School Board votes to co-op with Osmond

RANDOLPH - After months of discussions, public meetings and surveys, Randolph Public School Board members approved a sports co-op with neighboring Osmond with no comment.

The school board unanimously approved the sports co-op at its regular meeting Monday night. Only three from the public attended and no one offered any discussion prior to the vote.

The co-op joins the two schools in junior high football, junior high basketball and high school basketball starting in the fall and lasting two academic years. Superintendent Jeff Hoesing

Superintendent Jeff Hoesing said he appreciated all of the work that went into the process since Osmond first approached administrators about the potential co-op last fall. “I’m happy with the efforts

“I’m happy with the efforts of our patrons, the efforts of our athletic director and principal in communicating, sentiments expressed by the public during all of the meetings. I’m pretty proud to be associated with Randolph because of that process,” he said.

The Osmond Public Schools Board also met on Monday night and passed the sports co-op with Randolph on a 5-1 vote with school board member Larry Krohn the lone ‘No’ vote.

Athletic Director Ted Stubbs said now that the two schools have agreed to the two-year coop, the real work begins.

“I feel like the easy part is over,” he said after Monday’s meeting. “Now it’s time to get down to it and start working on it.”

From schedules and coaches to a unified name, mascot and colors - there remains many unknowns.

Both schools would utilize their own facilities and coaches from both schools would be involved. The co-op would put the joint team in Class C2 competing in the Lewis & Clark Conference, Stubbs said last month at a public meeting in which patrons from both schools gathered to ask questions.

The initial thinking is that any school coming from the west will play at Osmond. Schools coming from the east will play in Randolph. Big games may have to be played in Randolph as the facility can accommodate more seating, Stubbs said.

How expenses and income are handled will be modeled after how Randolph currently handles finances with its wrestling co-op with Laurel-Concord-Coleridge. The cost each district has to bear will be similar. Gate admissions will be receipted to a co-op fund that is shared, Hoesing said at last month’s meeting.

Options for a new co-op mascot and colors would be led by each school’s student councils and voted on by the student body, said Randolph Principal Brandi Bartels.

Stubbs echoed Hoesing’s sentiments about the transparent approach of both Osmond and Randolph boards, and the public’s participation.

“I feel good about the whole process. I think we did it right,” he said. “We spent a lot of time on it. It wasn’t just decided in one day that we’re going to do it. We looked at the pros and cons and went about it in the right way. ... For the most part it was very positive. There’s some people that aren’t going to be real happy about it. When you make a decision like this, it’s not going to make everybody happy.”

At Monday night’s meeting, the board also:

- Approved a probationary teacher’s contract for Jianna Sorensen for middle school math for the 2022-23 school year.

- Approved an interlocal agreement with Nebraska Choice Joint Utilities Management Program for natural gas pricing and supply.

- Heard reports from Elementary Principal Mary Miller and High School Principal Brandi Bartels about past and upcoming events; and student achievement tests.

- Reviewed information provided by Preschool Teacher Stephanie Harder.

- Reviewed information about the high school Social Studies program.