OSMOND — The District 42R Board of Education met Monday, Aug. 11, in an abbreviated session.
Rather than going over every financial report during the meeting, the reports were sent to board members and one of the members, Larry Krohn, met with Superintendent Skip Bremer to discuss the reports.
Bremer suggested using this system to cover financial reports, which will shorten the length of the school board
meetings. It was agreed to try it for a couple months. Board members will take turns meeting with the superintendent each month before the meetings to go over the reports.
Athletic Director’s Report
Athletic Director Brian Guenther reported that fall sports practice
had begun that day, and distributed schedules for junior high volleyball and football.
Guenther also pointed out seven Ne braska Coaches Association Currency Team Academic Excellence Awards the school received for football, boys' cross country, Unified Bowling, girls' basketball, girls' track and field, boys' track and field and boys' golf.
Principal Parsons’ Report
Principal Paige Parsons reported she has had a successful first month as the K-6 principal at Osmond Community School. She has had some quality conversations with staff members, she
said, and has moved into her office.
Ms. Parsons completed an eight-
hour crisis prevention training with 10 staff members and is now certified
for one year. This training supports
the district obligation toward LB705, which is the Behavioral Intervention
Training and Teacher Support Act.
Parsons then gave updates on a number of events and items: Ad- ministrators Day held July 22-25; Acadience training, Aug. 4 at ESU8; teacher in-services, and instructional materials-Rule 10.
Upcoming events include Elemen tary Expectation Stations Day, Aug.
15; ESU8 new principals Zoom, Aug. 20; start benchmarking for elementary, Aug. 25, and UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) training at ESU8, Sept. 2.
Principal Polt’s Report
Principal Kurt Polt reported on upcoming dates, which include teacher in-service days on Aug. 11-13; elementary open house and Chrome - book checkout, Aug. 12, and first day of school, Aug. 14.
Polt advised that the expectation for the kindergarten class is 17 stu - dents, and school enrollment overall is expected to increase slightly over this time last year, as shown by the report of updated school enrollment he handed out.
Sports dates include the jamboree volleyball game at Boyd County on Aug. 25 with the season opener against Wynot on Aug. 28, the first football game Aug. 29 at Wakefield and the first cross country meet Aug. 28 at Hartington.
Polt reported that work on the senior banners has begun, and there will be no school on Sept. 1 for Labor Day. He also reported that, per Rule 10, teachers must have one multi-cultural lesson per semester.
The principal reported that he will be speaking with Security Bank to
find out when the elementary Security Bank will start up again.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Bremer advised that the board would need to vote on adding high school girls' wrestling and starting boys' and girls' high school bowling, with both contingent on forming a co-op for those sports with Plainview, for the 2025-26 school SCHOOL BOARD PREPARES FOR BEGINNING OF YEAR year. Later in the meeting during action items, the board voted in favor of adding those sports.
One of seven Nebraska Coaches Association awards Osmond Community School received
Bremer said the board would also need to set a patron meeting to talk about a football co-op with Plainview (for the 2026-27 year), as a joint community informational meeting. A date was set for Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m., either here or at Plainview. A date, location and details will need to be set for a meeting to make a football co-op decision.
Mr. Bremer reported that the transportation committee is continuing to seek the best value for 10-passenger transit vans. Also the summer room remodels are close to being done. He encouraged everyone to thank the custodial staff for working around it, saying “We’ve got the best custodial staff in the state. I wouldn’t trade them for anything!”
He also reminded the board about the 2025 Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB) area membership meeting in Norfolk on Aug. 27. The Osmond board will be recognized as a board, and three of its members will be recognized as individuals.
The superintendent noted that the budget was discussed at the board retreat, and decisions will be made at a later meeting. He will give a presentation of the budget at the Sept. 8 meeting, the county postcard meeting will be Sept. 16 in Pierce, and he recommended setting Sept. 22 for the public hearing in Osmond.
Bremer also noted that he and principals Parsons and Polt had attended administrator days in Kearney July 23-25.
Committee Reports
Board Member Tyler Gansebom reported that the school/city sign is now up and running, and there will be a meeting to learn how to run it to add events.
Board Member Michelle Reikofski gave an update on a recent meeting of the NASB she had attended.
In answer to a question by a board member, Bremer said that, yes, Paige Kumm had moved into the daycare section of the “yellow building.” He mentioned the possibility of putting in a window, and also said they need to have a smaller sink for the children.
In other action, the board: — recognized Osmond Education Association as the exclusive bargaining agent for the district’s non-supervisory certificated staff to begin bargaining next fall for the 2027-28 contract year.
— approved a transfer to the activity fund of $10,000 and from the general to the depreciation fund of $500,000 to be spent on approved items.
