SARGENT – At first glance, it appeared as though the entire town of Sargent had packed the school’s library on Tuesday night. At second glance, it appeared that the whole town and their families were there.
Well over 60 citizens, some well over 60 and many well under, all Sargent Bulldogs and Twin Loup Wolves past and present, gathered in solidarity against a momentous February decision by the Sargent School Board: the sudden non-renewal of Principal Cory Grint’s contract.
Grint, set to move to Ansley in the fall, has seemingly worn more hats for Sargent’s schools than letters in his official job title; Principal Grint, in the eyes of one student present to voice her frustration, has placed the building, its 170-plus students and 35 staff members square upon his shoulders, and marched it month by month through 17 academic calendars.
“In my 12 years of going here, I have seen Mr. Grint do a lot of jobs not in his job description. He’s a bus driver, a janitor, a substitute teacher, a guidance counselor, a proctor, a lunch lady, a volleyball line judge, and a clock runner, and many more. Not only does he do all these things, but he does so with a smile and a positive attitude.”
A letter read on behalf of Sargent faculty member LuAnn Schauda measured the perimeter of the crater to be left by Grint’s departure.
“As I’m sure you are aware, there’s a severe teacher shortage. It is difficult to attract new school employees to our community. We still need to hire a Special Education Teacher and an Agriculture Education Teacher due to retirement. To my knowledge, there have only been two applications for these positions. Adding and trying to fill a Principal position, Curriculum Director, Instructional Coach, and Athletic Director to the list of needed positions in Sargent is going to be difficult this late in the year, and finding good applicants nearly impossible.”
The outrage from the Sargent community stemmed not just from the unceremonious release of their principal, but how it was done: the Sargent School Board allegedly made the decision to let Grint go without prior public discussion or due process entitled a principal, bringing to Sargent’s mind heavy scrutiny of the board’s integrity, and bringing to speak Sargent alum and parent Mickey Schneider.
“Is anybody on this board going to make it clear to the public here tonight what led up to the events of the February meeting? Not everyone here was in attendance, and not everyone knows. There’s a lot of stuff being said, and we don’t know the facts.”
Tami Phillips, Sargent’s 6th-grade teacher and 27-year teaching veteran, accused the school board of seeing a full picture of the school only on paper.
“You as a school board member are the face of this school. You vote on items, you discuss agendas. But what do you really know about what’s going on in this school in the trenches, everyday activities? To be honest, some of you are only here for meetings, or only when there’s a problem, so I’d like to know where you get your information when you vote on certain issues like contracts or personnel.”
Her sentiment was matched by applause, amplified by calls for the resignations of several school board members, and, as the board entered a 40-minute executive session just before its 10:07 p.m. adjournment, itched by whispers of a recall election.
During the session, between trading tales and well-wishes with nearly all present, the outgoing Principal Grint, a 5th generation Sargent student, pointed not to the darkness of his departure, but to the beacon that called him back.
“I think the community showed up not just for my situation; it’s because we care about our school, and I think the community wanted to express that, that we need to do this and do this right to keep a quality school, not just a building, and that’s why I’m so proud of my community for showing up.”
To conclude the meeting, Principal Grint delivered his own remarks, and then with his town went home, no doubt wearing the warmest and most comfortable of all his hats: citizen of Sargent, Nebraska.
