.

In middle school social studies, about 3 percent of the seventh-graders tested strong, 39 percent tested moderate, and 58 percent tested in the limited category.

In science, Mancos students scored better.

Of the Mancos Elementary fifth-graders tested in science, 24 percent tested as strong and in eighth grade, 40 percent tested as demonstrating strong skills in science.

The Mancos High School girls volleyball and boys cross-country teams were recognized for receiving the Les Schwab Tire Centers Academic Team Championship Award. This award is in recognition of outstanding achievement of earning a 3.5 cumulative team grade point average in varsity activity.

Students Mandi Peacock and Jillian Wyman were recognized for their creativity and excellence in writing. Wyman read a sample of her writing to the board.

The next school board meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15. Board members are expected to discuss the budget, during which the final approval of the garden support is expected to be on the agenda.