NIOBRARA COUNTY – During a special meeting held on March 5, the Niobrara County School District #1(NCSD #1) made a motion to place Superintendent Dan Schmidt on paid personal leave until a date to be revisited by the school board.

According to Chairwoman Lexi Ashurst, she was not at liberty to share the reason. However, the board may or may not choose to make any further disclosures on this matter.

“The board voted to place him [Schmidt] on paid time off and we appointed Kathrine Kruse and Dr. Penny Bolinger as co-superintendents,” said Ashurst. “This is so the district can carry forward with normal business. They’re obviously a very important part of the admin team already. They are well-equipped to keep the district going.”

Special meetings are open to the public. Motions are made during the public meeting, which can enter executive sessions as the board chooses. A link to a statement concerning the school board decision was posted on their Facebook page. The full statement can be found at Lusk Tiger Pride, www.growingluskleaders.org