North Platte school board elects officers, adopts GIS mapping policy and names legal counsel

Emily Garrick was elected president of the North Platte Public Schools Board of Education on Jan. 13, 2025, during the district’s annual organizational meeting at McKinley Education Center. The board also elected Joanne Lundgren as vice president and named Cindy O’Connor secretary, approved routine organizational appointments and voted to adopt a mapping-data policy that would allow the district to apply for state funding to create GIS building maps for first responders.

The votes set leadership and administrative roles for 2025 and cleared several procedural items the board reviews each January. The mapping-data policy (policy 6043) was presented as a one-time approval to permit a grant application under Legislative Bill 1329, which funds school building mapping; Dr. Rhodes said the policy authorizes sharing building mapping with first responders and that the policy itself carries no direct cost to the district.

Board members said the reorganizational decisions are largely ministerial but important for operations: electing officers, appointing treasurers and fiscal agents, confirming legal counsel and naming newspaper(s) of record ensure the district can transact business, sign checks and meet public-notice requirements.

The board also received its monthly financial and budget report from Stuart Simpson, executive director of finance, facilities and operations. Simpson highlighted enrollment trends (elementary enrollment roughly flat over four years), the district’s adopted budget comparison to year-to-date expenditures and an asset-allocation summary. He said the district paid off bonds in December and was winding down ESSER-related building fund expenditures. Board members asked for a follow-up on the number of early graduates reported in December; Simpson said the…