Highlights of 1/25 Lincoln Board of Education Meetings

Regular Meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office, 5905 O St.

Special Reports, Presentations and Celebrations of Success

Honoring Staff

The Board frequently honors staff who win state or national awards with formal resolutions. On Tuesday, the Board recognized three staff members:

  • The Nebraska International Languages Association named Karla Halpine from Lux Middle School the 2020 Nebraska French Teacher of the Year.
  • The Nebraska International Languages Association named Yulia Evans from Lincoln East High School the 2020 Nebraska German Teacher of the Year.
  • Nebraska International Languages Association named Stephanie Miller from Mickle Middle School the 2021 Nebraska French Teacher of the Year.

HYA Superintendent Final Candidate Pool Recommendations

Representatives from Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA) presented the four Superintendent finalists to the Board.

The four finalists are (in alphabetical order):

  • Paul Gausman, Superintendent for Sioux City Community School District in Sioux City, Iowa
  • Peter Licata, South Regional Superintendent for the Palm Beach County School District in Boca Raton, Florida
  • Jami Jo Thompson, Superintendent for Norfolk Public Schools in Norfolk, Nebraska
  • Antwan Wilson, Assistant Professor for Nebraska Wesleyan University, in Lincoln Nebraska, and Chief Executive Officer of Schoolwise Educational Consulting

More information about the finalists, along with the interview schedule, can be found on the LPS website.

The Board will interview the finalists on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4. Each candidate will meet with various small groups throughout the day that will include students, staff, families and community members.

The public is invited to hear from each candidate during two special Board of Education meetings on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4, starting at 7:30 p.m. each night. The meetings will take place in the Boardroom and will be livestreamed. Community members will be invited to provide feedback through an online survey after listening to the full presentations. To allow all candidates an equal amount of time, there will not be a public comment period during the special meetings.

There are multiple ways the public can view the livestream of the Special Meeting:

Citizens are encouraged to visit the superintendent search webpage to read more about the process. 

Pandemic Update

Superintendent Steve Joel updated the Board about the COVID Response Fridays on Jan. 21, Jan. 28, and Feb. 4. Using COVID Response Fridays will aid students who are home due to illness, as they will be able to receive staff support virtually on work they have missed. This will also allow staff to recoup valuable planning and work time lost to covering extra classes Monday through Thursday.

Board member Dr. Bob Rauner provided an update about current community conditions and how it’s impacting the health care systems in Nebraska. He also provided statistics on vaccination rates in our community and state.

First Reading

Nebraska Corn Board Grant Application

LPS Director of Strategic Initiatives and Focus Programs James Blake has worked with the Nebraska Corn Board to describe LPS efforts at Lincoln Northeast High School to develop the Early College and Career STEM Program, which focuses on the concepts of food, energy, water and societal systems (FEWS2) to help students better understand agriculture. 

Through the “Lighting the FEWS2 at Lincoln Northeast” program, teachers will learn about agriculture and food, integrated food, energy and water systems as part of the 9th- and 10th-grade curricula. If approved, LPS would apply to the Nebraska Corn Board for $20,000 to pay for curriculum development in agriculture and ag education, pay stipends to teachers to attend relevant training in agriculture and ag education, and to pay costs related to field trips to UN-L’s East Campus for both focus program teachers and students to learn and experience agricultural work in the field.

No match is required. The Board will vote on the grant proposal at its next meeting.

Nebraska Soybean Board Grant Application

Similar to his work with the Nebraska Corn Board, LPS Director of Strategic Initiatives and Focus Programs James Blake has worked with the Nebraska Soybean Board to describe LPS efforts at Northeast High School to develop the Early College and Career STEM Program, which focuses on the concepts of food, energy, water and societal systems (FEWS2) to help students better understand agriculture. 

Producers and others in industry acknowledge that the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in research relevant to soybean production is far too small. Lincoln Northeast High School teachers have the potential to play a significant role in encouraging students to pursue careers in agriculture.

Through the “Lighting the FEWS2 at Lincoln Northeast” program, teachers will learn about agriculture and food, integrated food, energy, and water systems as part of the 9th- and 10th- grade curricula. If approved by the Board, LPS would apply to the Nebraska Soybean Board for $20,000 to pay for curriculum development in agriculture and ag education, pay stipends to teachers to attend relevant training in agriculture and ag education, and to pay costs related to field trips to UN-L’s East Campus for both focus program teachers and students to learn and experience agricultural work in the field.

