The following is a press release issued by Falls City Administration. The following statement is a summary of a meeting held on November 17th, at the FCHS Media Center. The criteria for attendance at the meeting were parents of current and prospective 8th -11th grade football players.  The meeting was to give information related to the “state of our football program” and gather information from the parents that would impact the decision to play 8- man or 11-man football.

Administration wanted the meeting to be smaller so current and prospective play-ers’ parents could speak openly, honestly, and freely. We believe that goal was accomplished.   It was not a meeting to discuss the former coach and his removal.  Twenty-three players parents attended the meeting.

The football program faces low participation, with a majority of underclassmen and significant safety concerns if remaining in 11-man football.  The choice between 8-man and 11-man football centers on safety, participation, player development, and playoff eligibility.

8-man football is favored by most stakeholders for safety and increased Junior Varsity opportunities, despite temporary playoff ineligibility.  The school board will receive a recommendation by administration and will make the final decision based on yesterday’s meeting and student survey information.

Parents felt the coaching changes may have impacted morale and may affect fu-ture participation; it was also stated that a coaching change could lead to players returning to the sport, to be determined.

Building a positive experience for athletes, increasing participation, and developing young players are key long-term goals.  If the decision is to play 8-man, The school would be looking again at the next 2-year cycle to return to 11-man foot-ball and become playoff eligible.  The community is encouraged to focus on supporting students/athletes and recruiting more players, regardless of format or coach.

A special Falls City Public Schools Board of Education Meeting, will take place, Monday, November 24, 2025 at 5:00:00 PM. where discussion and action will take place  on going 11 man or 8 man for football for the next two-year cycle.

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In a press release issued by Falls City Public School, Falls City Activities Director Gale Dunkhas stated the following, “Falls City High School has made the decision that Jack Bangert will no longer serve in the role as Head Football Coach, effective immediately.  Unfortunately, our on-field performance has not lived up to the expectation we have for the program.  This decision will allow us to move forward, in what we believe, will be in the best long-term interest of the football program.

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Prichard Auditorium hadn’t hosted a celebrity in years. What was once a venue hosting boxing, Jesse Owens and the Harlem Globetrotters had gone largely underutilized recently. That is until Larry the Cable Guy, AKA Dan Whitney, brought his “Larry’s Nebraska Road Trip” comedy show to Falls City.

Larry’s tour kicked off on January 23 in Kearney and will end on March 2 in Chadron after nine stops across the state. Larry, a native of Pawnee City, is donating proceeds from the tour to Theatre Programs in his performing areas. The Falls City High School and Sacred Heart High School Theatre Programs will split the proceeds from the show.

How you know Larry depends on your age. In the 1990s, Dan began his career by making regular appearances on the radio, namely 101.9 The Edge of Omaha and the Todd and Tyler Show, as his character Larry the Cable Guy. The Cable Guy, as he was often known, is known worldwide for his redneck attire and made the phrase “Git-R-Done” famous.

In the early 2000s, he was a member of the “Blue Collar Comedy Tour,” which included comedians Bill Engvall, Ron White and Jeff Foxworthy.

The next age group knows Larry as the beloved rusty tow truck Mater from the 2006 hit Disney/Pixar movie Cars. The movie features an all-star cast of voice actors and was a box office hit, bringing in $462 million. Larry made subsequent appearances as Mater in Cars 2 and Cars 3.

The newest generation may know Larry from his time on The Masked Singer in 2021 or from his Netflix standup special, Larry the Cable Guy: Remain Seated, from 2020.

Whatever or wherever you may know him from, Larry has become a worldwide sensation and has brought laughter to millions.

Since creating The Git-R-Done Foundations, Larry has donated over $7 million to various charities.

Lines began at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, as many braved the cold as the lines wrapped around the building until the doors opened at 5:00 p.m. Approximately 1,600 tickets were sold to the event, one of the largest crowds at the facility in recent memory.

Larry told the sold-out audience that it was great to give back to the theatre departments of Sacred Heart and Falls City and that he was proud to be from southeast Nebraska.

Special guest Nick Hoff, a Hastings native, warmed the crowd up, and Larry kept the full house laughing for nearly 90 minutes.

Larry will be recording a comedy special featuring all new material on Saturday, March 15, at the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Florida.

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As part of his English II class assignment for the past four years, Falls City Public School teacher Jason Bredemeier has donated $500 to various charities.

Bredemeier has his Sophomore English class write persuasive speeches about different charities. They can choose from a list or pick their own. They dive deep into the background of the charity, the problems it tackles, and the services it provides. It’s all about raising awareness and helping out.

Most of the time, students pick a charity close to their hearts, something they have a personal connection with. Their speeches have to be three to five minutes long, backed by at least three sources. They even create visual aids to make their speeches more impactful.

After writing their speeches, the students can present them in front of the class. Not only does Mr. Bredemeier grade them, but he also encourages the students to evaluate each other’s speeches based on the quality of the speech and the impact of the charity’s work. 

It’s a project Bredemeier said he fell in love with when he helped with a Public Speaking Class through SCC. One of the teachers, Jacob Bonander, used to do the assignment every year with his persuasive speech. After Bonander stopped teaching the class, other teachers used the assignment, and after a few years, Bredemeier decided to incorporate the charity portion into his persuasive speech assignment. 

“It’s now become one of my favorite assignments of all time that I do in my classroom,” stated Bredemeier. “After all of the speeches have been given, I add up all the scores, and the highest score is the winner for their class. I have four English II classes, so I have four different winners. I donate $25 to each of the winning charities each year. Sometimes, I donate extra if there is merchandise involved. For example, I donated extra money to the World Wildlife Fund last year and got a panda hoodie. I wear that hoodie to school every once in a while to remind the students of the positive impact that they can make in life.”

Over the past few years, the winners have included 2020: Madi Jones – Africa Impact Foundation; Alexis Miller – Coral Reef Alliance; Gaby Niedfeldt – JDRF (Type 1 Diabetes); Reece McNeely – Freedom Service Dogs. 

2021: Emily Vitosh – Trevor Project; Grace Morris – Boys and  Girls Clubs of America; Lexi Brewer – Richardson County Cancer Fund; Kinley Scholl – Sammy’s Superheroes.

2022: Sierrah Vermeer – National Multiple Sclerosis Society; Trinity Pierce – American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Emilou Schulenberg – World Wildlife Fund; Konner Keim – Nebraska Humane Society.

This school year’s winners were Addy Sayer – Make a Wish.

“This charity provides the services of making children’s wishes come true so they can live life to the fullest. A prime example of this is a 12-year-old boy named Samuel, whose greatest wish was to become an officer in the Columbian army. Although he has bone cancer, the Make-A-Wish Foundation found ways to make his wish come true. He got to spend a day meeting troops, watching drills, and even getting his own military uniform. Wishes like this bring hope to kids like Samuel. These wishes coming true inspires kids to look to the future and helps them cope with their treatment journey. But they need help to continue granting these wishes. Did you know that the average cost of one wish is $9,000? Although they raise around $7.5 million dollars annually, this is still not enough. There are still an estimated 27,000 children in the United States that are diagnosed with a qualifying condition for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They need our help to give these innocent children the wishes they deserve. According to the Make-A-Wish website, there are several things you can do to help this charity and support them. You can become a volunteer, donate money, donate airline miles, and even adopt a wish. There are so many ways you can transform these kids’ lives. They have over 24,000 volunteers who love to help these children.”

