Highlights of the October 14 Lincoln Board of Education regular meeting

October 14, 2025

The Lincoln Board of Education held its regular meetings on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 6:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street. You can watch the full video of the regular meeting here.

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Chris Haeffner - LPS Director of Library Services

Lincoln Public Schools Director of Library Services Chris Haeffner was recently honored by the Nebraska School Librarians Association (NSLA) with the Meritorious Service Award. Haeffner is only the 11th person in 55 years to have received the honor. 

Haeffner has been at the forefront of many initiatives since her first day at LPS in August 1996. She has spearheaded district citizenship education lessons across all grade levels, curated MOSAIC which includes a wide variety of books and online resources, worked with a team to digitize yearbooks for the community, and has been instrumental in renovating library spaces at all LPS buildings.  

You can watch a highlight of the presentation for Haeffner here. 

First reading

Lincoln High School pool unit replacement project

Sealed bids were requested from interested vendors for the pool unit modifications of the swimming pool at Lincoln High School. Staff recommend the lowest bid from BIC Construction in Lincoln, Nebraska, for $1,619,000.

The Board will hold a second reading and vote on the bid at the next meeting.

Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment grant

Staff recommend applying for a grant from the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment to support activities that reduce litter and waste and promote recycling.

The LPS Sustainability Department would use the money to supplement current district initiatives including community outreach, presenting to kindergarten classes during the Garbology unit in Science, installing additional signage and recycling bins at venues and standardizing waste bins in schools.

The Board will hold a second reading and vote on the $131,000 grant application at the next meeting.

Second reading

Resolution for option enrollment students 2026-27

Nebraska students may attend a school other than the one in the district in which they reside under the option enrollment statutes as long as they meet the statutory and legal conditions, and their application is received by Aug. 7, 2026.
A state law passed by the Nebraska Legislature requires school districts to adopt option enrollment capacity limits by Oct. 15 for the following school year. The capacity limits for the 2026-27 school year will be published on the LPS website.

Option enrollment is different from the High School Choice form for LPS students. Lincoln Public Schools eighth graders and those going into LPS Focus Programs will continue to have their choice of attending any of the LPS high schools as long as they return the High School Choice Form by the deadline.

The Board held a second reading and voted to approve the resolution and capacity limits.

Unified Messaging Platform

LPS Staff are recommending the Board approve a three-year contract with Appetgy, a Unified Messaging Platform. 
This communications tool would assist the work of the district in meeting the April 2026 timeline of bringing digital content into Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) conformance as outlined in Title II. It would also update current communications tools and provide more options for staff, students and families to receive information. 

By using Apptegy, LPS would replace the current website platform, upgrade the mass notification through email/text/phone currently provided by School Messenger, add a consistent structure for school newsletters to meet ADA conformance, bring in a safe two-way texting platform for teachers and coaches to use with students and families and launch an LPS app as a one-stop-shop for information. 

The preliminary implementation timeline takes into account the need to train staff and administrators when they are available while keeping in mind contract deadlines. 

The Board held a second reading and voted to approve the three-year contract.

Informational items and reports

Wellness, American Civics and Multicultural Committee

Committee Chair Mara Krivohlavek gave an update from the last meeting on Sept. 23. The meeting’s focus was an update from the Executive Director of Multicultural Education and Partnerships Brittney Hodges-Bolkovac.

The Multicultural Education Department promotes an inclusive academic and culturally accepting environment for all students, families and staff through programs and services within LPS. The department does this work through mentorship and advocacy, providing academic support, investigating and addressing reported concerns, celebrating academic achievements, and helping resolve conflicts. They also facilitate professional learning opportunities for staff, assist in fostering inclusive environments, and collaborate with others to cultivate culturally relevant classroom materials.

Hodges-Boklovac highlighted the work of the Youth Development Team and Student Advocates, the middle school honors cadre and the multicultural liaisons. She also talked about the partnership with Kiewit Luminarium where LPS was able to take over 700 middle school students on a unique offsite learning experience; and the Greater Than One District annual event that brings together students from Papillion, Bellevue, Westside, Creighton Prep, Grand Island, Millard, Elkhorn and Omaha public schools to address challenging topics.

The future focus includes reaffirming the district's commitment to All Means All, focusing on opportunities and access to programming, restructuring programming for maximum benefit and empowering leaders to be proactive.

Personnel Policy Committee

Chair John Goodwin provided an update from the Sept. 26 meeting. 

LPS Director of Recruiting Ryan Escamilla provided an update to the committee about recruiting efforts. There have been 363 new hires, of those 8.8% are candidates of diversity. 

In recruiting, the team is focusing on Nebraska post-secondary institutions to help foster connection with Nebraska roots, however, there are several recruiting trips planned for areas outside of Nebraska. 

HR Supervisor for Special Programs Jenny Fundus also provided an update on substitute teachers. Since July 1, 110 new substitute teachers have been hired. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a substitute is encouraged to reach out to the LPS HR Department. 

Governmental Relations and Community Engagement Committee

Chair Piyush Srivastav provided a summary of the Friday, Oct. 10 meeting. 

During closed session, the committee reviewed national and local legislative happenings and their possible impacts to Lincoln Public Schools. LPS Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish provided an update of her participation on the Nebraska School Finance Review Commission.

TeamMates Coordinator Jim Bennett provided the Board with an update on the largest chapter in the country here in Lincoln. LPS has a waiting list of students needing mentors, especially male mentors. Anyone interested in becoming a mentor should contact the Lincoln TeamMates. 

Superintendent update

During the Superintendent Update, John Skretta recognized the professional learning happening across the district on Tuesday and said we are ready for the second quarter to kick off Wednesday.

Skretta celebrated Board member Marilyn Johnson-Farr for receiving the Leola Bullock Community Service Award from the NAACP this past weekend at the Freedom Fund Banquet.

“Congratulations to Marilyn on this much deserved distinction,” Skretta added. “It recognizes a lifetime spent in leadership, through both education, civic service and volunteerism.”

Skretta also highlighted the Bay High Focus Program fundraising event. The Bay High Focus Program offers unique curricular opportunities in digital media, content creation, marketing and fashion. Students can capitalize on their creative passions through community partner connections. The community can learn more about all of the LPS Focus Programs on the LPS website.

To wrap up his report, Skretta wished all of the students participating in athletics and activities the best of luck as they compete in district and state competitions. 

Public comment

There was one individual that addressed the Board during the public comment period. You can watch public comment as part of the full meeting video

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights LPS. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured Isaiah Collier and Tanner Hilzer, two LPS teachers who recently graduated from the Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program. You can watch the Glimpses about NTAP on YouTube.

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