No match is required. The Board will vote on the grant proposal at its next meeting.

American Rescue Plan – Homeless Children and Youth Grants through Nebraska Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education, under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, has provided additional funding through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief - Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) to help support school districts in serving homeless students. The purposes of this funding include increasing the identification of homeless children and youth, providing wraparound services considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing assistance needed to enable homeless children and youth to attend school and participate fully in school activities.

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has two tracks of funding: one that is competitive for all school districts to compete for a total of $670,000, and one that is non-competitive only for districts that already receive McKinney-Vento funding to serve homeless students and families, for which LPS qualifies to receive $220,506. NDE wants school districts to bolster their approaches to address the needs of students experiencing homelessness, with focus on identifying students, connecting students experiencing homelessness and their families to summer learning and enrichment programs this summer, and to engage students and their families in preparation for next fall. 

Applicants are also encouraged to provide wraparound services to help identify historically underserved populations such as rural children and youth, Tribal children and youth, students of color, children and youth with disabilities, English learners, LGBTQ+ youth, and pregnant, parenting or caregiving students experiencing homelessness.

It’s proposed that LPS apply to NDE for both competitive and non-competitive grants to support the growing needs of homeless children and youth served by the school district. If approved, LPS will submit: a competitive grant application for $240,000 to support a full-time school counselor position dedicated to working with homeless students in secondary schools across the district; a contract with CEDARS Youth Services for a dedicated part-time street outreach worker to provide supportive services and link to housing; and an application for non-competitive funds for $220,506 to support two full-time advocates, one at the elementary level and another at the secondary level, to provide more intensive services to students and families in need.

These services would complement existing staff and services provided by LPS with McKinney-Vento and Title I funding. Both budgets are for services that will begin with the 2022-23 school year and run through the 2023-24 school year.

There is no match requirement for either proposal. The grant application is due Jan. 25, 2022. The Board waived second reading and voted to approve both proposals.

Lefler Middle School Addition & Renovation Project

LPS recently received bids to provide additions and renovations at Lefler Middle School. It’s recommended that the lowest bid be accepted for the project: Kingery Construction (Lincoln) for $2,874,000.             
                                                                                 
There were three other bidders:

BIC Construction LLC (Lincoln) - $2,949,000
Rogge General Contractors Inc. (Lincoln) - $2,995,000
Perry Reid Construction LLC (Lincoln) - $3,032,000

These funds will come from the 2020 Bond Fund and other appropriate building funds. The Board waived second reading and voted to approve the project.

Early College and Career STEM Program Renovation Project

LPS recently received bids to provide enhancements and renovations for the Early College and Career STEM Program at Northeast High School. It’s recommended that the lowest bid be accepted for the project: BIC Construction LLC (Lincoln) for $987,000.

There was one other bidder: Rogge General Contractors Inc. (Lincoln) for $1,067,000.

These funds will come from the 2020 Bond Fund and other appropriate building funds.  The Board waived second reading and voted to approve the project.

Parking Improvement Project at Rousseau Elementary School

LPS recently received bids to provide improvements to parking at Rousseau Elementary School. It’s recommended that the lowest bid be accepted for the project: Hampton Construction (Lincoln) for $514,665.

There were two other bidders:

Nebraska Digging Services (Alvo) - $589,648.16
MTZ Construction (Lincoln) - $697,850

The Board waived second reading and voted to approve the project.

CLASS Annual Chromebook Purchase (Grades 6 and 9)

The LPS CLASS technology plan provides budget resources in the 2021-22 fiscal year to continue the distribution of a Chromebook to each 2022-23 sixth-grader (3,042) and ninth-grader (3,112) they will use throughout middle and high school. LPS has applied for reimbursement of these Chromebooks through the Emergency Connectivity Fund. The current estimated time for delivery of Chromebooks is four months, making a purchase at this time necessary to ensure delivery with enough time to prepare the Chromebooks prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year. This purchase helps ensure the continuation of the consistent service, support and functionality that has been established with the school district’s existing fleet of Chromebooks for students.

It’s recommended the Board award a total of $1,844,238.96 to Dell EMC Inc. (Round Rock, Texas) to purchase 3,042 Dell model 3110 Standard Chromebooks with a three-year warranty and 3,112 Dell model 3110 2-in-1 Chromebooks with a three-year warranty.

