GIPS Board of Education to Interview Four Ward A Candidates

GRAND ISLAND (Neb.) — The Grand Island Public Schools Board of Education plans to interview four candidates for the vacant Ward A seat this week. 

The interviews will take place at the GIPS regular Board meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 12th, 2026.  The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. as scheduled with the interviews taking place after the Board votes on the monthly consent agenda and time for public comment. 

At this time, the GIPS Board of Education intends to interview the full-field of qualified applicants. The Ward A candidates are:
-Amber Harper 
-Sarah Loudy 
-Kenton Mann 
-Ralae Noorlander 

Amber Harper is a Ward A, Grand Island, resident.  Harper currently serves as a Network Service Coordinator at the Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. 

Sarah Loudy is a Ward A, Grand Island, resident.  Loudy currently serves as a Biological Sciences Instructor at Central Community College. 

Dr. Kenton Mann is a Ward A, Grand Island, resident.  Dr. Mann is a retired public school educator and administrator and has served as a Professor of Practice at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. 

Ralae Noorlander is a Ward A, Grand Island, resident. Noorlander has worked in the GIPS district as a substitute teacher. 

After the conclusion of previous agenda items, the Board will enter the “Take Action to Appoint a Board Member to Fill Remainder of Term in Ward A” segment of the meeting.  At which time, the Board will have the opportunity to interview each candidate in public fashion as part of the Open Meetings Act.

At the conclusion of the interviews and discussion, the GIPS Board will take a motion and vote on which candidate to appoint.  If the vote results in a tie, the Board will re-motion and re-vote.  If the tie remains unmoved, the GIPS Board may choose to implement a tie-breaker procedure.

Throughout the interviews, Board members will be taking notes and tabulating scores on interview rubrics provided by the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB).  If the Board opts for a tie breaker, the procedure could involve a tabulation of scores from the NASB interview rubrics.

On January 8th 2026, the GIPS Board accepted the resignation of Board Member Josh Sikes.  Mr. Sikes' new professional opportunities found his family relocating to a different community, rendering vacant his seat on the Board representing Ward A.

After a period of public notice and advertising for the Ward A vacancy, the GIPS Board accepted qualified applications.  The qualifications included:  Must be a resident of the school district, and reside within Ward A, and be a qualified registered voter.

The appointment will be for the remainder of the representative’s term of March 2026 - December 2026. 

The public is invited to attend the GIPS regular Board meeting or watch the live stream on the Grand Island Public Schools YouTube channel.

Meeting details are as follows:
DATE:  Thursday, February 12th, 2026
TIME:  5:30 p.m. start time
VENUE:  Kneale Administration Building Board Room
ADDRESS:  123 S. Webb Road, Grand Island, NE 68802
AGENDA & LIVE STREAM:  Available on the GIPS website:  www.GIPS.org.