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Lincoln Public Schools Communication Services continues to look for the most effective way to provide you with information. EdNotes is written and published specifically for the faculty and staff of Lincoln Public Schools.

If you have information you would like to include, please email Mindy Burbach at mburbach@lps.org.

Nebraska Department of Education honors LPS for outstanding middle school CTE classes

State leaders gave Lincoln Public Schools a major thumbs-up this summer for providing a mountain-sized list of middle school career and technical education opportunities.

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) honored LPS with the Nebraska Career and Technical Education (CTE) Outstanding Middle School Programs of 2025 Award. Members of the NDE Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education presented LPS with a plaque at the Nebraska Career Education Conference in Kearney on June 10.

LPS Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Takako Olson said she was thrilled with the honor. LPS provides CTE courses to more than 9,000 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades at all 12 middle schools. The classes are designed to boost students into successful high school CTE orbits, whether they choose to explore culinary arts, computer science or certified nursing assistant programs.

“It’s incredibly exciting for LPS to receive this prestigious statewide award!” Olson said. “It reflects the hard work of our educators and students. It also validates our commitment to high-quality instruction and the innovative curriculum cultivated by the CTE team in the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Department. This recognition inspires us to keep striving for excellence.”

Jason Thomsen oversees CTE activities as the LPS career and technical education curriculum specialist. He said the award validates the hard work and dedication that CTE coordinators and teachers have put into developing engaging and enjoyable coursework.

“I think this award showcases LPS’ commitment to providing a well-rounded educational experience that meets the needs of all students,” Thomsen said. “It highlights the importance of providing hands-on, career-focused learning opportunities for students, preparing them for future academic and career success.”

A three-person awards committee chose LPS because the school district met several criteria for the honor. These included strong community engagement, student achievement in both career and academic arenas, innovative instruction based on a state model program of study, leadership and personal development through career technical student organizations, effective implementation of career guidance and work-based learning, and alignment to Nebraska’s workforce needs and economic priorities.

Olson and Sydney Kobza, assistant administrator in the NDE Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, both said it was essential to provide as many CTE opportunities as possible in middle school.

“High-quality CTE programs in middle school are important because they help students connect classroom learning to real life, explore career interests early and build practical skills for the future,” Olson said.

“Providing high-quality career and technical education programs at the middle school level is a strategic investment in student success and workforce development,” Kobza said. “Early exposure to careers helps students make informed decisions about their education and future, increases engagement in high school CTE programs and provides access to career exploration opportunities for all learners.

“By building awareness and foundational skills in middle school, we strengthen the pipeline of prepared, motivated students ready to pursue high-skill, high-demand and high-wage careers aligned to Nebraska’s economic priorities.”

CTE courses encompass a wide range of academic subjects. LPS programs focus on business, marketing and information technology (BMIT), computer science, family and consumer sciences (FCS), health sciences and skilled and technical sciences (STS).

LPS offers middle school computer science, technology and STS courses at all three grade levels. The class list also includes Business 8, Healthy Living 6, Family and Consumer Sciences 7 and Family and Consumer Sciences 8.

Thomsen said the award confirmed how many high-quality CTE teachers and staff are leading classes throughout LPS.

“Winning this award would not be possible if it weren’t for the hard work and dedication of the CTE coordinators and classroom teachers,” Thomsen said. “I am extremely proud of all of the CTE staff as it is a team effort, and this award validates the work each and every one of them do to provide students with a meaningful and impactful CTE experience.”

LPS has built a thriving launchpad for middle school CTE students across the city. For example, Dawes Middle School eighth graders learned about food sources and preparation during a two-hour FCS field trip to a local farm this past fall. This helped them feel more confident about adding fresh ingredients in dishes that they cook.

At Scott Middle School, eighth graders followed the model of the popular “Chopped” television show in their own “Scott Chopped” cooking contest last year. They had 20 minutes to prepare and serve meals for judges that featured chicken, ramen noodles, pineapple and carrots. The contest gave them practical FCS experience and taught them lifelong skills such as teamwork and organization.

LPS has also incorporated CTE lessons into subjects such as science and math. In December 2023, Lux Middle School students constructed solar- and battery-powered racecars through a partnership with Lincoln Electric System. They then pitted their cars against each other in the school gym.

In addition to learning about scientific principles such as electricity and energy trends, the experience also yielded CTE knowledge. Students became familiar with STS ideas such as engineering, transportation and project design.

Thomsen and Kristin Vest, LPS curriculum coordinator for FCS and health sciences programs, accepted the state plaque in front of representatives from many Nebraska schools and businesses. LPS teachers Wendy Tullis, Mindy Diller, Bethany Green and Kristin Page joined them with the award after the presentation. Tullis teaches at Goodrich Middle School, Diller leads classes at Lux, Green teaches at Park and Page teaches at Dawes.

