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OSMOND – Wausa Public Schools and Osmond Community Schools have decided to enter into a cooperative agreement starting with the 2024-25 academic year.
Wausa and Osmond school board members approved the partnership near the end of a nearly 45-minute special joint meeting held on Oct. 26 inside the Osmond school gym.
Osmond school members voted 6-0 in favor of the co-op agreement. Wausa school board members voted 5-1 to approve the partnership, with Pepper West as the lone dissenting vote.
“I just don’t feel like we did our due diligence,” West said after the meeting, adding she wanted Wausa to explore other options more before rushing to partner with Osmond.
Before the co-op agreement was discussed and approved by both boards of education, Osmond School Board President Mark Moes and Wausa School Board President Mike Kumm both addressed meeting attendees.
Kumm noted he appreciates anytime people are active participants in decisions that affect the future.
“I also know that when it comes to someone making a decision that will impact your child, that’s one of the most impactful things that can happen in a parent’s life,” Kumm said.
He sincerely hoped Wausa and Osmond school district parents and patrons can “trust that we’re looking out for the welfare of your students to the best of our abilities.”
Kumm added school board members have to be aware of how their decisions affect all students they serve.
“We have to consider the impact of what we do on the kindergartner as well as the senior,” Kumm said.
He noted Wausa and Osmond school officials are both committed to “ensuring that these schools continue to function for the foreseeable future.”
“We both want to be able to look at our incoming kindergarten class next year and be able to assure them that they’ll have all the opportunities for education and extracurricular activities that everyone wants for their kid,” Kumm said.
He noted a co-op agreement between Wausa and Osmond “is more than just academics” – it is about finding another school district that can be a reliable partner into the future.
“Osmond, Wausa fit each other in so many ways – district size, enrollment, valuation, proximity,” Kumm said. “It’s good to know you have a good neighbor.”
The co-op agreement between Wausa and Osmond will be for four years, with the renewal planning phase to begin no later than the mid-cycle of the agreement for the next round of agreement.
Wrestling, football and FFA are addressed in the co-op agreement, which was displayed on a large overhead screen for meeting attendees. Paper copies of the agreement also were handed out.
Osmond had an immediate need for varsity football, as the school district did not have an eight-man high school team in 2023, the second year of the two-year Nebraska School Activities Association cycle.
Both Wausa and Osmond school officials agreed during their.............
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