Ella Glathar – Donate Life America. 

“Donate Life America does a number of things to spread their mission. They provide access to sign up to be a donor. Most people do this when they register for their driver’s license at 16. They sell license plates to spread awareness. They are $40, and 75% of the money goes to the DLA education fund. Their education fund shares stories of organ donation and breaks the stigma around it. If you go on the DLA website, there are many families’ stories shared. 

My personal story is my Uncle Chris. On June 23, 2013, my uncle suddenly passed away. Thankfully, he was an organ donor. His heart, lungs, kidney, and tissue were donated. Some recipients have gotten in touch with us, but one recipient has continued to stay in touch with us over the years. On June 24, 2013, Dave Hetzel got a second chance at life by receiving my uncle’s heart. If my uncle had not clicked yes, Dave would’ve missed his two children and six grandchildren’s lives. Without organ donation, our families would not have come together, and Dave wouldn’t have had his second chance at life. To contribute to Donate Life America, you can fundraise on behalf of DLA. My grandma has done this multiple times at events uptown. She gives out registration forms, flyers, and cool swag, like these sunglasses. The easiest option is to just become an organ donor. If you aren’t already, you can register online at RegisterMe.org or do it at the DMV. Some people become a living donor where they donate a kidney and or liver whilst living. Another way to donate is just to donate money. This will go towards their education fund.”

Gavin Bauer – Special Olympics.

“What does Special Olympics do? According to specialolympics.org, they “strive to create a better world by accepting and including everyone.” Special Olympics teaches and finds skills among the intellectually disabled. Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competitions based on Olympic-type sports. According to specialolympics.org, “to qualify, you must be at least eight years old and identity by an agency or professional as having one of these conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays, or significant learning or vocational problems.” Special Olympics includes more than 5.5 million athletes, and they have 1.1 million coaches and volunteers around the world, helping with events and more.”

Austin Stewart – MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

“By a show of hands, how many of us have siblings? Well, I used to have three, but due to drunk driving. I lost my nine-year-old brother, Brandon, on June 15, 2022. We all thought at one point in our lives that we wished our siblings would just leave and never come back. Well, I thought that about all my brothers, Brandon, Colton, and Ethan. But when we got the news of Brandon’s passing, it was like living in a nightmare. I can’t go back in time and change the outcome of the tragedy, and if I were to, I’d hold him and never let go. I’d tell him how much I love him. I’d protect him no matter what. I think I failed as a brother and that has to stick with me for the rest of my life until I take my final breath and finally be reunited with my baby brother—enough about me. Let me tell you about a nonprofit charity called Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD for short. According to MADD 43.6% of fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs, 13,384 people died from drunk driving in 2021, and 4,300 people under the age of 21 are killed each year due to drunk driving and Brandon sadly fell into the group of 13,384 people. MADD’s goal is to end drunk driving so you don’t have to go through what I do. I wouldn’t wish this upon my greatest enemy.

MADD is trying worldwide to stop this senseless crime, and with your help in donating, you could save lives because you never know when or where this could happen. I sure as hell didn’t think it would happen to our family. And you don’t know if it could happen to your family. According to Alcohol.org, Since 1980, MADD reports that they have helped to cut drunk driving deaths in half and saved around 350,000 lives. The victims of drunk and drugged driving crashes are not statistics. They are mothers, children, spouses and brothers. Brandon, if I could say one last thing to you, it would be that you were an amazing brother, and I love you with all my heart.”

Using his role as a teacher, Mr. Bredemeier aims for more engagement from her students with issues outside of the classroom, hoping the kids know the positive impact they can make when they feel passionate about giving back to the world.

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January 15, 2024 at the Central Office at Falls City Middle School

The agenda sequence is provided as a courtesy. The board reserves the right to consider items in the sequence it deems appropriate. Therefore, we encourage patrons to attend the meeting from the beginning.

1.0 Business Items:

1.1 Roll Call, Open Meetings Act Notice, and Pledge of Allegiance

1.2 Approval of Absences

1.3 Verification of Advanced Publication

1.4 Approval of Agenda

1.5 Approval of Previous Minutes

1.6 Approval of Claims

1.7 Public Comment

1.8 Approval of Treasurer’s Report

1.9 Reorganization of the Board of Education

2.0 Informational Items/Reports:

2.1 Staff/Student/Organization Reports:

2.2 Principal Reports:

2.3 Board President’s Report:

2.4 Superintendent’s Report:

2.4a Legislative & Organization Update

2.4b School Improvement & Strategic Plan Update

2.4c District Resources / Budget

2.4d Policy Governance

2.4e Building & Grounds Update

2.4f Superintendent Meetings

2.4g Board Member Meetings

2.4h Other

2.5 Board Committee Reports:

3.0 Old/New Action Items:

3.1 Final Reading on Policy Reviews and Revisions

3.2 Resignations

3.3 Master Teacher Contract

3.4 Other

4.0 Executive Session: Requested by member, approved by majority, as per statute

5.0 Adjournment and Next Meetings: The next regular monthly Board of Education meeting is scheduled for February 12, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. in the Central Office in Falls City Middle School. Regular and special meeting agendas are kept in the Office of the Superintendent. Board Committee meetings TBD.

ZNEZ

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The school district shall provide leave to its employees in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”). The terms used herein shall have the meaning ascribed to them under the FMLA.  Employees may also qualify for leave under the Nebraska Family Military Leave Act, which is covered under the district’s policy for that law.  If an employee qualifies for leave under both the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Nebraska Military Leave Act, any leave taken by the employee will count concurrently toward the leave limits of both acts.  

I. Qualifying for Leave-A. Qualified Employees 

1. To be eligible for unpaid leave under this policy, an employee must: a. Make the request for leave at a time when the school district employs 50 or more workers; b. Have been working for the school district for at least 12 months prior to the request; and c. Have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave.

2. The applicable 12-month period for computing an employee’s entitlement to FMLA leave shall be the 12-month period measured forward from the date such employee’s first FMLA leave begins.

3. Employees ineligible for FMLA leave for any reason may be eligible for leave under the Nebraska Family Military Leave Act and should consult policy 4011.1.

B. Qualified Circumstances Necessitating Leave

1. The school district will grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave under the following conditions: a. For birth of a son or daughter, and to care for the newborn child; b. For placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care; c. To care for the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; d. Because of a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of his or her job; or e. Because of any qualifying urgent need or demand arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a Military Member on Covered Active Duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to Covered Active Duty) in National Guard, Reserves, and/or Regular Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation

2. The school district will grant an eligible employee who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin of a Covered Service member a total of 26 workweeks of unpaid leave during a 12-month period to care for the service member as permitted under the FMLA.  The leave described in this paragraph shall only be available during a single 12-month period.  

 For purposes of this provision and this policy, “Covered Service member” includes both Military Members and covered Veterans, so long as the covered Veteran was  discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable at any time during the five-year period prior to the first date the eligible  employee takes FMLA leave to care for the covered Veteran.

3. During the single 12-month period described in paragraph I(B)(2), an eligible employee shall be entitled to a combined total of 26 workweeks of leave under paragraphs I(B)(1) and I(B)(2).  Nothing in this paragraph shall limit the availability of leave under paragraph I(B)(1) during any other 12-month period.

