Unified Board Questions Goals Of Clearwater And Orchard

Uncertainty over the future of the Clearwater-Orchard School district has been a consistent theme for months, but the Nebraska Unified Board made one thing very certain at Monday’s meeting — members want answers.

It was decided Monday that the Clearwater and Orchard advisory board members will receive specific questions this month about their individual goals for the district and what the site location issues are, including if their ultimate goal is to separate from the district. 

Superintendent Dale Martin provided a recap of the last two advisory board meetings, the last of which the Orchard board voted 4-0 in favor to request the Unified Board come up with a site location agreement that is suitable to both Clearwater and Orchard.

Board members spent much of the meeting debating whether to wait until after the feasibility study with Ewing is completed in January to form a decision on the future of Clearwater-Orchard. 

Teri Hergert questioned if the study was “being done only from the angle of consolidation.” Martin said that was a major part of the study but not all-encompassing.

Hergert said she didn’t feel consolidation with Ewing would be supported by the Orchard community.

“I have trouble believing the Orchard community will go for consolidation. They would have to see something of pretty special significant savings. Otherwise, I don’t see that happening.”

Hergert asked if Ewing only wants to consolidate but Orchard won’t consolidation, “Is it a stalemate before the feasibility study is even completed?”

Martin said it’s impossible to know tax dollars or savings until the study is complete. He said Ewing is expected to make a decision on future co-oping at Thursday’s board meeting in Ewing. 

Joe Thiele said he planned to attend the meeting to hear what is discussed. Thiele said he hopes the study makes the decision easy.

“I hope it comes out black and white, not gray, and there’s one thing that sticks out as the answer,” he said.
Marty Kerkman asked if the Clearwater-Orchard site location decision is made prior to the completion of the feasibility study, then why have the study.

“It don’t make a lot of sense,” he said. 

Terra Williby said the Unified decision should be made prior to the study so that “whatever Ewing decides, they’re coming into a stable environment.”

Peggy Liska of Verdigre said before she can make a decision, she wants to know the goals of the eight advisor board members. The other members appeared to agree and eventually decided to create a questionnaire for the members to fill out privately without the influence of other board members. 

 “The things I want to know before making this decision is I want to know what Orchard’s goal is, what Clearwater’s goals. Obviously, the goal is not the same or we would have a goal that’s supported by both,” she said. “So I need to know what their goal is of advisory boards because I really don’t understand why this hasn’t been resolved.”

She added, “I also want to know if both boards — both schools — are going to support it if the Unified District makes this decision because if they’re both not going to support it, there’s no reason to make it.”

Liska continued with her questions and  said she wants to know if both Clearwater and Orchard support the Unified District “or are they looking to get out because I think if those things have been said amongst board members and that discussion has been held, I think as a Unified Board, we deserved to know that because I guarantee you that discussion has never happened in Verdigre.”

Martin said due to motions made at last week’s board meeting by both advisory boards, the boards will no longer have site location on their agendas. 

Clearwater voted to table all discussion until after the feasibility study, and Orchard voted to send the decision to the Unified Board. Martin pointed out that although they may not appear to be the same motion, they have a similar result, which is that both motions ended advisory discussion.

The six members of the Unified Board will send the questions they want answered to Martin, who will compile them and sent the questionnaire to the eight advisory members prior to the July meeting. 

Also discussed at Monday’s meeting was the practice schedule for Clearwater-Orchard that has encompassed much of the advisory board meetings. Both Liska and Marty Konopasek told the members that Verdigre and Niobrara rotate practices and have tried to divide games appropriately if one school has more practices.

​The other board members listened and weighed in with their opinions, all of which Martin said would be taken into consideration.  Martin said that while the practice rotation is an administrative decision, they hoped to have a resolution that would be supported by the boards and communities.