VALENTINE, Neb. - Two more new faces will be greeting students at Valentine Community Schools this upcoming school year. At this month’s school board meeting, board members approved Cappie West for the elementary special education position and Kayla Markus as the school nurse for both Valentine Middle School and Valentine High School.

“Kayla is very good, very willing, and I’m happy that we have two nurses now,” said Superintendent Mike Halley.

The board also discussed the future of Cutcomb, a rural school with just four students. The school’s teacher recently stepped down, and officials are still searching for a replacement.

Nicole Hotz, a parent at Cutcomb, offered a solution: she said she’d teach if the district can’t find a teacher before the school year begins. Hotz has a college degree in the field, but has let her teaching certification lapse.

“If a better candidate comes up, let’s say in December, I would very willingly step down,” Hotz told the board.

Board members expressed relief and appreciation at the offer, though Hotz would need to renew her certification to be eligible.

“Living an hour away from the district center, it means more than we can say to have a rural school,” Hotz said. “I can get emotional about it.”