C. Limitations on Leave. 1. Leave for birth or placement for adoption or foster care must conclude within 12 months of the birth or placement.

2. In any case in which a husband and wife both employed by the school district are entitled to FMLA leave: a. The aggregate number of workweeks of FMLA leave to which both are entitled is limited to 12 during any 12-month period if such leave is taken (i) because of the birth of a son or daughter of the employee and in order to care for such son or daughter; (ii) because of the placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care; or (iii) to care for a sick parent who has a serious health condition; and b. The aggregate number of workweeks of FMLA leave to which both that husband and wife are entitled is limited to 26 during the single 12-month period in which leave is taken to care for a Covered Servicemember and the husband and wife employees are both either the son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of such Covered Servicemember, if the leave is taken for this reason or a combination of this reason and one of the three reasons described in paragraph I(C)(2)(a).  If the leave taken by the husband and wife includes leave described in paragraph I(C)(2)(a), the limitation in paragraph I(C)(2)(a) shall apply to the leave described in I(C)(2)(a). 

D. Qualifying Notice and Certification-Employees seeking to use FMLA leave will be required to provide: 1. 30-day advance notice when the need to take the leave is foreseeable; provided, if (a) the leave is for needed treatment which is required to begin in less than thirty days or (b) the leave is for the reason set forth in paragraph I(B)(1)(e), the employee shall provide such notice to the school district as is reasonable and practical; 2. Medical certification supporting the need for leave due to a Serious Health Condition affecting the employee or family member or to care for a Military Member, and/or due to a Serious Injury or Illness to care for a Veteran; 3. Second or third medical opinions and periodic re-certifications (at the school district’s expense); 

4. Certification supporting the need for leave because of a qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter or parent is a Military Member on Covered Active Duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to Covered Active Duty) in the National Guard, Reserves, and/or Regular Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation;

5. Certification supporting the need for leave to care for a Veteran who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable at any time during the five-year period prior to the first date the eligible employee takes FMLA leave to care for the covered Veteran, and who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy for a Serious Injury or Illness; and 6. Periodic reports during leave, at a frequency reasonably requested by the superintendent, regarding the employee’s status and intent to return to work.

E. Scheduling Leave; When leave is needed to care for a family member, for the employee’s own illness, or to care for a Covered Service member, and such leave is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, the employee must attempt to schedule treatment so as not to unduly disrupt the school district’s operations.

II. Relationship with District During Leave

A. Leave to Be Unpaid. All leave provided to employees under the provisions of the FMLA and this policy shall be unpaid leave.

B. Substitution of Paid Leave. 1. The school district requires employees to substitute any accrued paid vacation leave, paid personal leave, paid family leave, paid medical leave or paid sick leave for FMLA leave.  However, nothing in this policy shall require the school district to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the school district would not normally provide such paid leave.

2. If an employee uses paid leave under circumstances which do not qualify as FMLA leave, the leave will not count against the number of workweeks of FMLA leave to which the employee is entitled.

3. Any paid leave which is substituted for FMLA leave will be subtracted from the number of workweeks of unpaid leave provided by the FMLA and this policy.

C. Group Health Plan Benefits

1. The school district will continue group health plan benefits on the same basis as coverage would have been provided if the employee had been continuously employed during the FMLA leave period.  

2. Any share of health plan premiums which have been paid by the employee prior to FMLA leave must continue to be paid by the employee during the FMLA leave period.

D. Intermittent or Reduced-Schedule Leave

1. Leave may be taken under this policy intermittently or on a reduced-leave schedule under certain circumstances. a. When leave is taken because of a birth or because of a placement of a child for adoption or foster care, an eligible employee may take leave intermittently or on a reduced-leave schedule only with the agreement of the school district.  In such a case, the superintendent shall have the authority to approve or disapprove such intermittent or reduced leave schedule, in the superintendent’s sole discretion; b. When leave is taken to care for a sick family member, for an employee’s own serious health condition, or to care for a covered Veteran or Military Member, an eligible employee may take leave intermittently or on a reduced-leave schedule when medically necessary. c. When leave is taken by an eligible employee because of any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a Military Member on Covered Active Duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to Covered Active Duty) in National Guard, Reserves, and/or Regular Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation, the employee may take leave intermittently or on a reduced-leave schedule. d. When leave is taken by an eligible employee to care for a Covered Servicemember, including a Veteran who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable at any time during the five-year period prior to the first date the eligible employee takes FMLA leave to care for the covered Veteran, and who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy for a Serious Injury or Illness e. Intermittent or reduced leave shall not result in a reduction in the employee’s total amount of leave beyond the amount of leave actually taken. f. When an instructional employee seeks to take intermittent leave in connection with a family or personal illness (e.g. physical therapy or periodic care for a sick relative) or to care for a covered Veteran or Military Member, and when such leave would constitute at least 20 percent of the total number of working days in the period during which the leave would extend, the school district may require the employee to elect to take leave in a block, instead of intermittently, for the entire period or to transfer to an available alternative position within the school system that is equivalent in pay, for which the employee is qualified, and which better accommodates the intermittent leave.

2. If an eligible employee requests intermittent leave or leave on a reduced-leave schedule that is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, including during a period of recovery from a serious health condition, the school district may require the employee to transfer temporarily to an available alternative position for which the employee is qualified and which better accommodates recurring periods of leave than does the employee’s regular position.  Such alternative position must have equivalent pay and benefits as the employee’s permanent position.

3. Leave taken on an intermittent or reduced-schedule basis will be tracked hourly.

III. Return from Leave. A. Restoration to Position 1. On return from FMLA leave, an employee is entitled to be returned to the same position the employee held when leave commenced, or to an equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment.

2. Any leave taken under this policy will not result in the loss of any employment benefits accrued prior to the date on which the leave commenced.

3. An eligible employee is not entitled to accrual of any seniority or employment benefits during any period of leave, or any right, benefit, or position of employment other than to which the employee would have been entitled had the employee not taken leave.

B. Denial of Restoration. 1. The school district reserves the right to deny restoration to any eligible employee who is a “key employee” (that is an employee who is salaried and among the highest paid 10% of the employees of the school district) if such denial is necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the operations of the school district.  

2. If the school district intends to deny restoration to such an employee, it will: a. notify the employee of his/her status as a “key employee” in response to the employee’s notice of intent to take FMLA leave; b. notify the employee as soon as the school district decides it will deny job restoration and explain the reasons for this decision; c. offer the employee a reasonable opportunity to return to work from FMLA leave after giving this notice; and d. make a final determination as to whether reinstatement will be denied at the end of the leave period if the employee then requests restoration.

C. Failure to Return from Leave. If an employee fails to return from FMLA leave after the period of leave to which the employee is entitled has expired, the employee shall reimburse the district for any premiums the employer paid for maintaining health insurance coverage for the employee during the employee’s FMLA leave unless the reason the employee does not return is due to: (1) the continuation, recurrence, or onset of the serious health condition which entitled the employee to FMLA leave and the employee provides the district with sufficient certification from the proper health care provider of such continuation, recurrence, or onset of the serious health condition or (2) other circumstances beyond the employee’s control.

IV. Notice to Employees

A. The school district will post in conspicuous places where employees are employed notices explaining the FMLA and providing information concerning the procedures for filing complaints of FMLA violations with the U.S. Wage and Hour Division.

