A tiny rural district weighing its future with a neighbor
Exploring cooperation with Maywood Public Schools
Medicine Valley Public Schools serves about 200 students in Curtis, in Frontier County in southwest Nebraska. It has two schools: Medicine Valley Elementary and Medicine Valley Jr-Sr High School. A six-member elected Board of Education meets on the second Monday of each month. Superintendent Scott Trimble and Principal Jeff Paben run the schools day to day. Like other Nebraska districts, it is paid for by local property taxes plus state aid, and the board sets a yearly tax levy. In June 2026 the board voted to start talks with Maywood Public Schools about working together, and a reorganization committee now reports at each meeting.
Elected board
Six members: President Austin Klein, Vice President Scott Stout, Treasurer Brian Evans, Secretary Nick Brown, Shane Farr and Tony Fink. Three seats are on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Tax levy
The board used the extra 7% property tax authority the state allows and set the 2026-27 levy at $1.027074 per $100 of value on September 14, 2026.
Maywood talks
On June 8, 2026 the board voted 6-0 to explore cooperation with Maywood Public Schools. No agreement has been reported.
Safety grant
A $500,000 federal COPS grant is paying for cameras, sensors and new doors, and the district must put in about $167,000 of its own money over three years.
The minutes are short and record decisions, not debate. So the reasons behind the Maywood talks and the tax decisions are not explained in the collected records. Talking about cooperation does not mean a merger has been proposed.
Where the district stands
2026-27 property tax levy per $100 of valueverified
1.027 USD
Federal COPS school safety grantverified
500,000 USD
Superintendent salary, 2026-27verified
145,500 USD
Bills, claims and payroll approved, September 2026verified
576,070.53 USD
Enrollment (NCES, district total)context
206 students
Major projects
COPS grant safety upgrades
underway
$211,539 for cameras and sensors and $154,400 for new outside doors, with the federal grant paying three-quarters of each. The door replacement was scheduled through the summer of 2026.
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$500,000 grant award reported
Camera/sensor and door bids approved
Door replacement upcoming
Funding
Federal COPS school safety grant plus district match
Building infrastructure audit
audit done, findings pending
Facility Advocates is auditing the infrastructure of all district buildings. The elementary boiler needs repairs.
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Audit visit announced
Boiler repairs discussed
Funding
Not stated
Cooperation talks with Maywood Public Schools
exploring
The reorganization committee reports each month. The minutes do not say what kind of cooperation is being discussed.
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Board votes to open talks with Maywood
Funding
None stated
Bus barn
bid accepted
TLE Enterprises was hired to build a bus barn.
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Tabled
$54,000 bid accepted
Funding
District budget
Local elections & school board members
Elections & votes
Board electionScheduled
Medicine Valley Board of Education election, November 3, 2026
Medicine Valley Public Schools (Frontier County)
Three board seats are on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot, with voters picking up to three. Frontier County's March 2026 election notice listed incumbents Shane Farr, Tony J. Fink and Nick Brown as the candidates. The board's January and February 2026 agendas noted the board election and the February 17, 2026 deadline for incumbents to refile.
Board of Education agendas and minutes (October 2025 to October 2026) from the district's public Google Drive folders, the September 2025 budget-hearing notices, Board Policy 6113 on phones and the student handbook. The board roster comes from the district's website.
Get alerts for Medicine Valley Public Schools
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
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