Learn more about Career and Technical Education on our website at https://home.lps.org/cte.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on July 02, 2025

LPS summer music clinic creates choral foundations for students

Singing, dancing and smiling were all on the list of lyrical achievements for nearly three dozen Lincoln Public Schools fifth graders this summer.

Students from 15 elementary schools formed a cheerful choir during the 2025 LPS Summer Choral Music Camp. The weeklong vocal clinic took place at Irving Middle School and focused on many types of musical topics. The group learned about various singing techniques, how to create harmonies and melodies and how to work together on choreography.

Joviella and Claire were two of the 35 singers who completed fifth grade this spring. Both said they had enjoyed the rehearsals leading up to the camp’s final concert. Many family members filled seats in Irving’s auditorium to watch students fill the air with noteworthy numbers.

“I decided to come to camp because I love to sing and I love to dance, and that’s what this camp is all about,” Claire said. “I’m really glad I came.”

“I decided to come because I’m going to this school this year, and I love to sing,” Joviella said. “It’s fun singing in a group.”

Those types of enthusiastic responses are why Mike Robb founded the fifth grade camp 16 years ago. Robb, the 2024 Scottish Rite Educator of the Year, has taught general music and choir at Irving since 2001. He wanted to give young singers a place to build strong foundations for their future vocal careers.

“The fifth grade choir camp is very important for our LPS students because it allows them to experience what choir can be like if they participate at the middle school level,” Robb said. “We learn about how the voice works, talk about healthy vocal techniques, sing different parts and do lots of choreography.”

Students spent three hours each day preparing for the concert in large and small groups. They memorized two standalone songs and a full medley of tunes from the Disney musical “The Lion King.” They added many choreographic elements to “The Lion King” portion of their recital, which included popular songs such as “Hakuna Matata.”

Joviella and Claire said it was exciting to learn how to blend a wide range of voices together for the final presentation.

“I really like singing in a group like this,” Joviella said. “It’s fun singing with harmonies and melodies.”

“We learned a little bit on how there’s different sections when you sing, and how to focus on making music with others and not just with yourself,” Claire said. “Being able to make your sounds match with other people’s sounds around you is fun.”

Middle school students Violet, Zoe, CeCe and Joslyn assisted Robb throughout the week. They developed the sequence of steps and hand motions that fifth graders used on stage for the songs and medleys. They also led musical games with singers and served as encouraging role models for everyone there.

“I really liked doing the choreography and helping with that,” Zoe said. “It was fun to watch the kids learn it and get better at it.”

“I’ve loved talking with the kids,” Violet said. “They’ve been a lot of fun to be around.”

Robb said he enjoys leading students from across the city each year at the clinic. The camp gives singers a chance to meet new friends who share the same musical interests. It also serves as a springboard to a larger middle school vocal camp that takes place each summer. More than 80 singers in grades 6-8 came together for activities at Irving the previous week.

“I love it when we have the opportunity to work with these singers through the fifth grade camp and into our LPS middle school summer choir camp for sixth, seventh and eighth grade,” Robb said. “This year we had a ton of eighth graders who participated in our LPS summer choir camps for all four years.”

Claire said her camp experience reinforced how much pure joy can come from singing together. She was happy that she had chosen to spend time with new friends in their cheerful LPS choir.

“I think you can make really beautiful music when you’re singing,” Claire said. “I think it’s fun to make it with a group where there’s all these different sounds and all different types of voices.”

Want to learn more about music programs at LPS? Visit home.lps.org/music to explore information about music curriculum, citywide performing groups and a fine arts calendar.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on July 02, 2025

LPS students pick up civic, fitness skills from walking trips in Lincoln

Putting one foot in front of the other has helped Lincoln Public Schools students experience a wide range of civic, fitness and social benefits this summer.

More than three dozen summer school students are gaining a new appreciation for parks, gardens and city landmarks in their Lifetime Sports class. The physical education course takes place at Lincoln High and includes three days of activities such as volleyball, basketball and badminton. The other two days involve walking trips to spots such as Sunken Gardens, Memorial Stadium, Antelope Park, the Nebraska State Capitol and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Jaraye and Dilbar both said they were glad they had enrolled in the class this summer. They felt the course had opened an ocean-sized amount of social and physical fitness opportunities for them.

What have been some of the best parts of the class?

“The experience of getting to walk and spending time with people you’ve never met before,” Jaraye said. “It’s been fun getting to meet new people.”

“I’ve learned new skills, especially with the sports that we’ve done,” Dilbar said. “Knowing that there are activities that we can do in the future is nice.”

Bryan Mack and Erik Reiners are co-teaching the course for students from a variety of high schools. They said incorporating neighborhood walking into the lineup of class activities has been a positive move.

