Highlights: 12/13 Lincoln Board of Education regular meeting
December 13, 2022
The Lincoln Board of Education met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.
Special reports, presentations, and celebrations of success
Kenny Cope, Fredstrom Elementary School
Fredstrom Elementary School Physical Education teacher Kenny Cope was named the 2022 Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE Nebraska). SHAPE Nebraska is a state affiliate of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. SHAPE’s mission is to promote healthy lifestyles through leadership, professional development, and advocacy in the areas of health, physical education, recreation, and dance. Every year, the organization recognizes high school, middle school, and elementary educators for exemplary leadership and programming.
Janine Marker, Fredstrom Elementary School
Janine Marker served as a preschool paraeducator at Fredstrom Elementary School prior to becoming the school’s registrar. Recently, Janine was named the 2022 Nebraska Preschool Paraeducator of the Year by the Nebraska Department of Education.
Library Services report
LPS Director of Library Services Chris Haeffner gave an update to the Board about how materials are selected and reconsidered in school libraries.
Lincoln Board of Education policy delegates to the superintendent or a district administrator the authority and responsibility for selection of library materials. Responsibility for actual selection of materials rests with the certified school librarian using the Board of Education’s adopted selection criteria and procedures. School librarians earn over 30 hours of graduate-level coursework to become certified.
School librarians tailor their library collections in order to meet the specific needs and interests of their unique school community. The selection of materials is a process where the librarian seeks out items which provide a diversity of points of view and subject matter to support the educational mission of Lincoln Public Schools.
Haffner told the Board, “Not every student, caregiver, or citizen of our community will agree with all of the perspectives or content in every book in the LPS library collection. This is precisely one of the purposes of a library – to be a resource of many ideas for intellectual inquiry, consideration, and the development of critical thinking skills.”
Parents and guardians may always request that a specific print title be restricted from their own child. A parent or guardian can also request that their child’s access to electronic books to be limited. There is also an established process in which parents and community members may request the reconsideration of materials available in a school library. This process and information is available on the LPS website: https://home.lps.org/libraries.
The Board waived second reading and voted to approve all of the agenda items on first reading since there is not a second Board meeting in December.
Schoo addition and renovation project
The Schoo Middle School addition will add physical education space to the school as identified in the 10-year Facility Plan. Board voted to approve the lowest bid from Cheever Construction Company for a total of $1,702,000.
Lincoln High windows and installation in the annex
This is part of converting the south Annex building at Lincoln High School to geothermal, and uses ESSER funding. Board voted to approve the lowest bid from Pella Window and Door for $575,297.22.
HVAC for Lincoln High annex project
This is part of converting the south Annex building at Lincoln High School to geothermal, and uses ESSER funding. Board voted to approve the lowest bid from Trane U.S. Inc. for $534,283.
77th Street and Saltillo infrastructure project
This project will improve the roads and infrastructure around the new Standing Bear High School in agreement with the City of Lincoln. Board voted to approve the lowest bid from Constructors Inc. for $1,322,705.
Newly annexed property to the City of Lincoln
The Board of Education assigns school attendance areas to property newly annexed to the City of Lincoln. This action establishes school attendance areas prior to the sale of residential lots, allowing purchasers to know what schools their children will attend.
The proposal assigns the newly annexed area of Stevens Creek Villas 1st Addition to Robinson Elementary School, Mickle Middle School and Northeast High School. The second proposal assigns the newly annexed area of Thorn addition to Maxey Elementary School, Lux Middle School and East High School.
The Board voted to approve the assignments.
Roofing at Holmes Elementary School
Sealed bids were requested from interested vendors to provide a partial roof replacement at Holmes Elementary School. Staff recommended the Board approve the lowest bid by White Castle Roofing & Construction in Lincoln for the amount of $1,252,049.
The Board voted to approve the bid.
Informational items and reports
The Career Academy report
Board member Lanny Boswell gave an update from the last meeting of The Career Academy Board.
The group met earlier in the day and approved the 2022-2025 TCA Strategic Plan. The finalized plan is the result of a process that took several months and involved staff from Southeast Community College and Lincoln Public Schools, and various community members. The plan includes six priority areas - Student Success, Operational Excellence, Pathway Enrichment/Curriculum, Recruitment and Outreach, Staff Excellence and Collaborative Partnerships. The plan builds on past successes and identifies metrics for success over the next three years. These areas include increasing the retention rate of students from junior to senior year, doubling the number of professional development opportunities offered to staff, and collaborating with the LPS curriculum department to develop two "pre-TCA" courses aimed at students in grades 9 and 10.
The TCA Board also met with three students who shared how TCA connected them to job opportunities. Southeast High School student Julian shared about his experience in the precision machining pathway. Through connections made at a TCA job fair, Julian now has a part-time job at TMCO, and has been accepted at SCC Milford to continue his education as a machinist.
Another Southeast High School student, Micah, shared he is spending most of his day at TCA in both the welding and machinist pathways. Micah connected with Lincoln Industries at TCA, earning a part-time job and that is helping him in continuing his education at SCC in Milford.
Finally, Southwest High School student Michaela is a health sciences student working three days a week as a nursing assistant at The Waterford. Michaela will be testing soon for her CNA certification, the next milestone in her plan to become a labor and delivery nurse.
Superintendent Paul Gausman gave an update to the Board about recent programs he has learned about during his transition period. Gausman recently learned more about First Job Lincoln and the Learn to Dream program and scholarships offered to students.
Gausman also spoke about the TCA Culinary Competition and congratulated the students who participated. He also congratulated the East High School One-Act for winning district competition. Gausman reminded everyone it is the season for winter performances.
Finally, Gausman spoke about the open mic night held to commemorate Native American Heritage Month. Students shared their creative works that honored local tribes.
There was one individual that addressed the Board during public comment. You can watch the public comment agenda item in the full meeting video here.
Glimpses of LPS
We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights Lincoln Public Schools. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured highlights from Backstage at the Ballet.
Published: December 13, 2022, Updated: December 13, 2022