Left to right: Amy Barth, Niki Deeds, Amanda Smallcomb, (Kearney Public Schools, Courtesy)
KEARNEY — The three elected members of the Kearney Public Schools Board of Education took their seats for their first meeting of 2025 on Monday, Jan. 13.
Niki Deeds and Amanda Smallcomb were newly elected to the board in the 2024 general election.
Amy Barth had been appointed in 2024 to finish the term of Dave Brandt who resigned earlier last year. Barth sought election to her own term, which the voters affirmed.
Barth, Deeds and Smallcomb all took their oath of office before the members moved on to the reorganization of the board.
John Icenogle was elected president of the board; Paul Hazard was named vice president and Drew Blessing was elected as secretary.
Moving on to recognitions, Jeana Peterson, Orchestra Teacher at Horizon and Sunrise Middle Schools, had been selected by the Nebraska Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (Nebraska ASTA) as the 2024 Outstanding Orchestra Teacher of the Year.
“This prestigious award recognizes exceptional string educators who have demonstrated excellence in music education and a commitment to advancing the arts in their communities,” according to Kearney Public Schools.
Peterson said she was introduced to the violin through an orchestra program in a public school and she feels that every student can benefit from making music. She noted this was her 11th year teaching in Kearney.
In addition, Brooke Boroff, Social Studies Teacher at Hanny Arram Center, had been selected by the Nebraska Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) as the Nebraska Teacher of the Year.
“This award is selected based on citizenship, innovation, resources, and passion. A fellow teacher nominated Boroff for the award. Ms. Boroff will be honored at the Nebraska Veterans of Foreign Wars Mid-Winter Conference banquet in Lincoln on Jan. 31, 2025,” Kearney Public Schools noted.
During the presentations, Meredith Johnson, Principal of Emerson Elementary, spoke to the board about their Core Connections program.
Johnson noted that the program was aimed to increase parental involvement and had gotten its start in early 2020, before having to be sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since restarted.
She said they had worked with the University of Nebraska – Kearney on how to get more parents engaged and to learn the needs they had.
During the regular agenda the board members approved several resignations and retirements.
They included, Barbara Wegner, special education teacher at Sunrise Middle School; Nate Garringer, science teacher at Kearney High School; Crystal Warner, special education teacher at Sunrise Middle School; and the retirements of Melinda Reid, special education coordinator at Kearney Public Schools and Lori Moore, math intervention teacher at Horizon Middle School, effective at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
Hirings approved included, Eve Edwards, 6th grade English teacher at Horizon Middle School and Shena Jensen, 2nd grade teacher at Central Elementary School, for the 2025-2026 school year.
The hirings of administrative staff included, Jenn True as PK-5 Education Director, Sheila Sanford as the Director of Nutrition and Food Service, Taylor Peters as Principal at Park Elementary School, and Connor Williams as Principal at Meadowlark Elementary School, starting the 2025-2026 school year.
With the Nebraska Legislature beginning its 90-day session, the board of education is keeping one eye on Lincoln throughout the period.
Superintendent Jason Mundorf touched on the big picture items and noted one change was that senators were limited to introducing only 20 measures per session.
Mundorf said one of the most pressing issues facing the Legislature is the projected $432 million budget shortfall facing the state. If left unchecked, the deficit could grow to just over $1 billion by 2029.
Another item that has been floating around in discussions is the idea of a complete cell phone ban in classrooms being ordered by the state legislature, Mundorf said.
Board member Drew Blessing spoke on five bills that had been introduced that were of smaller scope but could impact school boards.
Blessing said LB14 is the Hunger Free School Act, which would allow for free school lunches; LB31 would require schools to have a policy in place explaining surveillance of students and require more transparency from schools; LB49 would create a model ban and bar policy for school districts and LB122 would require the display of the national moto, “In God We Trust,” and the state moto, “Equality Before the Law,” to be displayed in every school classroom.
The board also entered two closed sessions at the end of the regular meeting, the first being for the purpose of conducting a strategy session regarding negotiations for the 2025-2026 school year.
The second was for conducting a strategy session with respect to the purchase of real estate.
The next regular meeting of the Kearney Public Schools Board of Education will be held on Feb. 10, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the Staff Development Room in the Administration Building.