B. When an employee provides notice of the need for FMLA leave, the school district shall provide the employee with a copy of the “section 301(c) notice” which is attached to this policy.

C. To the extent that any provision in this policy is in any manner inconsistent with the provisions of the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder, the Act and regulations shall prevail over the provisions of this policy.  The school district reserves the right to modify this policy from time to time in its sole discretion.

D. Employees may direct any questions or concerns regarding FMLA leave to the superintendent.

Adopted:  June 11, 2012; Revised:  November 14, 2016; Revised: April 13, 2020; September 11, 2023.

FALLS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD POLICY CODE:  7147 SELF-MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES OR ASTHMA / ANAPHYLAXIS

Upon receiving the written request of a student’s parent or guardian and the written medical authorization described in the applicable provisions below, the school district will work with the parent or guardian in consultation with appropriate medical professionals to develop a medical management plan for a student with diabetes, asthma, or anaphylaxis (referred to herein as “medical condition”).    

A student with diabetes must obtain written authorization to self-manage from the student’s physician.  The plan for a student with diabetes will (a) identify the health care services the student may receive at school, (b) evaluate the student’s understanding of and ability to self-manage his or her medical condition, (c) permit regular monitoring of the student’s self-management by an appropriately credentialed health care professional, and (d) be signed by the student’s parent or guardian and the physician responsible for the student’s medical condition.  

A student with asthma or anaphylaxis must obtain written authorization to self-manage from the student’s physician or from the health care professional who prescribed the medication for treatment of the student’s condition.  The plan for a student with asthma or anaphylaxis will (a) identify the health care services the student may receive at school, (b) evaluate the student’s understanding of and ability to self-manage his or her medical condition, (c) permit regular monitoring of the student’s self-management by an appropriately credentialed health care professional, (d) include the name, purpose, and dosage of the prescription asthma or anaphylaxis medication prescribed for such student, (e) include procedures for storage and access to backup supplies of such prescription asthma or anaphylaxis medication, and (f) be signed by the student’s parent or guardian and the physician or other health care professional responsible for the student’s medical condition.  

Adopted:  August 8, 2016; Reviewed: March 9, 2020; Reviewed: September 11, 2023.

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According to the state statute, residential properties and commercial properties are to be assessed at 92-100 percent of market value and agriculture land is to be assessed at 69-75 percent of market value. The level of value is based on historical sales that have occurred in the County. For Agricultural and Commercial properties, the past three years of sales are used and for residential properties, the past two years of sales are used. Nebraska Department of Revenue- Property Assessment Division has put together an information guide on Real property Assessment found here  – https://revenue.nebraska.gov/sites/revenue.nebraska.gov/files/doc/pad/info/Real_Property_Assessment.pdf 

If you have any questions on your assessment, please contact the Richardson County Assessor at 402-245-4012, or stop by the Richardson County Assessor’s Office at 1700 Stone Street, Room 102, Falls City, NE. 

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Everything looked up to par in the 100m dash prelims as Thompson, racing against a stacked Class B field, qualified for the finals with a 12.53. An hour later, Thompson came out of the blocks in the third heat of the 400m prelims and looked uncomfortable by turn two. By the time she reached the final straightaway, she was noticeably limping and reaching for what looked to be her left hamstring. After reaching the finish line, Thompson immediately went into the medical tent to be evaluated. To the surprise of many, she emerged with good news; she was cleared to run in the 200m dash just over an hour away. 

No one could have blamed her if she chose not to run in the race, but the competitor in Thompson wasn’t going out that way in her final state meet. Thompson, the winner of the 200 in 2021 and the silver medalist last spring, mustered enough strength and determination to not only finish the race but to qualify for finals with a 25.90. 

Maybe the gods of track and field were smiling down on Burke Stadium; perhaps the injury was enough to slow her down but not enough to stop her, or maybe sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it’s just too much to overcome. 

On Thursday afternoon, the sky came tumbling down for the two-time defending Class B 100m state champion. Thompson came out of the blocks looking as good as ever, but by the 25m mark, she leaped in pain, grabbing her leg and falling to the track surface moments later as the other runners crossed the finish line. Unable to finish the race, Thompson had to be carted off the track as tears streamed down her cheeks. 

What began as a chance to be immortalized as a three-time champion soon faded for Richardson County’s most decorated female athlete. 

As the end of the meet drew near, Thompson limped to the starting blocks of the 200m dash. When the gun went off, she slowly made her way around the curve, hitting the straightaway to the applause of the thousands in attendance. As she crossed the finish line, the other seven competitors were waiting with their arms wide open, waiting to embrace Thompson. Her final school race ended with an eighth-place medal at 1:44.73. 

Her time may have been the slowest she’s ever run, but it may have meant more to her than any race she ever finished. Champions aren’t always the ones who cross the finish line first; champions show grit and determination and that’s exactly what led Thompson to finish the last race of her decorated high school career, proving that she indeed is a champion. 

When asked about her emotions entering her final race, Thompson said, “I just wish I could have actually run instead of having to walk. I’m just glad I got a medal for my senior year.” 

Thompson wasn’t the only Tiger competing at Burke High School last week. On Wednesday afternoon, Junior Ashleigh Kirkendall hit the starting blocks for the 100m hurdles. Kirkendall ran a 16.00 at the district meet at Platteview High School to qualify for state. Running out of lane seven in the third heat, Kirkendall cleared the hurdles and crossed the finish line in 16.86, missing the qualifying time for finals by about one second.

The post Injuries limit Tiger’s Thompson at state appeared first on THE FALLS CITY JOURNAL.

Ankrom introduced Burke Brown, who mediated the event. Brown is the I.T. person from District OR1 in Palmyra and the president of the Capital District for the Nebraska State Educational Association. 

The questions were prepared by a committee made up of Susan Finlay, the Media Specialist at Falls City High School; Jamie Milam, the sixth-grade teacher at Falls City Middle School and Kim Oliver, the Title I teacher at Falls City North School. 

Brown addressed the crowd and candidates, explaining his role as moderator for the debate. His role was to ask essential questions to the candidates as they sought to serve the Falls City Public Schools community as elected school board members. Time was also kept for questions, as each candidate had up to two minutes. Occasionally, Brown could add to the dialogue by rewording questions, asking for clarification or restating main points. At no point, though, could his intent be of persuasion. 

The debate was to be an exchange of ideas to help the community reach a more critically informed understanding of the topics affecting Falls City Public schools to promote an appreciation among participants and the community for the diversity of opinion that emerges when ideas are exchanged openly and honestly and to ultimately bring clarity to the voters in District #56. 

“Let us all embrace these ideas with the spirit of learning and let us ensure a high level of respect for the candidates and their willingness to serve Falls City Public Schools,” said Brown.

Candidates in attendance were Justin Courtney, Teresa Olberding, Cassondra Goff and Anthony Johansen. Robin Ankrom states, “Our sole purpose was to let the community hear the candidates and make an educated decision when they vote. I invited all the candidates, and John [Martin] and Richard [Malcolm] chose not to attend.”

The Falls City Journal has printed the questions in the order they were asked during the debate. Answers are exactly as they were answered and were only edited for redundancy. 

State your reasons for wanting to run for the Board of Education?

Justin Courtney: My name is Justin Courtney and I have four kids or three kids within the district and South school, North School, and high school. And I’ve sat on a school board before in Missouri and found it important to run.

