Schools talk as O-M’s closing draws near

The original three-story portion of the Orient-Macksburg Community School that opened in 1922 will be razed early next year.

The district’s school board awarded a contract to Macksburg-based Hilsabeck Dirtwork in the amount of $389,800 during a meeting Monday night. An added $12,000 has been committed for workers to preserve the concrete sign above the building’s main doors that reads “Orient Consolidated School.”

Work is expected to start soon on asbestos abatement and demoliton is likely to commence by February.

The site where that portion of the school now stands will become a grassy area for now, officials said.

Physical Plant and Equipment Levy money will be used for construction costs.

The district, on the brink of a June 30, 2026 dissolvement and currently in a whole-grade sharing agreement with Nodaway Valley, is in the process of making all of its existing facilities ready for their next purpose. For much of the building, and even ball fields, that could likely look like a community center with a fitness center and library, but details are still being ironed out for that by the city of Orient and Orient Area Betterment and Improvement Corporation.

Green Hills AEA currently leases the former O-M art room for Rising Hope Academy, a therapeutic classroom for students from across the area on Individualized Educational Programs.

The building also still houses the Orient Community Library, a fitness room and has been used free of charge by Nodaway Valley for some practices early in the winter sports season as part of the whole-grade sharing agreement.

Both boards meet

The O-M and NV boards also met together Monday. They talked about various aspects of the whole-grade sharing agreement and upcoming dissolution for about 40 minutes.

In addition to facilities matters, the boards looked over graduation requirements and details for graduation, which is slated for May 17. NV administrators plan to speak with the six O-M seniors attending there before the Christmas break to gather input on their wishes for graduation.

There will be likely be one ceremony in Greenfield, though other arrangements may be made by the O-M seniors to have a small celebration of their own, if they wish. For this year, there will be separate valedictorians and salutatorians recognized but one awards night. The NV leaders present were open to hearing about any O-M graduation traditions seniors may want included.

Once O-M’s dissolution is final and the district is closed, NV’s board would like to somehow add representation from O-M to their board. They understand the law to read that the deadline for doing that is the May after the dissolution — in this case, May 2027 — but they don’t see anything that prohibits them from taking that action sooner. NV has a five-person board that is a combination of at-large and territory-specific directors.

O-M Board President Jana Scott thanked NV leadership for hiring so many former O-M staff and for putting to use much of the curriculum and supplies left after O-M ceased hosting classes.

The two boards are tentatively scheduled to meet together again in April.