Orchard Board 'Excited' About Meeting With Ewing

School boards from Orchard and Ewing will meet Wednesday evening to discuss possible reorganization and future options.

Orchard president Candice Hoke said she’s looking forward to the meeting and is open to all conversation and options.

“I think that’s their intent — fact finding,” Hoke said. “I’m excited they’ve invited us to do this.”

Hoke said she wants to be “open minded and pro-active.”

The meeting will be at 8 p.m. at Orchard Public School in the business room. The open meeting will be live streamed on the Antelope County News.

The only item on the agenda is the discussion. There will be no action taken at the meeting.

At last week’s Orchard Board of Education meeting, Principal Cathy Cooper told her board that Ewing requested the meeting. Members said they were open to discussions with Ewing and weren’t limiting those to Ewing joining the Nebraska Unified District.

Hoke said she doesn’t want Ewing to think Orchard “is selling unification” and wants to be open to all conversation and options. Board members agreed and said they want the benefits of unification to be known but that the conversation doesn’t hinge on that aspect.

DeAnna Clifton added that Ewing may not be aware that a unification agreement doesn’t have to be for seven years even though that is the current agreement between Orchard, Clearwater and Verdigre, which make up Nebraska Unified District #1.
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Terri Hergert, who represents Orchard on the Unified Board, said she wanted Ewing to know that not only can the time frame be less, but also that the unification may be dissolved if a school wants out.

“If it’s not working after a year, if you get a majority vote, you can  get out of  it. You’re not tied to it for another three years,” she said. “If for some reason it’s not working or Ewing decides they absolutely don’t like it, it can be reversed and (they can) get out of it.”

Board members said dissolving may be considered a benefit to unification, compared to consolidation, which is “forever bound.” Hergert specifically asked the board if they were only interested in unification, and Kristi Schutt immediately replied, “At this point, we have to open to other options.”

She added, “I’m not totally against consolidation. My whole thing is we need to work into it slowly.”

During discussion of utilizing teaching staff from multiple schools, Hergert said combing classes with Verdigre would be difficult geographically, which leaves Clearwater and Ewing as closer options.

“Do we need to protect ourselves so we don’t end up on an island out there by ourselves?” she asked. Nate Schwager immediately responded, “Definitely.”

Hoke said it was important to discuss goals with Ewing to see if theirs were in common with Orchard’s. She asked if goals were to improve curriculum, use existing buildings and keep some grades in the towns.

Sports co-ops were also discussed as a topic for the meeting since Orchard, Clearwater and Ewing co-op junior high sports, except for football. Clearwater and Orchard co-op at the high school level. The football co-op is set for another year, but the other OC sports must be submitted after Christmas.

​Terra Williby, who participated in the meeting via telephone, said she was encouraged by Ewing’s initiative to set up the meeting. “I think it’s a positive step, and we have to go in with an open mind to hear out everyone’s concerns and try to make something work,” she said.
Schwager shared the enthusiasm and said the meeting “is the first of many meetings."