“We wanted to get creative with the class, and walking is something that is fitness for life, so we thought this would be a great chance to promote that skill,” Mack said. “This is building the habit of going out and walking, which is one of the best forms of exercise out there.”

“I’ve lived here for six years and I’ve seen places that I didn’t know existed,” Reiners said. “It’s been a really good opportunity for everyone to learn more about Lincoln and everything that’s here in the city. I think it’s teaching the kids a lot.”

Students spent one morning studying flowers and plants at Sunken Gardens and Hamann Rose Garden. They took off from Lincoln High’s cafeteria and traveled to Hamann Rose Garden on the eastern side of 27th St. and Capitol Parkway. They viewed boxwood hedges and hybrid tea roses, walked on brick-lined pathways and took photos in a pavilion area. Several students even received freshly-pruned flowers that were being removed by city workers as part of regular garden maintenance.

The group then walked across the street to Sunken Gardens, where they viewed thousands of annuals arranged in an “Enchanted Ocean” theme. They watched fish swimming in a lily pond, climbed steps past a waterfall feature and learned how Lincoln Parks and Recreation staff had created the ocean-inspired displays.

Demario said the trips to places like the two gardens have given him a chance to practice his photography skills. He and other students have admired the Nebraska State Capitol’s architecture, strolled past historic buildings and explored multiple city parks.

“I’ve liked taking pictures everywhere we go,” Demario said. “It’s been pretty neat.”

Students spent another morning walking several miles to UNL’s campus. They first toured the new Osborne Legacy Complex and listened to UNL offensive lineman Tyler Knaak, who spoke about the importance of setting goals and following dreams. They then walked on Memorial Stadium’s football field before returning to Lincoln High with happy memories.

Elizabeth and Paola said they were grateful for the chance to get exercise and see many civic landmarks at the same time.

“It’s really cool,” Elizabeth said. “I think it’s an amazing experience to be able to do this. When I signed up for this class, I would have never imagined that I would have come to Memorial Stadium and gotten a private tour.”

“Many people think Lifetime Sports is just walking around and all that, but for us, we’ve been to Sunken Gardens, we’ve been to Woods Park, we’ve been to the Capitol and now here at Memorial Stadium, so it’s been kind of like a privilege to go all these places,” Paola said.

Jaraye said he liked learning new facts about Lincoln at the same time as walking. Many students had never visited the Nebraska State Capitol or taken in-depth tours of UNL’s campus before the course.

“You can see new things,” Jaraye said. “At Antelope Park, we could shoot hoops and run around, and here, you can look at the flowers and see nature. It’s really good exercise too. You can get some extra steps in by going to all of the places.”

Mack and Reiners said the long-distance walks have also helped students increase their social skills. Several girls from different high schools had not known each other prior to meeting on the first day of the course. Instead of staying in their own social circles, they decided to talk with each other on the trips to and from Lincoln High. They are now friends and have learned how to make valuable connections with other people.

“There’s been a lot of great relationship building that has come from the course,” Reiners said. “It’s been really good to see the kids talking with each other and learning from each other.”

Demario said those lessons have made an impression on him.

“Don’t be scared to talk to people,” Demario said. “Be yourself and be friendly around everyone.”

Mack said he believes the Lifetime Sports excursions will make long-lasting impacts on everyone who is taking part this summer.

“It’s been a great class to be a part of,” Mack said. “I’m glad the kids are getting to have these types of experiences and getting to learn from them.”

Learn more about the many summer learning opportunities available for LPS students at home.lps.org/summer.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 30, 2025

Excellent Engineers: Dawes students create device to help people with walking canes

Dawes Middle School students have earned state recognition for making the world a better place with their engineering minds.

Sixth and seventh graders in the Dawes Engineering Club created, built, programmed and tested an electronic device that helps people with canes avoid walking on uneven surfaces for the Samsung Solve For Tomorrow national contest. Contest judges honored the Diamondbacks by selecting them as state champions.

Team members Aryan, Keegan, Vincent, Zander, Aydin, Matteo and Alexander worked with club co-advisors Kristin Page and Frank Martinez on the engineering project.

“We decided to enter the competition because we thought that we could help someone someday,” Aryan said. “This device right here is the thing that we’ve been developing for a few months now and that the whole team put a lot of effort into.”

Aryan and Keegan said the group’s primary concern in the contest was finding ways to care for others. One student on the team has watched a family member fall many times while using a walking cane, and the Diamondbacks wanted to ensure no one else went through the same experience. They made a visual and auditory device that attaches to both walking canes and white canes, which are used by people who are either blind or have vision difficulties.

