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 high school reports midyear and third-quarter early graduations and staff will provide specific counts.

The meeting included a student spotlight and a foundation report. Two high-school students were recognized as Bulldogs of the Month, and Jefferson Elementary students described a wreath-laying visit to Fort McPherson as part of a student-council service project. Teri Birchell of the North Platte Public Schools Foundation reported that year-end giving topped $45,000 and previewed the foundation’s February "Dancing with the Stars" fundraising event.

Votes at a glance: - Elect Emily Garrick as board president — elected (5 votes for Garrick; 1 for Joanne Lundgren). - Elect Joanne Lundgren as vice president — elected (4 votes for Lundgren; 2 for Angela Blasey). - Elect Cindy O’Connor as board secretary — elected (unanimous by written ballot). - Appoint Sheila Furley as board clerk — approved (roll call). - Appoint Stuart Simpson as ex officio treasurer/fiscal agent through June 30, 2025 and Dr. Damon McDonald as ex officio treasurer/fiscal agent beginning July 1, 2025 — approved (roll call). - Appoint Skip Altig as board liaison to the North Platte Public Schools Foundation — approved (roll call; one abstention by Altig). - Appoint Cindy O’Connor, Angela Blasey and Justin Thompson to the Committee on American Civics (Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-724) — approved (roll call). - Accept consent agenda (minutes, resignations, personnel contracts, financial claims) — approved (roll call). - Designate district depositories and direct staff to issue RFPs for banking services — approved (roll call). - Adopt Board of Education meeting calendar for 2025 (regular meetings on second Monday at McKinley) — approved (roll call). - Readopt Board Code of Ethics (policy 2012) — approved (roll call). - Readopt Meetings Policy (policy 2008) — approved (roll call). - Set Committee of the Whole schedule as the last Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m., rotating among district buildings, with exceptions for November and December — approved (roll call). - Adopt Mapping Data Policy (policy 6043) to enable grant application under LB 1329 — approved (roll call). - Designate KSB Law as district legal counsel for 2025 — approved (roll call). - Designate the North Platte Telegraph and the North Platte Bulletin as newspapers of record — approved (roll call). - Appoint Kevin Mills as nondiscrimination compliance coordinator and Kevin Mills (employee affairs) and Brandy Buscher (student affairs) as Title IX coordinators — approved (roll call). - Adjournment — motion approved.

Discussion notes and context: - Mapping-data policy and grant: Dr. Rhodes said the mapping policy is required for the grant application and "the piece that's really important is is we are sharing that building information with all of our first responders." Board members asked about recurring costs to update maps; staff said initial adoption costs nothing but ongoing updates and vendor work are a consideration and that the district is exploring ways the internal tech team could handle updates to reduce vendor rework. LB 1329 was cited as providing a $525,000 statewide appropriation for school mapping; staff said districts collectively have requested more than that amount. - Finance: Simpson noted bond payoffs in December and that ESSER-related building expenditures were concluding; he also said the district adjusted payroll reporting to include health-insurance costs for clearer month-to-month comparisons. The board asked staff to provide a specific count of early high-school graduates reported in December. - Committee of the Whole schedule: the board agreed to continue last-Thursday meetings at 5:30 p.m. and to rotate locations among district buildings to allow members to visit schools; staff said audio capability can be provided at off-site locations though full video streaming will be limited by equipment availability. - Foundation and student reports: Teri Birchell highlighted foundation fundraising and upcoming events; Jefferson Elementary leaders described a student service project of laying wreaths at Fort McPherson and the lessons students took from the experience.

Quotes from meeting participants: - Dr. Rhodes, superintendent: "By approving this policy tonight, that means you can apply for a grant that will pay for... the piece that's really important is is we are sharing that building information with all of our first responders." - Braxton Songster, honored student (Bulldog of the Month): "I'm Braxton Songster... I have played orchestra all 4 years."

What happens next: - Staff will submit the mapping grant application consistent with policy 6043 and the LB 1329 process, pursue RFP responses for banking services and provide the board with requested follow-ups — including the exact count of early graduates reported in December and details on any ongoing costs associated with maintaining GIS building maps if the grant is not awarded. The board will publish the rotating Committee of the Whole schedule once exact building assignments and dates are finalized.

Ending note: The meeting followed organizational procedures required by the Nebraska Open Meetings Act and included multiple ministerial votes required annually to ensure signature authority, records, and public-notice responsibilities were in place for the new board year.