Dr. Kent Mann was appointed Feb. 12 to the Grand Island Public Schools Board of Education. (Courtesy photo)
GRAND ISLAND – A retired Grand Island Senior High School principal who said he “bleeds purple and gold” was appointed Feb. 12 to fill a vacant Ward A position on the Grand Island Public Schools Board of Education.
On the initial ballot, six of eight Board of Education members voted in an open roll call to appoint Dr. Kent Mann. Then, the Board of Education voted 8-0 to appoint Mann.
“I’m an Islander forever,” Mann said during his interview.
Mann brings 44 years of experience in education to the position, including serving 19 years as principal of Grand Island Senior High School. He has served as a teacher, elementary school principal, middle school principal, high school principal and superintendent in roles in public schools in Nebraska and Kansas. He has also served on the staff at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska-Kearney after retiring from Grand Island Public Schools in 2011.
Board President Hank McFarland, Vice President Josh Hawley, Tracy Goodman, Lisa Albers, Donna Douglass, Carlos Barcenas voted in the roll call vote for Mann. Board member Eric Garcia-Mendez voted for Amber Harper, and Board member Amanda Wilson voted for Ralae Noorlander. After that, Mann was nominated to be a Board member, and that was approved by an 8-0 vote.
The four candidates who were interviewed were Amber Harper, Dr. Sarah Loudy, Dr. Kent Mann, and Ralae Noorlander.
Amber Harper serves as a Network Service Coordinator at the Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. Dr. Sarah Loudy is a Biological Sciences Instructor at Central Community College. Noorlander has worked in Grand Island Public Schools as a substitute teacher.
The decision came after the Board spent approximately two hours interviewing four applicants for the position, made available after Josh Sikes submitted his resignation in December 2025 because he is moving to another community.
Mann described to the Board of Education his long history in education, starting as being one of two students at a one-room school that he attended for elementary school.
Mann will take office at the next Board meeting on March 16 and will serve the remainder of the term through December 2026. Mann said during the interview that he plans to file for election to the position. The deadline for non-incumbents to file for office is March 2 for the May 12 primary election.
The school district sent a news release right after Mann’s selection at the Feb. 12 evening meeting.
“I am very humbled, honored, and excited to be appointed to serve Ward A on the Board of Education. I look forward to returning to the district and to serving Grand Island Public Schools in this role,” Mann said in that news release.
Mann’s interview lasted approximately 44 minutes, compared to approximately 16 minutes for Harper, approximately 27 minutes for Loudy, and approximately 15 minutes for Noorlander.
Mann has a bachelor’s degree from Doane College. He earned his master’s degree and doctoral degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a graduate of Wymore Southern High School, he told Board members.
Mann and his wife, Cyndee, have three children, all whom graduated from Grand Island Senior High School. They have lived in Grand Island for 33 years. They have eight grandchildren, he said.
After retiring from Grand Island Public Schools in 2011, Mann was a professor in the Educational Administration Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He then served three years at the University of Nebraska-Kearney in a consulting role for the Next Gen Leadership Academy, he said during his interview.
More information about the interviews will be posted in a story on Feb. 13.