Teresa Olberding: Hi, I’m Teresa Olberding; I have been on the school board in the past. Eight years ago, I served for eight years. I will have grandchildren coming into the district soon. I feel that it’s very important that we have a school board that works for the good of our district and students are important and I feel it in my heart that I need to be on the school board again.

Cassondra Goff: Good evening, everyone. My name is Cassondra Goff. I also have three children that are or will be in this district. I am a conservative businesswoman who has a lot of financial background and experience. I’m currently a regional vice president for Farm Credit Services of America and my husband and family farm here. So conservative values are very important, but also the values of my children’s education, as they’re all in this district, is very important to me also.

Anthony Johansen: My name is Anthony Johansen. I graduated from Falls City Public School in 1999, and my wife did as well. I’ve got a fourth-grade son, a seventh-grade daughter, and four-year-old that’ll be in the district here in another year. I love my kids; I care about my kids and I want what’s best for my kids. And there are some things that have arisen in the last year or so that I do not believe need to be in our schools. And that is why I’m running.

Please share a vision you have for Falls City public schools that will set you apart from the other candidates.

Teresa Olberding: I feel that we have a good resource in our Southeast Community College building or satellite school here and I think that it can be utilized more. I don’t know exactly how that can be accomplished. I know that there are programs out there that are benefiting our students and our community. I feel that we should maybe tap into that and see if there’s some more education that we can provide for students going into the future. Not everyone is going to go on to a four-year college and if we can give them heads up and maybe become a part of our community here and not leave our community. I think we need to look into that and see if that’s a possibility.

Cassondra Goff: So the vision that I have for our students and our school is to bring the best teachers into our district and to be able to do that, we’ve got to be competitive with pay, we’ve got to be competitive with benefits. But when we do that, we need to keep the parents involved. And that’s what’s going to be most successful for our students is having the parents and their values and working together with the teachers to have the best education for our students.

Anthony Johansen: I got to be honest with you; there are six people running for this spot. And there are things that have taken place that a lot of people don’t agree with. Things that are coming to the schools that shouldn’t be in the schools, you know, and I truly wish the other two were here. You know, they’re the incumbents. But that’s fine. If they choose not to be here, we can lead the way. That’s why we’re running. One of the questions that was in the questionnaire from the teachers was are we running as individual candidates, or a group of candidates and I found that was interesting. We are running as individuals. And to be quite honest with you, I don’t know that there’s a lot that I disagree with that with the four of us sitting up here. We all want school to be taught what we were taught, you know, reading, writing, arithmetic, science, accurate history of this country. And that’s about it. You know, so to say that I differ from these four sitting here, I don’t know that I do that much. But from the two that chose to not be here, there are a lot of differences.

Justin Courtney: Okay, so I’m not from here. I wasn’t raised here. I didn’t grow up here. So I don’t know a whole lot about the past of Falls City, but me and my wife invest in technology companies and things like that. And if you know, looking at my kids, especially my oldest kid, you know, a four-year degree is not something he’s looking forward to. Like candidate two said, technology. Use of that technology building, technology schools, more opportunity for kids to get into crafts or trades, trade schools, things like that, making them more of an option and making more people aware of the open opportunity for kids to do things like that. I think would be a good step in the right direction for the labor force moving forward.

Please identify what roles, if any, should the district assume in dealing with such societal issues such as poverty, hunger, emotional illness, trauma, or drug abuse.

Cassondra Goff: Our students come to school and they should have a safe spot where they have an open relationship with a teacher or confidant if they choose so. But it’s always very important that the parents are brought into that picture also. So, you know, of course, we want our kids fed and to go home to a safe spot, but never should it be in a measure that we’re distancing the parents from these decisions and we’re not bringing the parents or the caregivers into those decisions. So kind of going back to what I said earlier, you know, to make our school the best, we’ve got to bring the parents and the teachers together and be able to work and get the best students out of it.

Anthony Johansen: I think that the schools need to help kids all they can. We all know that it just seems more and more that kids come from broken homes or abusive homes or homes that have drugs in them, you know and the school needs to be a place where the kids can come to, you know, where they can feel safe, where they know the teachers care about them, where they know the administrators care about him. Somewhere that you know that they feel comfortable where they can just feel safe and secure. That comes with, you know, relationships built between the teachers and the students. I think we’ve got a good group of teachers that are doing a pretty good job. And, you know, I think we’re handling that for the most part.

Justin Courtney: Like any after-school programs, I can help with that. I don’t know how to say it, but you know, it’s pretty easy to spot the adults in this community that are meth heads and stuff like that. And you see them with kids and you see it, it just makes you sick to your stomach. We work with, I’m the commissioner of the NFL Flag Football League and we see it every Saturday. Kids that have parents that are engaged with the kids; parents that are not, so anything the school can do to, you know, after-school programs, things like that to give kids, extra meal programs on the weekend. I don’t know if they do that here. We did that in Missouri, where they could take a sack lunch home on Friday for Saturday and Sunday. Just any programs like that.

Teresa Olberding: Unfortunately, kids today, all of those things so many face and I know there’s a large number of our students that face at least one, if not a lot, of those issues. I believe our school programs where the lunches are free or reduced. I as far as I know, we still do the backpack program for the lunches on the weekend. As far as the trauma and the emotional issues, kids in our district need to know that they have counselors and teachers that they can go to that will keep confidentiality. Unfortunately, the home life is not what it should be for kids in that situation. So as long as our schools can provide that for students, it’s very important that they have someplace to go and unfortunately, the school district does need to pick up those types of programs that will bridge the gap that kids aren’t getting at home.

Please share two to three strengths in which our district can be proud and why do you think these are strengths. 

Anthony Johansen: I think there’s a lot of things; like I said, I think we’ve got it. A good bunch of teachers that care about their kids. I’ve got a list of every teacher my daughter Bella had and she’s in seventh grade. And out of that list, I’ve got one out of seven that we didn’t think was fit and she’s no longer here, to be quite honest with you. So, I got a good group of teachers, that’s something to be proud of. You know, I think Falls City has a lot to offer. I think it’s a great place to be a great place to raise your kids in a small town with small-town values. That’s great. It’s all I got.

Justin Courtney: We moved over here from Missouri-Mound City actually, because, one, the town was pretty much dying. So, we wanted to be in a bigger school district, a better school district than what we were prior to that. That was about four, four and a half years ago. I was excited; I was excited for our kids to athletically and educationally to be in a bigger district. So, I’m excited, you know, even for today, I’m still excited for the kids to have that opportunity, athletically. There’s way more opportunity for recreational and school. And you know, it’s opportunity in this town as well, with a couple of businesses and factories that this town has. So we were, I was excited to come here and my kids have a bigger opportunity. I came from a town of about 12,000 people. So, from, I think it was 2,400, no 1,700, 2,400? Whatever it is, to what is it 4,200 here? 4,500? So even that jump was awesome. And you know, all our kids were K through 12 in Missouri, and now the kids are separated to more of a group of kids they can associate with and have social groups. I don’t know how many I listed. But there’s got to be three there. Right?

Teresa Olberding: We do have a very good staff of educators; they’re very caring. You can tell that by setting this up tonight. So, we’re all here and voicing our stand. That is very important for our students. Teachers are with students so much of the day and they have a very strong influence on how the student is, what they learn and making them into good people; not just education, but they’re also there for their well-being. We have good programs for our underprivileged and also our SPED program. I know we have a lot of kids that have problems and we have always done what we can to help those students achieve and go on and be able to be a part of society.

