HOWELLS, Neb. — It was hard to find much unification in the Dodge and Howells School Districts Tuesday evening.
About 125 people filled the Howells Public School Library for a Dodge school board meeting that resulted in only a few action items being taken up, but a lot of finger-pointing and harsh words as emotions continue to run high over the unification and planned merger next year of the two districts.
The Dodge board did learn it will be looking for a new superintendent.
Randy Marrymee informed board members he will not be returning after his contract expires at the end of June. He has been with the district for four years.
When asked if he would have returned if the merger had not been so cantankerous, Marrymee said, "Certainly."
His announcement came on the heels of accusations he was not following directives from the board.
Board member Paul Pieper said Marrymee changed agenda items for the Dec. 27 meeting and Tuesday's meeting and contacted a lawyer without the board's authorization.
Marrymee said any problems with the agenda were unintentional and he did not initiate contact with an attorney. Another person contacted the attorney and told him of the conversation, Marrymee said.
Most of the 96-minute meeting was filled with accusations, sprinkled with pleas from patrons for cooperation in the name of the students.
Pieper said there is a conflict of interests as the same law firm represents all three boards. He made a motion to terminate the contract with the firm — Perry, Guthery, Haase and Gessford — as representatives of Dodge, but learned the board could not do that because the Unified District handles all financial decisions.
Ron Lund, a Dodge teacher, asked for some reassurance the board would move forward with the merger, but Pieper said he could not give such an assurance.
Lund asked John Ortmeier how he could be listed on the lawsuit brought against the Nebraska State Committee for the Reorganization of School Districts and still serve on the board. Ortmeier said he has asked that his name be removed from the suit, but Lund said it seems Ortmeier still wants the suit to proceed, and it is a conflict of interests.
Once the Dodge board meeting adjourned, Ortmeier asked to talk privately with Richard Coufal, president of the Howells and Unified boards. The two met behind closed doors with Keith Brester and Daryl Hagemann, both members of the Howells and Unified boards, with Pieper joining them later.
Ortmeier said the five met to discuss communication and cooperation.
After the Dodge board earlier tabled the action item to seat the Unified Board, it held two meetings.
Before the first brief meeting started, Coufal announced no action pertaining to the Unified Board would be conducted until after the Jan. 31 recall election of Dodge Board member Al Rolf. But Coufal also said a retreat between the Dodge and Howells boards is to be held as soon as possible.
"Our district requested that we try to postpone anything until after the recall election so we know who our board is actually going to be before we do anything further," Ortmeier said.
The Unified Board finally began its meeting at 11 p.m. — after Marrymee suggested it officially start the meeting per state statute requirements. The meeting lasted three minutes.
But after adjournment, a Dodge official asked about the bills that had not been approved for payment during the meeting, so the Unified Board met for two more minutes to pay its bills and claims.
Rolf made the motion to pay the bills. The Dodge board had voted Dec. 27 to remove him from the Unified Board.
The number of members on the Unified Board also is at issue. Since it was formed June 1, 2011, it has met as a six-member board, three from each school.
Last week, the districts became aware that the unification agreement calls for all members of both boards to serve, making it a 12-member board. A Unified Board agenda item calls for approval of all action items by the board since its inception. Dodge board members objected.
"Our argument is that nothing was done legal up to this point because they didn't have a quorum of the board," Ortmeier said.
Greg Perry, of the Lincoln-based law firm Perry, Guthery, Haase and Gessford, said the Unified Board could ratify its past actions. That opinion was supported by Meagan Neiles of the Nebraska Association of School Boards.
This was scheduled to be a meeting in which big steps were to be taken to move the unification and merger close to fruition.
Many students came to the meeting to find out what the Unified Board would pick for new school names, mascot and team colors.
They stayed up late for no reason as the Unified Board did not address those items.
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