The Board waived second reading and voted to approve the purchases.

Second Reading

School choice filing deadline is Jan. 31, 2022 for East, Lincoln High and North Star

Each year staff monitors enrollment trends and available capacity in schools to determine the impact on educational programs and the availability for students to transfer to a school outside their assignment area.

Enrollments at East, North Star and Lincoln High continue to exceed building capacity. In 2021-22, enrollment at Lincoln High exceeds 2,300 and exceeds nearly 2,200 at East High and North Star.

Because of these factors and in particular the ability of the school facilities to serve students, staff has determined and recommends that current high school enrollment procedures - last updated in January 2019 - be continued for the 2022-23 school year. Specifically, that high school selection forms for ninth-grade students living outside of the respective East, Lincoln High and North Star attendance areas who are selecting to attend any of these schools for the 2022-23 school year be approved as long as such forms are filed by Jan. 31, 2022. 

The Board voted to approve the recommendation.

You can find the school selection form here.

State 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Continuation Applications

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CLCs) federally funded grant program provides grants to eligible schools for the purpose of creating or expanding CLCs. The primary purpose of 21st Century funds is to provide students with academic enrichment opportunities designed to complement their regular academic program. The Board held a second reading on five grant applications that would continue funding grants for existing CLCs at Belmont, Brownell and Prescott and Campbell elementary schools, and Culler Middle School. Community partners that have been identified to serve as the CLC lead agencies and to assist in the planning and service are Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Northeast Family Center, Family Service of Lincoln, Malone Community Center and Civic Nebraska

The Board voted to approve the grant applications.

CLC agreements with Family Service Association, Malone Community Center and Lincoln Parks & Recreation

LPS has various sites throughout the school district that provide services related to Community Learning Center activities. It was recommended that LPS continue agreements with the following organizations to offer programming and services at various LPS locations: Family Service Association, Malone Community Center and Lincoln Parks & Recreation.
These agreements - totaling $852,025 - will be paid for through a combination of LPS general funds, federal funds and grants.

The Board voted to approve the agreements.

Resolution for option enrollment students - 2022-23

Nebraska students may attend a school other than the one in the district in which they live under state option enrollment statutes. A resolution for the 2022-23 school year would admit any K-12 option students who meet the statutory and legal conditions and whose application is received by Aug. 5, 2022. The resolution specifies the circumstances under which late-filed applications would be accepted.  

The Board voted to approve the resolution.

Dawes Middle School Addition and Renovation

LPS recently received bids to provide additions and renovations at Dawes Middle School. It was recommended that the lowest bid be accepted for the project: Genesis Contracting Group (Lincoln) for $5,464,000.             
                                                                                 
There were five other bidders:

BIC Construction (Lincoln) - $5,469,000
Perry Reid Construction LLC (Lincoln) - $5,580,000
Cheever Construction (Lincoln) - $5,712,000
Sampson Construction (Lincoln) - $5,757,000
Scheele-Kayton Construction (Lincoln) - $5,993,600

The Board voted to approve the bid from Genesis Contracting Group. These funds will come from the 2020 Bond Fund and other appropriate building funds.

Informational Items and Committee Reports

Superintendent Update

Joel took an opportunity to thank the Board of Education for its service during National School Board Appreciation Week.

“On behalf of 40,000 students and 8,000 staff, as well as the community, thank you for your continued service,” Joel said. “With so many complex issues that educators and school board members have to deal with, at the end of the day we have to put our students foremost in our minds. Sometimes those are difficult decisions and not always in complete agreement with others. I just want our community to know that we are so appreciative of your commitment and your dedication. The time that you put in, whether it’s on a superintendent search, the committee work that you do, the volunteer work, the visiting of schools in the areas that you represent, meeting with teacher contacts, and I can go on and on. The community gets an incredible value out of your Board service. We just want to say thank you very much.”

Public Comment

There were eight citizens who addressed the Board during the first public comment period. You can view their comments as part of the full meeting video here.

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights the amazing things taking place in our school district. Tuesday’s video featured portions of student speeches from the 27th Annual MLK Youth Rally and March and the 25th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Scott Middle School. 

Special Meeting

Personnel Hearing

Prior to the Regular Meeting, the Board held a hearing to discuss, consider and take action concerning the employment contract of Sasha Reeks. Full video of the Special Meeting can be found here.


Published: January 25, 2022, Updated: January 25, 2022