Cassondra Goff: Number one is our teachers. Echoing what some of the other candidates said, our teachers are the best thing we have in this district. My two older kids have been in school and most of the time, at the end of the school year, they’re not happy it’s over because they’re sad, they’re going to miss their teacher and they’re not going to be able to be in their class next year. And it’s disappointing to them, which is good because they feel comfortable, you know? If there’s any issues, there’s great communication between the teachers and you can tell they definitely care about their students. So that’s a huge strength for our district. Our district also has a lot of opportunity, whether it be between the sports to the video game club or team or whatever it is to drama to music, you know, we’ve got a wide array-agriculture. There’s all kinds of things our students can be involved in. And that’s an awesome opportunity, especially when they’re deciding what they want to do later in life. And then, you know, the other asset to our district is the community that we live in. There’s always parents willing to lend a helping hand to, you know, cook, hundreds of baked goods for the PIE bake sale, or whatever it is, so that’s a huge asset is the parents that live in this district and that are willing to be so involved with their students.

What do you see as the three biggest challenges that we’ll be facing Falls City public schools in the next four years? What are the three challenges you see?

Justin Courtney: Well, inflation is going to be the biggest one right now. I mean, 70 percent of marriages, would survive on $500 more or within the households. So that’s going to be huge, you know, as we’re trending to be, you know, prices rising and getting worse and going to continue to get worse. What was the question again?

You know, financially’s going to be one. I don’t know, are the class sizes getting smaller? A little bit, are we going to be able to keep all the teachers and all the faculty that we have? I don’t know what we have going on there. But, you know, keeping everybody involved. You know, if people leave this smaller community to find better jobs, things like that, it’s going to be an issue. Then the third one is-kind of a tough question to lead with, thank you. You know, just community, as times get tougher, is community going to hold together, you know, if people can stay positive. That’s always important, you know. So that’s about all I got on that. 

Teresa Olberding: I agree; this is a tough question. I think that the changes in society and culture, in how that affects all of us and what responsibilities or possibly even mandates will come down that we will have to handle as a district and how we will handle those things. Testing, it seems like when I was on the school board, the last time the state has different testing, right? Specifications that need to be handled if that puts us pressure on our teachers. I don’t know. That’s something, since I haven’t been in the school board for eight years I don’t know how that has progressed. I know in the past, it’s been a problem to find time for teachers to teach and also test. Third problem? I don’t know.

Cassondra Goff: Well, I think the first challenge is remembering that the teachers and the parents are on the same page. A lot of you know, the social-emotional learning and some of the stuff that came through the school board. And it was very well painted that it was a group of parents who were against the teachers. And that was absolutely not the case. And I’ve actually been sitting on a committee to provide a recommendation for that social-emotional learning. And it was actually alarming to me when talking to the teachers and realizing that what they were wanting to teach wasn’t even in the curriculum that we were teaching. So, you know, my biggest challenge to them was, let’s do better. Let’s find a curriculum that’s doing what you want and is also bringing the parents in and accomplishing what we need to accomplish. So I think keeping our eyes on the end goal and the prize, which is doing the best for our students, is going to be one of our biggest challenges and it’s not going to be-it cannot be an us versus them situation. Number two, I think we’ve already seen it a little bit, is faculty replacement and or faculty recruitment. I mean, kind of the location we live in makes it a little bit hard to, you know, get the best because, you know, the fact of the matter is that living two hours from many major cities is kind of hard, especially when you’re a young teacher, or a young businessperson. And then third is going to be the financial portion of it. I mean, we live in an ag community and at some point, this economy is going to break and inflation is going to get the best of us; our commodity, prices are going to go down. And we’re going to have a challenge when that budget is squeezed in the schools.

Anthony Johansen: Well, they’ve given me all the answers for this and I’m lucky to go fourth, so you know, I think the inflation, obviously, that’s a factor that’s already affecting all of our lives every day. So, I think that by, you know, we have a farming operation, we have a construction company, we have a trucking company, you know, obviously, we have to balance budgets on all that stuff. I think we do a pretty fair job of it; they’re all successful and profitable, you know, I can bring that to the school board and help out with things. One example is that, you’re probably going to hate me for this, but the diesel that we burn in our semis every day is $2.63 right now. Not $5, you know, things like that, we could see what was coming down the road. I heard somebody at a school board meeting say that two years ago, they had no idea the things that were happening would be happening. Well, we did, you know, and we’re saving tens of thousands of dollars and things like that, where you know, you have to have the foresight of things that, that you feel are coming down the road that you can do things in advance or balance things out. You can do things like that, to save money and not have to worry about, I mean, if we have the same amount of kids, you need the same amount of teachers, so that’s obviously not an option, in my opinion, you know? So, the second thing probably would be, Cassondra hit it, social-emotional learning, critical race theory, comprehensive sex education, you know, those are things that obviously, with the way society is going, are going to try and get pushed into our school systems. I got 15 seconds. I don’t agree with that at all. So, I’m going to keep that out.

Curriculum adoption and implementation is critical in meeting the mission of Falls City Public Schools. Do you have any specific changes that you would like to make in the curriculum offered in our district? 

Teresa Olberding: I do not have any curriculum, or I don’t personally have any changes I see, needed.

I believe our teachers have good input on curriculum and if they have changes that they feel are needed, I’m sure that they will bring that forward and it will be discussed and if changes are necessary, it will be done at that time.

Cassondra Goff: I do not have any specific changes at this time. However, what I will tell you is if I am elected on the school board, I will make sure that I do my resource research. And I will also use the people who are professionals. I’m not a curriculum professional. Finance and agriculture is my forte. But just like in my own business, I use an accountant or a lawyer and whatever else I need to, to be successful. And so, you know, I will use those same resources, whether it be the teachers, the curriculum director, you know, do my own research, find out what we need to do to make sure that we are providing the best curriculum for our students.

Anthony Johansen: I hit on that a little bit on the last question, the last answer. But, you know, overall, I think things are in pretty good shape. I would say that I think we need to promote tech schools maybe a little bit more than what we do. You know, this town has a shortage of plumbers, it has a shortage of electricians, it has a shortage of, you know, a lot of positions where people have to go out and get dirty and sweat all day long. I think that’s a society thing. You know, I think we need to promote that. It’s a need and those are good paying jobs that, you know, if you want to work hard for it, there’s money to be made there. You know, kids need to understand that. It’s not all about going to college for four years and coming out $120,000 in debt and then looking for a job after that’s over with. I mean, that’s one I think we need to make sure that we’re teaching kids about finance, about balancing budgets, about what interest is, especially right now, with that being six/seven percent. That’s not a whole lot of fun. You know, they need to understand that, you know, understand what it is to borrow money, how to balance a budget, and just basics to have, you know, to have success in life, if you’re, if you’re in debt over your head, you know, that’s, that’s not a good place to be, you know, it’s hard to have success when that’s happening. Third thing, like I said, overall, I think things are pretty darn well. Third thing is just make sure that kids understand, you know, the true history of the United States, where it came from, where it’s been, what it’s been through to correct it, you know, wrongs and that this is a place to be proud of. Be proud to be American.

Justin Courtney: As long as it’s the curriculum that’s mandated by the state, I have no issue with it. I see some things to try to get pushed in. 

