Sterling School Board Discusses Graduation Award System

At the March 16 meeting of the Sterling Board of Education, Principal Jacob Davenport discussed Graduation Awards, which provide an opportunity for student recognition. “Under the current system, only two students are recognized: the Valedictorian and the Salutatorian. The proposed Cum Laude system would allow more students to be recognized,” said Davenport. He explained that the purpose of this proposal is twofold. “First, it allows recognition for all students who meet the GPA benchmark, rather than limiting recognition to two students when class rank is often determined by hundredths of a point. Second, it encourages continued academic rigor.”
Davenport said there is concern that in close races for academic rank, students may avoid traditionally challenging courses to protect their GPAs. “While the [cum laude] system would remain competitive, it would encourage students to compete against themselves rather than against others,” he added. This item is scheduled for action at the April regular board meeting.
The Building and Grounds Committee recently met to discuss designs for the addition to the school. On Wednesday, March 25 the whole board will review construction plans. Custodian/Maintenance worker JW Kennedy would like to remove the trees by the playground.
While reviewing bills and claims, Superintendent Riley Arms reported to the board that he has been looking at the 2026-2027 budget and decided to add a Bond Construction Account to the budget report. According to Armes, being able to put in the Bond Construction account will not take away from the existing Special Building Fund.
In the Transportation/AD report, Activities Director Brent Heusman reported that the two new vans the school purchased have arrived. One of these vans will be used for Drivers Education.
In reviewing the MUDECAS and Pioneer Conference meetings, the conference decided to raise admission prices to conference tournament events to $7 for adults and $5 for students to offset the growing costs of putting on these events.
Mr. Armes discussed LB 1071, which includes a private school scholarship program. Section 13 of the amendment (AM2162) directs the Department of Labor to create an Education Savings Account (ESA) scholarship program for K–12 students. Scholarships would be limited to families with incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty level, and the department can set additional rules on award amounts and how funds are used. The Governor originally proposed $7 million for the program, but the Appropriations Committee reduced it to $3.5 million. - LB1219 would place a hard cap of 2% on annual property tax increases for most political subdivisions, including school districts. The bill does not provide a way to make up lost revenue if state funding decreases, which could create significant financial challenges for local governments. It recently advanced out of committee and has been designated as a priority bill. School leaders, particularly Board of Education members, are encouraged to contact their senators to share concerns and explain how factors like contract negotiations and rising costs would make operating under a strict 2% (or possibly 2.5%) cap difficult.