“I think it sort of just helps the world,” Keegan said. “People that may have problems, not just challenges with a cane, but literally anything, to be able to come up with a solution and fix it, that’s good.”

Page said the Solve For Tomorrow contest gave the Diamondbacks a positive platform to showcase their STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills. The competition’s goal was to encourage students to develop a STEM-based product to improve the local community. The process included brainstorming ideas, completing a research-and-development phase, submitting an activity plan and producing a three-minute video for judges.

“It’s not just getting a grade in a class,” Page said. “It’s being able to use their skills hands-on that they’ve learned to come up with a product that they’re really proud of. We know when we have an impact on our work that can positively impact others, that’s a really great feeling.”

The group began investigating ideas for the device last semester. The Diamondbacks talked with owners of local mobility businesses and users of walking and white canes for essential background information. They then designed a 3D-printed holder that contains a circuit board, batteries and accelerometer. The accelerometer alerts the device if a person is about to place the cane on an uneven surface.

The team’s next achievement was creating computer code for a Micro:bit program inside the device. The program is wired to a screen that displays a red ‘X’ and produces a beeping sound if the cane is leaning at an angle. This happens when the cane touches a crack on the sidewalk, a curb surface or another non-flat space. The screen displays a check mark and indicates the four cardinal directions when the cane is on a level walking surface.

After constructing the prototype, the team spent time testing it in front of the school building and in the recess area. Keegan said it was exciting to watch how everyone’s input made a difference in the final product.

“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned is that, teamwork, it’s not just one person,” Keegan said. “Our project was built because a lot of people collaborated and introduced a lot of new ideas that really enforced the structure we’ve already built. It was just so much easier.”

Aryan said the group had to solve many problems throughout the project. They made the device lightweight enough to avoid affecting the cane user’s balance, and they used a Velcro-style wrap to attach it to the cane. Testing also revealed that it would be better to fasten it in a higher position on the cane.

“We were originally going to put it at the bottom of the cane, but we decided to put it at the top so people could hear it better,” Aryan said.

Samsung provided Dawes with a $12,000 state-winning technology package of five Galaxy Book laptops, five monitors and a sound tower. Dawes staff will use the monitors for educational data analysis and split-screen monitoring capabilities, and students can use the laptops if they do not have their own device present at school. The sound tower will assist recess communication needs, quarterly student celebrations and many other school events. Dawes also won this honor in 2023.

Keegan said it was a good feeling to know the state prize would help others at Dawes.

“It makes me really happy because I think providing opportunities for others at our school is going to be really good,” Keegan said. “Maybe even when I’m not here, those opportunities will still be there, and it’s going to, I think, help and make this school a better place.”

Page said she feels the cane-assistance device will be the first of many world-changing inventions that this group of Dawes students will create.

“I think future engineers are definitely in this club,” Page said. “It’s something that even talking to some of the past engineering clubs that have made it this far in the competition here at Dawes, they want to go into different engineering fields and use what they learned here as sixth, seventh, eighth graders to be able to impact their future and other people’s lives.”

To learn more about Career and Technical Education at LPS, visit https://home.lps.org/cte.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 25, 2025

Time Travelers: Clinton second graders bring history to life at wax museum

Dolley Madison, Martin Luther King Jr., Clara Barton and George Washington all paid visits to Clinton Elementary School this spring during a first-of-its-kind event on campus.

Dozens of family members and Clinton classmates spoke with famous figures at the inaugural Clinton Second Grade Wax Museum. Second graders researched the lives of many historical characters and wrote short biographies of each person. They then shared their knowledge with visitors during the afternoon event.

Sylas spent her time at the wax museum portraying Dolley Madison, who was the fourth First Lady of the United States. She stood still like a wax figure until somebody stepped on a chalk-drawn button on the sidewalk in front of her. The button “animated” Sylas and she began to speak about Dolley Madison’s accomplishments.

What was it like to learn about someone like Dolley Madison?

“It was really fun,” Sylas said.

On the other side of Clinton’s playground, Sebastian gave people insight about George Washington’s life. He wore a Colonial-era costume that included a white wig and a blue and tan uniform. He said it had been a good experience talking about one of the nation’s founders.

“People think I’m famous,” Sebastian said.

Second grade teachers Emily Bretting and Mackenzie Fralin said they were proud of students for their work on the wax museum. The project was tied to the second grade portion of the school district’s Amplify CKLA curriculum. Clinton teachers came up with an initial wax museum concept last year and put their plans into action for the first time this spring.

“It’s a cool experience for them to become the characters that they’ve spent the whole year learning about,” Bretting said. “It’s been really fun to watch them today.”

“I’m really proud to see how dedicated they are to this and how much work they’ve put into making this happen,” Fralin said. “The kids have done an awesome job. It’s exciting to see all of the students in the other grades enjoying this too. It’s been fun for everyone.”

