Conestoga Public Schools is a consolidated school district

School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

 located in southeast Nebraska serving the communities of Murray

Murray, Nebraska

Murray is a village in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 481 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Murray is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....

, Beaver Lake, Union

Union, Nebraska

Union is a village in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 260 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Union is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....

, Lake Waconda, Nehawka

Nehawka, Nebraska

Nehawka is a village in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 232 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Nehawka is located at ....

, and throughout rural Cass County

Cass County, Nebraska

-Other Geographical notes:Due to its proximity to Cass County, Iowa, and because both of those counties receive most of their broadcasts from Omaha, Nebraska, references to 'Cass County' must be frequently disambiguated, or result in confusion.-Demographics:...

. The district serves approximately 600 students in pre-kindergarten

Pre-Kindergarten

Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...

 through twelfth grade

Twelfth grade

Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...

s at two schools, Conestoga Elementary and Conestoga Junior/Senior High School.

In 2006 the district moved from a traditional five-day school week to a four-day week in order to trim its budget deficit. Administrators found the move created $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

100,000 in annual savings, comprising one-tenth of the district budget. Outcomes of the prompted Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 lawmakers to consider allowing their local districts to make the same move in November 2008. In 2007 the junior/senior high school principal drew response to her controversial practice of sending Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

prayers in emails to students and staff, and initiating prayer sessions in her office. In early 2008 the district paid off $1.5 million operating debt attributed to a sharp decline in enrollment and cuts in state aid. The district closed Nehawka Middle School, combined its junior and senior high buildings, eliminated 13 staff positions and switched to a four-day school week.