Herman Elementary School to Close at End of School Year

By Brandon Lavaley, Tekamah-Herman Superintendent

As have been a part of many of my articles, the future of the district is a topic at the forefront of attention for many of our district patrons. At our most recent Board meeting, there was discussion of two pressing issues that directly affect the future of Tekamah-Herman Schools.

The Board of Education took action and unanimously decided that this would be the last year that classes would be held at Herman Elementary School. While it is something that has been discussed many times in recent years, it was still a difficult decision for the Board. The Herman Elementary School has been a wonderful institution for so many teachers and students that have been educated in our district. The closing of the doors does not diminish the significance of the education or memories of any one individual’s time at Herman Elementary. However, with significantly diminishing enrollments and fewer staff members necessary, the Board and Administration felt it was in the best interest of the district to move all of our students and staff members to the Tekamah campus.

The second major area of interest addressed at the regular Board meeting was reporting of the committee meeting between representatives of the Tekamah-Herman and Oakland-Craig Boards of Education. These merger conversations have been taking place, on and off, for at least the past 30 years. At the most recent meeting, the primary focus of the conversation revolved around the programming and curriculum offerings potentially provided by a merged district. The Oakland-Craig Board was to have a Board retreat on Wednesday, December 16^th to discuss all of their potential future options. It is the understanding of the Tekamah-Herman Board that Oakland-Craig will make a decision on pursuing a cooperative effort with Tekamah-Herman at the regular January Board meeting. At that time, our district is hopeful that we can move toward meaningful facility improvements for the students of Tekamah-Herman, however they may appear.

While the two areas discussed evoke strong emotions, I think the Board of Education is to be commended for attempting to focus on progress and moving the district forward. It is not a goal of the Board to close a school building or consolidate a district, but those conversations must take place and decisions made in the best interest of our students. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a Board member or myself. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Brandon Lavaley, Tekamah-Herman Superintendent