Residents press board on transparency and taxes; new Bitcoin education nonprofit offers district resources

At the public‑comment portion of the meeting, three speakers addressed the board with concerns and offers of community resources.

Jim Stewart urged more direct dialogue between the board and the public, criticized a lack of transparency in board decisions and suggested ways to keep meetings efficient. "There can be dialogue if you allow it," Stewart said, arguing that repetition could be reduced and that some reports could be emailed in advance to shorten meeting time (public comment, SEG 174–190).

Resident Yvonne To Colston (gave address on the record) questioned the return on local property-tax dollars, telling the board the district receives 58% of the funds taxpayers pay and urging the district to seek cost savings before automatically raising levies. She also said she had contacted the Nebraska attorney general’s office to ask whether a resolution passed last month was legally binding, and urged the district to do more to prevent recurring graffiti and property damage (public comment, SEG 250–291).

Evan Eggert introduced himself as executive director of a newly formed Nebraska Bitcoin Association, described the group as a nonpartisan nonprofit resource for schools and offered curriculum materials and books for the high school library. "We are announcing our organization as a resource to schools across the state," he said, and invited staff to connect about classroom resources (public comment, SEG 299–336).

The board thanked the speakers and invited follow-up discussions outside the public-comment period. The president reiterated that, under the Open Meetings Act, the board cannot engage in free-form question-and-answer during public comment, but staff and board members offered to meet with speakers after the meeting to follow up on specific concerns.