No major changes, I think, you know, from what my kids are going through, I think everything’s great. Like Anthony hit on a minute ago, or candidate four that, you know, push more tech, take advantage of that building out there that pretty much sets empty and furthering education and if we’re going to hire a curriculum director, which I still don’t understand why we have to hire a curriculum director, then we utilize them correctly.

What will you do as a board member to address the problems schools face with declining funding, as they also try to meet the challenges of ever-changing enrollment, Children with Special Needs, high-ability learners, the arts and new educational technology? 

Cassondra Goff: First and foremost, you have to have a balanced budget and you need to prioritize where your money needs to be spent. Where are, you know, obviously, getting the good teachers, having the curriculum we need and teaching the core classes that we need the best we can for our students. And so, you know, once I’m on the board, I’ll be able to further analyze what our financial needs are, where, you know, where can money be spent better. Where can we cut costs that aren’t going to, you know, affect as many students. I know there’s been discussions on leasing buses versus owning buses, every dollar counts. So being able to just really understand where the money goes and where the needs are, is going to be the most important thing to keep that budget balanced and to be able to get through the tough times when we’re squeezing for cash and still be able to provide that great education for our students.

Anthony Johansen: You know, the decline in funding, like I said, every dollar needs spent, what’s spent, needs spent wisely and effectively. One of the things right now that I think’s going on with the current board is they’re discussing buying a charter bus. You know, if anybody’s driven by our bus barn, I think we have some pretty darn nice buses the way it is. They get a charter bus that won’t fit in the bus barn; it has to be cleaned outside; it has to be maintenanced outside; I think that is a complete waste in my opinion. So that’s one place that we can save. You know, we need to have the number of teachers, we need to teach the kids effectively and once we have that, I think I think we’re set. I think we’re in a pretty good spot right now. But we don’t need to have more people on payroll than what is completely necessary. Like, set right now. I think we’re sitting pretty good. Children with special needs, obviously. I mean, you know, every kid needs to learn; every kid needs attention. You know, there’s an extreme difference between my seventh-grade daughter and my fourth-grade son. Any teachers that have had them will know that. So, whether they’re a high-ability learner or they’re not, or they’re a handful, you know, every kid is going to need attention a little bit differently, but they all deserve the attention. They all need to learn. So, we’ve got to work with all of them.

Justin Courtney: So, start with special needs. Mom-Rita was part of that group that helped start that program. I can’t think the name of it, sorry. I should know this. In Missouri, we helped start a program, we helped fund it, we helped set up the bus routes, all that stuff. We based it out of Maryville, but we ran the financing for it out of Mound City and that was an awesome program. Still is a great program. So that’s, you know, had a lot of fun doing that and creating that opportunity over in Missouri. So, seeing it here they already have it in place and it already works very well from my knowledge; I could be wrong. 

Yeah, always money-always never enough money. Arts and high-ability learning. You know, I never went to school or anything like that, to this school, but I don’t know what they offer for high ability learning here. But I would assume there’s programs, community education, or some type of college night classes is something that’s offered. We had a junior college where I grew up. So, you could always take a two-year education on site and the fourth one was arts and crafts or something like that. Fine arts? 

Education and technology. I was actually in a conference call this morning at about nine o’clock and I might go over just a step. They’re a technology company me and my wife worked with; I was on a call with a buddy of mine through the fuel company, a billion-dollar fuel company out of Oklahoma. And we’re working on a technology program that uses A.I. technology for School Safety and business safety. So, technology’s like one of my favorite things out there. I’m always tinkering with stuff. So, I think there’s a huge avenue in that.

Teresa Olberding: We rely a lot on the superintendent to help us come up with new ideas and ways to make up the difference in funding. You know, obviously, taxes are not the way you always want to go, that affects everyone. And as far as all of the programs that you mentioned, when you see how much money you have to spend, you have to prioritize what we have to provide and what we can provide. So, some of those things, until you get into the situation and you know, what you have, you can’t make a decision. So, until you’re on the board and you see what we have, like Cassondra said, then you prioritize where your money is going to be spent most wisely, after it’s spent, where it has to be spent.

How will you support our schools to ensure our students graduate with the knowledge and skills they need to be college and career ready? 

Anthony Johansen: Well, I think that goes to having teachers and administrators that are dedicated, that you know want what’s best for the kids that want them to succeed. They need to be taught the things that are going to lead them into college or lead them into to a career at work directly after that. I think some of the things that I mentioned earlier, as far as, you know, things that we can maybe enter into our curriculum that will help along with that, you know, as far as trade schools, things of that nature. You know, between the teachers, we have the administrators, you know, overall, I think we’re doing pretty decent right now, like, I mean, I’ve said that before, but, I guess, continue what we’re doing and maybe improve on a few things with other curriculum we can add into it. I think the kids have to want to have success after high school. I mean, that’s another thing, you know, a lot of these homes they come from we we’ve discussed here already. Maybe a teacher can help along with something where they’re not getting home from a parent, you know, some guidance, some mentoring, you know, build some confidence in them too so that when they do take that next step, they’re ready to roll wherever that may be.

Justin Courtney: Well, something we did over in Missouri as a board member that I found to be the most important thing we did was, a couple times a year, we, [the board members] would have to go spend a half a day in the school, a half a day to all day depending on the time of year and all that, but I learned more about the teachers, how the teachers operated and the lack of funding they had in certain areas. One of them was the chemistry lab which at the time was short-funded. The technology class and the typing class, was short funded. So, we learned by sitting in the class for periods of time, learning what the teachers actually needed to operate well. And if you don’t have the funding and the things they need, how are the kids supposed to? So that was one of my big takeaways from Mound City. And, education, you know, colleges, I just read this the other day; I’ve pulled it back up since, in the last 11-12 years, they’re down 3.3 million students, 17 percent. So, are we pushing kids to go to college because that’s what their parents or grandparents did? Or are we pushing them for the right reasons? So, educating them to go to college for a reason, instead of sending them is a big thing and even the graduation rate is lower than that. So, you know, like Anthony said, using tech schools and opportunities like that, or taking trips showing kids-you know, Lincoln and these other schools, or quit putting an expectation for four years, instead of looking at two-year degrees as in junior colleges and things like that to where their books and tuition are free.

Teresa Olberding: As a school board member, the role is to ensure that we retain the good teachers that we have that are teaching our students. As a school board member, we don’t have control over the testing and all the things that go into making sure the students are ready for their future. So, we have to rely heavily on our educators and staff to make sure that our kids are receiving the education that they need so that they can meet those goals. And we can provide as many programs as cost-effective to help them find their place, whether it is a four-year college, or if we do expand-not just the nursing and the welding at SCC but maybe include some other tech areas for them.

Cassondra Goff: Well, you know we’ve discussed pension budget and what that’s going to possibly do. So, I think, you know, as a school board member, you need to be able to be creative. We have a huge number of resources, whether it be our hospital, the factories we have in town, farmers who are looking for help, you need to be able to get a little bit creative and maybe not provide that conventional level of education, but being able to pair people up with mentors and get some of that real-life experience and understand, you know, we don’t want to all just go to a four-year degree and then decide what we’re going to do. We want to go get our nursing degree because this is what we can do. And so, I think exposure and using the resources that we have right here in our community. I know I’ve done a number of different events through 4-H and through the schools coming and speaking to schools, whether it be about finance or what I do on a regular basis. And so just, you know, utilizing the parents and the professionals that we do have in this community is going to be huge. And then, I know, when I worked at Frontier bank, I talked to Mr. Heckenlively about implementing more finance classes. You know, have these students understand what it is to get their first car loan, to be able to get insurance, what it’s going to take to get credit, I mean, just those basic skills when it comes to taking out student loans and understanding what the long-term effects of that are.