Lincoln Public Schools elementary students learn social studies concepts each year through short texts, pictures and videos. Students in kindergarten through third grade become familiar with their community, nation and world through a wide variety of lessons.

Second graders studied people and events from throughout American history during the fall, winter and spring. They then drew names out of a hat to see which character they would portray at the wax museum.

“Everyone was excited about that,” Fralin said. “It was fun for them to see who they would be.”

Students like Damir, Jream, Kalea and Hawa then began preparing for the big day. They wrote summaries of each historical figure’s achievements and decided how they wanted to bring their characters to life.

Damir wore a tie, vest and mustache for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr., and Kalea talked about Rosa Parks with a pink shirt and purple and pink coat. Jream and Hawa created cutouts of Clara Barton and Eleanor Roosevelt and placed them on their heads while they spoke.

Bretting said there was a sense of anticipation in her classroom as the presentation date approached. Students made final touches on their scripts and were eager to see what their classmates would do for their wax figures.

“They’ve been so excited,” Bretting said. “They’ve been asking what they can wear for their characters and what it’s going to be like. They’ve really been looking forward to this.”

Students from each second grade classroom stood in a line as visitors moved up and down the sidewalk. Jream and Damir both smiled as people listened to them speak about how their figures impacted American history.

“I’m just happy to do it,” Jream said.

“This has been a good day,” Damir said.

Bretting and Fralin said wax museum characters would make annual appearances on Clinton’s playground. They felt the event was a good way for students to learn valuable research and writing skills. It also provided experience with public speaking and gave them confidence knowing that their preparation had paid off.

The wax museum moments gave students like Sylas a level of historical happiness that will remain well into the future.

“I’m really liking this,” Sylas said. “This is a lot of fun.”

Visit home.lps.org/reading to learn how LPS students are building vocabulary and content knowledge in multiple subjects through reading lessons. The site also includes additional information about enriching reading curriculum at Lincoln Public Schools.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 25, 2025

Highlights of the June 24 Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 regular meetings

The Lincoln Board of Education and Educational Service Unit (ESU) 18 met for regular meetings on Tuesday, June 24, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Leslie Mann - Southwest High School

Lincoln Southwest High School social studies teacher Leslie Mann was recently given the Gildersleeve, Stoddard, Stone Award by the Geographic Educators of Nebraska (GEON). The award established to honor the founding members of GEON recognizes those individuals that continue to advance the growth of geography in the state.

You can watch a highlight of Mann’s recognition on YouTube.

First reading

2025-26 Transportation Plan

Annually, LPS Transportation Director Phil Skorupa gives an overview of the previous school year and transportation plans for the upcoming year to the Board.

The mission of LPS Transportation is to provide safe and timely student transportation to and from assigned schools and activities according to district policies. During the 2024-2025 school year there were 4,366 LPS students who used LPS Transportation each day, up 427 students from the year prior. Over 1.7 million route miles were logged during the school year, and 201,680 miles were for activities and athletics.

There continues to be challenges in filling open positions. To address the staffing shortage, the number of routes was reduced to 124. Skorupa said they are working to fill open positions and build back up to 150 routes to help reduce the amount of time students spend on bus routes.

Board policy 3710 states that LPS Transportation will transport only those students who qualify under provisions of state law, including:

Elementary and Middle School students residing more than four (4) miles from the school in the attendance area within which they reside.
Special Education students whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) require transportation as essential to learning.
Students who have been moved for the benefit of the district to relieve overcrowding, due to major facility renovations, or for efficiency in use of buildings and/or staff.
In addition, the Board, at its discretion, may approve other transportation areas based upon unique circumstances and for the purpose of equalizing school enrollments and facilitating programs.

A new partnership between LPS and Everdriven allows the school district to meet the requirements to serve students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Everdriven provides passenger vehicles and drivers to transport students from where they are staying to their home attendance school. Last year there were 134 students served through this program.

You can view a highlight of the Transportation Plan presentation on the LPS YouTube channel. The Board will hold a second reading and vote on the plan at the next regular meeting in July.

Property exchange agreement - Northwest/Pegram

Staff recommended that the school district enter into a Property Exchange Agreement with the Robert L. Benes Revocable Trust. As part of the agreement LPS will transfer the approximately 26.7 acre tract of real estate near West Holdrege and Northwest 56th streets adjacent to the Lincoln Northwest High School site, plus the approximately 15.4 acre tract of real estate near North 18th Street and Folkways Boulevard commonly known as the Pegram site. In exchange, LPS will acquire an approximately 19.9 acre parcel of land generally located south and west of West Holdrege and Northwest 56th streets, and the Robert L. Benes Revocable Trust will also pay LPS $1,646,867. The new property will be better positioned in a developing neighborhood to provide an opportunity for a new elementary school.

