Seven vying four open LCC School Board seats

LAUREL - Seven candidates - five incumbents and two new candidates - are seeking four open seats on the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School Board.

The top four vote-getters on Election Day Nov. 8 will be installed on the board. The LCC School Board is reducing its number of board members from nine to seven. The number of members to be elected to four-year terms are four this year, three in 2024 and four in 2026, and so on.

*** Jay Hall Incumbent Jay Hall is finishing his second term on the LCC School Board and wants another term in what’s been an enjoyable experience.

“I want to see the building project through completion,” he said. “I feel like we’ve done good things on the board in the time I’ve been on it. I’d like to continue to serve the patrons.”

Hall is engaged in farming and currently has three children who are students at LCC and one who has graduated from LCC.

Incumbent Angela Johnson has put in the time and effort in learning her role as an LCC School Board member and she wants to continue to give back to the community in seeking a second term.

“Your first year on the board, you are just learning the role,” she said. “I am hoping to continue the work we are doing to give back to the community.”

As part of the board’s policy committee, Johnson has been involved in reviewing and recommending necessary updates. With the project scheduled to continue until December 2024, she hopes to retain her seat to continue the work she’s started.

Johnson said she’s proven to be present and engaged at meetings and has taken the initiative to attend continuing education trainings to further her knowledge of her role as school board member.

“I am invested in the education of our youth and know that LCC is doing great things and has a bright future ahead,” she said. “I hope to be able to continue to work with the team of board members and school administrators to ensure LCC remains the best place to be.”

Johnson is an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and holds a doctorate degree in education.

“My professional role has allowed me to understand the unique challenges college students face today,” she said. “My role as a school board member allows me to incorporate what I know about academia and contribute to the early education of the youth in our community.”

Johnson and her husband, Joel, were both born and raised in Laurel and he is engaged in farming. They have three children attending and one who graduated from LCC.

*** Dan Kuhlman Incumbent Dan Kuhlman is finishing his first term on the LCC School Board and has served as vicepresident for the past two years.

“I’ve gotten a lot of insight into what is going on there with that role,” he said. “I can see a little more behind the scenes stuff being an officer.”

Kuhlman said he’s enjoyed being a part of the committee that reviews LCC school policy and participating in continuing education through the Neb. Association of School Boards.

“I like the direction we’re headed with the school and I’d like to see the building get completed,” he said. “I just want to continue on growing the unity between all of the communities that involve LCC.”

Kuhlman works at FastWyre Broadband. He’s married to Hillary and they have two daughters - one graduated from LCC and the youngest is a junior.

Along with being involved in community boards, he also serves as president of the Community Redevelopment Authority, a subcommittee of the Laurel City Council.

*** Bryan Pippitt Bryan Pippitt is a new candidate for the LCC School Board. His reasons for running are threefold - his two small children - 3 years old and 1 1/2 and another one due in March with his wife, Megan.

“I want to be involved and help make decisions to be a part of it,” he said.

He grew up in a household in which education was very important.

His mother, Karla, taught firstgraders at LCC for 39 years - her entire career. She even taught Pippitt and his brother.

“We were young enough then, we thought it was cool back then. If we were older, it may not have been as cool,” Pippitt said with a smile.

He would like to see better communication between the school and the community.

“People need to be more aware of the decisions being made and know what’s going on at the meetings,” Pippitt said.

He urged voters to choose who they think is the best qualified to serve on the board.

“If they did choose me, the people’s voice in the community will be heard and I’d be doing what’s best for the kids and the school to keep it going for the next generation,” he said.

Pippitt is a Laurel-Concord alum and is engaged in farming.

*** Grant Settje Incumbent Grant Settje admits there’s some stiff competition this year for the LCC School Board.

“You never know who’s going to run,” he said. “Last time we had an election, we didn’t have anybody run. Actually somebody in the group didn’t re-run so we lost a member. So it’s really exciting to see more people wanting to join the school board. There’s a lot of really good candidates.”

Finishing his first term, Settje said he hopes voters choose him for his experience.

“We’ve had a lot of changes and in my opinion, a lot of success. I want to see things through and continue to do better for our students’ education and the community,” he said.

Settje works for Corteva Agriscience. He and his wife moved from Leigh to Laurel about eight years ago. They have three children - one in each school: elementary, middle and high school.

“I get to experience each of the different buildings. It’s fun to hear their stories,” he said.

*** Cade Sohler Cade Sohler said he’s not a politician, but was urged to make a run for a seat on the LCC School Board by others in the community.

“I had people ask me to run and I feel like everybody should serve the community. People asked. I said ‘Yes’ and here I am,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

He’s one of two new candidates and five incumbents seeking four open seats on the school board.

Sohler said most people know him and his family as they’ve been in the community for three generations.

“Everybody pretty much knows who I am and how I feel about things,” he said. “I don’t specifically have an agenda.”

Sohler said the school should reflect the way the community wants it to operate.

“I’m a big fan of less government and more of the will of the people,” he said.

*** Scott Taylor Incumbent Scott Taylor wants to be a part of the solution in keeping Laurel a thriving community and wants to continue to do his part on the LCC School Board.

“You’ve got to be a part of it to make things happen,” he said. “I am running because I have a passion for the community.”

The owner of four local businesses, Taylor said he wants to make sure youth receive the best education possible, realize the importance of small towns and the potential to ultimately raise a family here.

“I’d love to get the kids to come back to our community,” he said.

He said one of the most meaningful things about owning businesses in town is giving youth their first jobs.

“Just to get them their first job is something special, to teach them what it means to be a part of society and the community,” Taylor said.

He is an alum of Laurel Public School and comes from three generations who have made Laurel home. Taylor and his wife, Christy, have three children - the youngest is a junior at LCC.