Orchard Board Holds Emergency Meeting On Site Location

An emergency meeting of the original Orchard Board of Education was held Monday evening in the school library to discuss both site location and unified activities between Clearwater and Orchard Public Schools.

Although no action was taken at the meeting, which served as discussion only, Orchard board members clearly want to remain partnered with Clearwater for both school and activities.

Board members discussed a potential motion for Wednesday's meeting to dissolve the current agreement with Clearwater. They said that would allow for a future motion to change the site location arrangement between Clearwater and Orchard but still put in concrete that Clearwater-Orchard will be the Cyclones in activities for the following year. 

"If we can make a motion Wednesday night and agree upon at the end of what school year to dissolve the original motion and devise a permanent plan by February 2016 or May 2016, then that would mean we would stay together and we're still Cyclones," Candice Hoke said.

Superintendent Dale Martin said he would email the Nebraska Schools Activities Association on Wednesday following the meeting to tell them that Clearwater-Orchard will be a combined athletically for 2016-17.

Hoke told the board she spoke with Clearwater board member Amy Thiele about a permanent arrangement to have the middle school in Clearwater and high school in Orchard.

"That's not what we want. That's a nice offer, but we want to share. We don't want ownership," she said. 

Hoke said the emergency meeting was to decide what Orchard wants since what was offered by Clearwater isn't what they want. 

Martin said he will support "anything we come up with because I think we need some agreement on something."

After much discussion, Hoke said she wanted to "agree to dissolve to go forward and talk." She said it will best to continue talking as a board and come up with the plan on how to move forward.

"There's some serious division that's happening, and we have got to get over that and come to a calm agreement," Terri Hergert said.