POULSBO — Thursday night, the Poulsbo City Council and the North Kitsap School District sat down together in the spirit of community betterment through inter-agency collaboration.

But when Mayor Kathryn Quade introduced a slate of marine science programs — said to be agreed upon by the district and ready to go into action — a disconnect was suddenly evident.

“We don’t know anything about these programs,” NKSD board president Catherine Ahl said as Quade put the Marine Science Center Foundation’s coursework for both onsite and outreach curriculum on the table.

In association with the Keyport Naval Undersea Museum Foundation, the MSCF has developed a “marine mobile” outreach program that would bring such marine creatures as live clams, crabs, sea stars and snails to kindergarten classrooms or a study of preserved salmon eggs and the developmental stages of young fish to sixth graders.

The K-6 program syllabus has been labeled for 2006-2007 and was created to support science curriculums already in place at school districts around the county.

However, no one told the NKSD.

The foundation also has draft plans in place for an onsite navigational operations submergence class for sixth graders to be held at the MSC should it reopen.

But the NKSD board and Supt. Gene Medina’s first look at either program diagram was Thursday night when Quade brought the items up for discussion.

“That’s got nothing to do with our engagement to the Marine Science Center,” Medina said, noting that the district recently passed a continuance of its NavOps curriculum coordinated with the Naval Undersea Museum Foundation.

He added, “We’ve never been in the discussion for the vision of the Marine Science Center.”

The Marine Science Center Foundation received $250,000 from the state Legislature via the city earlier this year for efforts to reopen the center.

With the next legislative session looming in January 2007, and additional state funding hinging on visible progress, Quade said discussions with the school district must occur as the city looks to peg $70,000 in its 2007 budget for the center’s utility and maintenance costs.

“There’s a lot more conversation that needs to be held,” Quade said.

“Lots,” Medina replied.