How will you remain non-biased in a situation that involves personal beliefs or family relations? Or how do you stay neutral as a board member when it comes down to situations that affect you personally, your family personally, or your values? 

Justin Courtney: So as a board member, to get anything approved, it takes a group of a vote, right, so it has to have an approval by committee. So you know, it’s hard to take for anybody, personal emotions out of some things and see 100 percent because of beliefs and things like that, but common sense goes a long ways. And I think we forget to use common sense a lot of times on issues. So regardless of what your beliefs are and family members and things like that, if you lead with common sense, you’ll go a long way.

Teresa Olberding: Yeah, if we do work as a board, but we all have our own personal beliefs and they’re all going to come out when we have a discussion, then we have to cooperate, we have to listen to one another and come to a compromise because we won’t all see the issue the same. So, we work together to come up with the best solution and you take out your emotions. In as far as any personal members or family members, when there’s an issue that has to be dealt with, you need to-I would take myself out of that position; I wouldn’t have a vote in that. I would abstain from making a decision that I would have a strong personal connection to.

Cassondra Goff: So, as far as the personal beliefs, you need to stick to your core values, first and foremost, so everybody’s going to come in with those core values and ultimately, that’s the reason you’re being voted in because of some of your core values. But you need to allow us to come in with an open mind. A great example of this is the social-emotional learning curriculum that I discussed earlier. You know, part of the reason it was brought to my attention and why I did fight it and show up at the school board and bring a lot of stuff to the attention was because it didn’t align with my values. But digging into it more, I found that it didn’t necessarily align with the school’s values either and talking with the teachers and, you know, it takes you to be able to have those hard conversations with people who don’t necessarily agree with you to figure out what both sides of the fence is. As far as family relation, the only conflict of interest I have is my children attend the school. So, I’m not going to you know; I don’t have family members that are working for the school. So, there is none for me there.

Anthony Johansen: Well, that’s it’s an interesting question. You know, I have one aunt, that is a kindergarten teacher. You know, so as far as family relations, you know, is that what that means? Like, as far as?

Burke Brown: I think it’s asking if you have a child that got called to the principal’s office when “my son decided he was going to punch another child during science class.” And that kind of stuff. So just those kinds of situations.

Anthony Johansen: Anyway, back to my aunt Angie who’s a kindergarten teacher, that is the one family member that I have. We don’t always see eye to eye. A lot of times we do a lot of times we don’t; she’s giving me faces right now. So, there’s probably not going to be bias there. You know, as far as your kids being in the district, I’m not getting on here to get special privileges or anything. Like I said, I love my kids; I care about my kids and I want what’s best for my kids. I have values; I have beliefs that I instill in my kids. You know, Cassondra hit that when we were obviously at a board meeting several months ago, when a bunch of parents were there, you know, everybody talks about rights, rights, rights. I have the right to raise my children, you know; I need them to be educated; I don’t need them to be indoctrinated. You know, and my kids have the right to be left alone. I’m the parent, you know, and the parents have the right to raise your kids; the district has a right to educate them on the things they need educated on. But as far as you know, maybe favoring your kid for something because you’re on the board is, that sounds crazy to me. I mean, we’re here to work for our constituents and to serve the district. I’m not here to get any special privileges or special benefits to my kids.

The candidates each had a final two minutes to give a closing statement on anything they would like to address. 

Teresa Olberding: I enjoyed being on the school board the last stint that I did. I feel it’s very important for our community to have a school board that works together. Yes, everyone has different ideas; that’s human nature, we all should have different ideas, we should all bring those to the board as a whole. Members have a responsibility to the students to provide the best education that we can; we have a responsibility to make sure that we do it within a reasonable financial situation for our constituents. And I just feel that it’s an honor to be able to do that if I get elected. To be there for not just my grandchildren in the future but all students that go to our school district. And go out and vote for whoever you’re going to vote for, go out and vote. That’s the most important thing.

Cassondra Goff: First of all, I would like to thank the Teachers Association for putting on this event tonight. I think it’s a great opportunity for the candidates to express their opinions to get everything kind of out in the open. It is disappointing that the two incumbents weren’t able to make it tonight. But hopefully, that’s their loss for not being able to express their opinions. But wrapping up, it’s just I believe I have a lot to bring to the board. Many of you see me all over the community. I’m a leader in many different organizations, probably too many at some times, but my passion really is just for my kids and for the kids of this community. Because, you know, we’re the only ones that can make it better. We’re the ones who can lead them to get out of their poverty, get out of the situations there at home. So having a successful school is going to be the number one priority there and so, you know, with that, I’m a successful businesswoman. I have a lot of financial experience and I can bring that to the backside of the board as far as balancing the budget and staying, you know, true to the taxpayers because that’s also important. It’s a slippery slope to be able to get everywhere you need to be, but the money is not endless, just like in every situation. So, like Teresa said, get out and vote and I hope to be able to serve you in the next few years.

Anthony Johansen: Thank you for putting this on. I hope that we gave you some answers to think on. I hope you make your decisions on who you want to vote for. As Cassondra said, it’s disappointing the two incumbents aren’t here. I think that’s pretty telling to be quite honest with you. You know, I want to lead, I don’t want to follow; I want to lead. There are a couple of reasons that I am sitting here, that I’m running. Like I said, overall, I think things are pretty well within the district. Like I said, I had a complaint with one teacher and she’s no longer here. And I’ve got the list of every teacher that my daughter has all the way from kindergarten to seventh grade. That’s not why I’m here. The reason I’m here and I’ve expressed this already. I mean, I think we need to stick to the basics, you know, if they would teach my kids what I was taught, you know, in the 80s and 90s. You know, I’m perfectly fine with that; it’s just that when you start, you know, you talk about personal beliefs when you start bringing politics into our schools, that half the population or more than that don’t agree with, you know, there’s not a place for that. I’d like to see that not happen. You know, finance, like I said, we’ve got two or three businesses we have, none of them went broke yet. So I think I can help financially put things in the right direction. And I just, you know, I want what’s best for my kids and I’m what’s best for anybody else’s kids as well. I’d like to work for you. I think I would do a good job serving on this board.

Justin Courtney: All right. So, closing statement is yeah, we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, I get on the board. If I don’t, it’s not the end of world, but I’m hoping I do. You know, I’ve been on a school board before, I care about kids. You know, that’s why we do the NFL, Flag Football League. You know, if you get on Facebook, you’re going to see and hear a lot of things about me that aren’t true by a lot of people I’ve never met. And that’s fine if they got that kind of time, good for them. But I find it amusing that people go that low just to talk about people they’ve never met. But going forward, you know, regardless if I get on the board or not, you know, I’m going to support the school board and support the school and support the teachers. So just see what happens and hopefully I get on, if I don’t, it is what it is. But I’m excited for the future.

The debate was an exchange of ideas to help the community reach a more critically informed understanding of topics affecting Falls City Public Schools. The Falls City Education Association appreciates the open and honest dialogue and hopes it will bring clarity to the voters of Falls City and District #56.

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