4 ESU board members to retire

COLUMBUS -- The amount of time four individuals have served together on the board of directors for Educational Service Unit 7 spans longer than most careers.

The four -- Esther Mohnsen, Richard Temme, Dianne Sindelar and John Williams -- have been on the board for a combined 60 years.

And now each is vacating their position when their term ends after this month.

The longest serving of the four is Mohnsen, who has been on the board for 19 years. The Leigh woman started by finishing a term for another board member who had stepped down.

Mohnsen, a former teacher and principal, said she thought the ESU would be a good fit for her because of her 30-year background in education. The ESU helps provide assistance to local and area schools in its service area.

She also said she was interested in serving because of her family background. Her father, Peter H. Claussen, was a Nebraska senator from 1957-67.

“My dad was so involved in meetings and the Legislator, and I heard him talk about bills that came before them over the years. My mom was also involved at church. I grew up with parents that were very involved,” Mohnsen said.

The 89-year-old woman sought re-election, but was defeated in November. She said she enjoyed serving on the board, and that her knowledge of the classroom and her past teaching experiences helped her.

The other three individuals didn’t seek re-election because of the new redistricting of the ESU 7. The board will not have “at-large” members anymore, which is what Temme had been.

Temme, 68, of Columbus, put in nine years with the board.

He started with the ESU 7 by taking over for another board member who resigned. He felt it was a good fit for him because of his 20 years of experience in education as a high school science teacher.

“I thought it was a bridge to connect with something I felt strongly about,” Temme said. “I never served on any type of board before, so it was a new experience in that aspect. Being involved in education, it was a bridge to connect with my past.”

Sindelar, 51, is also an at-large elected board member.

The St. Edward woman first ran for the board in 1990 and has served ever since.

“At that point and time I had four kids who were in school and that seemed like a logical thing to do,” Sindelar said about getting involved with the ESU 7.

Now, even though her children are grown and out of high school, she still had an interest in serving on the board because her grandchildren are in school. But, as with Temme, she didn’t seek re-election because of the change in the representation on the board.

The board used to have 11 members, four of whom were at-large members and seven from each of the counties it serves: Boone, Butler, Colfax, Merrick, Nance, Platte and Polk counties. But starting in January, the board will grow to 12 members and will have no at-large members. The 12 seats are based on population of the areas the service unit serves, said Norm Ronell, administrator of ESU 7. Two of the 12 positions still need to be filled on the board. They have been advertising to fill those seats.

Williams, of Albion, has been on the board for 15 years and encourages those who are interested in education to think about serving a term.

“It is a service that if you are interested in education and furthering education in Nebraska, particularly in the northeast section, it is as important to be on the ESU board as it is to be on the local school board,” Williams said.

Williams got his start at the local level.

“I served 12 years on the Albion School Board first. They (ESU 7) had a vacancy or they were looking for someone to fill a position from Boone County, and I ran. My kids were out of high school, but I was still involved in education. I used to be a science teacher, so the interest was still there,” he said.

The 72-year-old said he is glad he had the opportunity to serve with the board for as long as he has.

“I don’t think there is anything more important in this world than education. If we are going to have anything accomplished in the world, it is not going to be by people who have dropped out. It is from people who have worked hard and had a basic education,” Williams said.