The Board will hold a second reading and vote on entering the agreement at the next meeting in July.

Extending agreement with Everdriven Technologies

Staff recommend extending an agreement with Everdriven Technologies to provide transportation services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

This will be an estimated annual expenditure of $1,000,000 from the General Fund.

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

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is the primary piece of federal legislation dealing with the education of homeless children. This program addresses the problems that homeless children face in enrolling, attending and succeeding in school. Under this program, state and local educational agencies ensure that homeless children have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education - including a public preschool education - as other children. States and school districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance or success in school.

The LPS homeless outreach coordinator position works with families experiencing homelessness to arrange transportation services for children to attend school. They also work with families to provide other supports that create a more stable environment for children experiencing homelessness. Last year, LPS served approximately 850 students in 59 schools.

LPS will use funds received through the McKinney-Vento Act to continue to support the salary of the homeless outreach coordinator and to pay transportation costs for homeless children to attend school.

The Board discussed the submission of the McKinney-Vento Grant application for approximately $88,762, with the final allocation to be determined by the State of Nebraska after submission and dependent upon grants awarded to other applicants. This grant requires a 100 percent match from Title I funds allocated to LPS. Title I funds have been used in past years to cover the required match.

Due to grant application timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the grant application.

Sixpence Grant Proposal

The Sixpence Early Learning Fund provides funding for high-quality early childhood education programs. These programs, in partnership with local school districts, aim to support the development of young children ages birth to three and particularly those at risk. Sixpence grants are designed to promote community-level partnerships and ensure that young children receive the best possible start to life.

LPS plans to use these funds to support the Student Child Learning Centers at Northeast, Lincoln High School and Bryan Community, along with the home-based program.

Due to timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the grant application.

Planning Region Team Grant Proposal

The Planning Region Team (PRT) is an organized group of parents, advocates and representatives from community agencies, organizations, daycares and childcare providers and LPS who assist with the planning and implementation of the Early Intervention Act within LPS.

Staff propose submitting a grant application to the Nebraska Department of Education for $65,750 to support the work of the PRT in implementing the Early Intervention Act.

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

Agreement with Procare Therapy Inc

Staff recommend entering into a contract with Procare Therapy Inc to assist in providing services remotely for LPS students. These services will assist the school district in lessening the gap in services provided, and alleviate the workload on in-house school psychologists. The proposed agreement would be for $1,160,325.

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

Agreement with Educare of Lincoln

In a long-standing agreement between Educare and LPS, LPS serves as a pass-through for funds from the Sixpence Early Learning Grant to Educare. The agreement is required to be approved annually. Educare is required to match the grant 100%, and no funds or match are required by LPS.

Due to required timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the agreement.

Policy updates - 5000 and 6000 series

The Board periodically reviews and revises policies to align with current practices or meet requirements set forth by local, state or federal laws and regulations.

Staff and legal counsel recommended seven policy and regulation changes, two new policies be developed and one existing policy be folded into a new policy and removed as required by recent state legislation being passed. None of the proposed changes are substantial for LPS.

Highlights of policy changes include:

Remove Regulation 5420.10 about Tribal Regalia and fold it into a new Policy 5483 about Student Dress and Appearance.
Adding Regulation 5400.3 on Behavior Intervention and Classroom Management.
LPS is taking current cell phone and personal electronic devices guidelines implemented in 2023 and making it official Policy 6445 as now required by state law.
LPS is also revising Policy 5110 on Admissions, Policy 5111 on Full-time and Part-time Enrollment, Policy 5201 about Promotion and Retention, Policy 5360 about Directory Information, Policy 5400 on School-wide Multi-tiered System of Support for Behavior, Regulation 5400.1 on Principal’s Responsibility for Student Conduct and Regulation 5400.2 on Employees’ Responsibility for Student Behavior.

Due to the requirements of newly passed laws in Nebraska and timelines in preparing for the next school year, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the policy updates.

Second reading

Elementary boundary change recommendations

The Board Planning Committee monitors city growth, building utilization, student enrollment trends, and development throughout the school year. Lincoln is thriving and continues to grow - especially the Northwest part of the city.

LPS staff continue to explore strategies to stabilize the growth at Lakeview Elementary School and balance school enrollments. As part of the process, the Board Planning Committee recommends changing the attendance area between the airport and Interstate 80 assignment from Lakeview to Arnold Elementary before housing is built in the area. The proposed attendance area shift would begin with the 2025-2026 school year if approved.

The Board voted to approve the assignments.

Property purchase

The Board is considering the purchase of land located near Northwest High School in the area at West Vine between NW 48th and NW 56th streets. The property is approximately 20,68 acres and may be used as a future transportation facility and hub.

The Board Planning Committee recommends the Board consider entering into a purchase agreement of $2.9 million for the property.

The Board voted to approve the purchase.

Renewal of print and copy fleet service agreement with Xerox

The current Xerox production contract term is a base period of five years with an option to renew for additional periods upon mutual agreement and successful contract performance. The existing production contract expires in December 2025. It is recommended that LPS renew the production copy and services agreement with Xerox Corporation for the period of December 2025 through June 2030.

This will be an annual estimated expenditure of $1,051,584 from the General Fund, Nutrition Services Fund, Federal Fund, Activities Fund, Special Grant Fund and ESU 18 Fund. The actual expenditures will be determined by usage.

The Board voted to approve the agreement.

Informational items and reports

Superintendent update

During the Superintendent Update, Interim Superintendent John Skretta thanked Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish and her budget team for their work and presentation at the Work Session held at 4:30 before the regular meeting.

Skretta also took a moment to recognize LPS Operations Director Scott Wieskamp during his last board meeting.

“Within any high-performing and successful organization, there are a few individuals whose impact is outsized and who demonstrate leadership on a level that can truly be described as iconic,” added Skretta. “There is no area of the city that Scott’s incredible vision and execution have not enhanced, all in a relentless quest and a tireless effort to support Lincoln Public Schools.”

Skretta went on to commend Wieskamp’s efforts in ensuring equitable application of resources and supports for maintaining facilities so that every school across the district is a place where students can be proud to attend.

“Scott, while you will be greatly missed, know that your personal leadership example will continue to inspire our work, and your legacy is a lasting one.”

You can watch a highlight of the Superintendent Update on YouTube.

Public comment

There were no individuals that addressed the Board during the public comment period.

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights LPS. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured Dawes Middle School students and their project for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. You can watch the Glimpses on YouTube.

ESU 18 Regular Meeting

The board of ESU 18 held its regular meeting immediately following the Lincoln Board of Education meeting to approve the consent agenda. You can view the ESU 18 meeting on YouTube.

Interlocal agreement with Lancaster County for educational services to the Youth Services Center

Each year, the ESU 18 Board approves an interlocal agreement with Lancaster County to offer services at the Lancaster County Youth Services Center. The Pathfinder Program provides educational services and classes to youth detained at the center.

The County agrees to reimburse ESU 18 for all expenses incurred in providing such services pursuant to the agreement, however, that the amount of such reimbursements shall not exceed $999,050.

The Board voted to approve the agreement.

Agreement with Nebraska Department of Education for SNRP for Hearing Impaired Students

The ESU 18 Board reviewed a continuing agreement with the Nebraska Department of Education to plan, coordinate and provide network enrichment activities for children who are deaf and hard of hearing in the ESU 4, ESU 5, ESU 6 and ESU 18 geographical areas. As part of the agreement, NDE agrees to pay ESU 18 up to $301,359.95 each year for providing this service.

The Board voted to approve the agreement.

Posted on June 24, 2025

Preliminary 2025-2026 LPS budget proposes 7 cent reduction in levy, Board requests community input

The Preliminary Proposed 2025-2026 LPS Budget presented to the Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday afternoon includes a 7 cent reduction in the total levy, bringing it to a historic low $1.04 per $100 in property valuation.

The Lincoln Board of Education held a work session on Tuesday, June 24, to preview the Preliminary Proposed 2025-2026 LPS Budget as presented by Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish.

“LPS prudently builds the annual budget using a three-year forecast to minimize the negative impact of drastic swings in revenue,” said Standish. “There are several volatile variables outside of our control year over year, and we try to minimize the impact of these shifts and sustain programming by utilizing cash flow.”

Last year, the Board approved a 3 cent levy increase to offset an approximately $32 million drop in state aid. State aid to LPS will increase $10 million in 2025-2026 to $82,566,211. In addition, LPS is conservatively estimating property valuations set by the Lancaster County Assessor will increase approximately 7%.

Building the budget begins each February when LPS staff review every budget line item and look at student enrollment and needs to match staffing levels for each school building. The budget process this year once again focuses on aligning resources with priorities outlined in the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan.

The budget process also takes into account student enrollment growth. Last school year, LPS grew an additional 647 students bringing the total enrollment close to record levels with 42,282 students. Next school year, the enrollment is projected to grow an additional 135 students to 42,417 - shattering the 2019 record of 42,297. It is important to note that in 2023-2024, LPS ranked 211 out of 244 school districts in Nebraska in per pupil spending with $16,052. That is $1,153 under the state average of $17,205 per student.

LPS is preliminarily proposing a 3.63% increase in the expenditure budget to $558,739,610. The majority of the expenditure increase - approximately $18.5 million of the $19.5 million - will go towards salary and benefit increases already approved through the staff negotiation process earlier in the year.

Staff salaries and benefits make up approximately 89% of the total 2025-2026 proposed budget. Each month, LPS pays approximately 6,500 employees a total of $30 million - money that pumps back into the Lincoln economy through the purchase of goods, services and property taxes.

“What happens during negotiations on salary and benefits with staff really drives our budget decisions,” added Standish. “That along with the priorities outlined in our strategic plan as identified with help from our community guides our conversations about where to direct our resources.”

Other highlights of the 2025-2026 preliminary proposed expenditure budget aligned with the strategic plan include:

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes

Addressing the graduation rate goal in the strategic plan by increasing the number of staff in the areas of: Graduation Pathways program, bilingual liaisons in Federal Programs, social workers in schools. It also addresses previously grant funded positions in the summer school program and social workers in Title I schools. LPS is proposing a nearly $1.4 million increase to support these changes.
The area of Early Childhood will also see an investment of nearly $1 million by staffing and providing supplies for additional classrooms.
By adding $1.8 million, LPS will address student and staff wellbeing and outcomes by adding approximately 36 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) in various teaching and staff roles for instruction and shifting counselors (9 FTE) previously funded by federal grants that were canceled.

Staff Wellbeing and Outcomes

To assist in recruiting and retaining highly-qualified staff, salaries and benefits increases ranging from 4.55%-10%.

Family and Community Engagement

Under Family and Civic Engagement, adding a Community Learning Center Community Builder is being proposed.
There is also increased funding for lobbying expenses to ensure the school district’s needs are represented in conversations with elected officials and local, state and national governing bodies.

District Systems and Operations

Required fixed cost increases of approximately $874,000 will address insurance premiums, transportation, custodial supplies and utility costs.
Staff propose a one-time maintenance budget of approximately $2 million to address needs such as roof repair and replacement, parking lot and sidewalk repair and resurfacing, security upgrades, accommodating student growth and functional updates to address student needs.

Standish shared there were approximately $3.6 million in proposed needs requested by different departments not funded in the 2025-2026 proposed budget.

“Our department leaders do a great job of going through their programs and determining those requests that serve our students in the classroom,” Standish said. “Unfortunately, there are more needs than we have resources. Our staff and board have to make the tough decisions prioritizing investment that directly impact instruction and support serving student needs.”

LPS values community input, and continues to rely on a solid process for budget development that includes multiple opportunities for community feedback.

“The Lincoln Board of Education traditionally provides multiple opportunities throughout the budget development process for our families and community members to engage with us in building the budget,” said Board Member and Finance Committee Chair Annie Mumgaard. “We want to hear from you, and we hope the community utilizes the many communication avenues for sharing their priorities and questions. The earlier in the process we hear from our community, the more likely it is we can address their feedback.”

The community is invited to attend any of the following:

Wednesday, June 25

7:00 a.m. - Online input form opens for the public to submit comments or questions (link can be found on website: lps.org/budget). The Q&A form will close on July 11.
12 p.m. - Virtual public forum (link can be found on website: lps.org/budget)
6:00 p.m. - In-person public forum at Steve Joel District Leadership Center, Boardroom. The session will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Thursday, June 26

6:00 p.m. - Virtual public forum (link can be found on website: lps.org/budget)

Schedule a presentation

Community groups and organizations interested in receiving a preliminary proposed budget presentation may request one by contacting Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish at 402-436-1636.

Information about the budget development process can be found on the website at lps.org/budget.

Posted on June 24, 2025

LPS speech teams produce medal-winning moments at national contest

Lincoln Public Schools students made “Eloquence in Action” a winning motto this spring with multiple top moments at a national speech tournament.

High school students from East, Lincoln High, North Star, Southeast and Southwest traveled to Liberty North (Mo.) High School for the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC). Competitors from dozens of states took part in 12 speech categories at NIETOC. They earned recognition for reaching the octafinals (top 60), quarterfinals (top 30), semifinals (top 12) and finals (top six) of their events. They scored points for their teams based on how far they advanced.

NIETOC officials split schools into three equal divisions – Act I, Act II and Act III – based on how many competitors they brought to the contest. Lincoln High and North Star took part in Act I, which featured 92 schools. Southeast was one of 65 teams in Act II and East and Southwest were in the 25-team Act III.

East’s 29-person team returned to Lincoln with elated feelings after earning second place on the Act III leaderboard. The Spartans finished in the top three spots for the third time in school history. East pocketed second place in 2015 and captured third place last year.

East seniors Nusrat Amin and Max Apel said all the Spartans were thrilled with the way the tournament worked out.

“When the news was first announced, I remember everyone feeling shocked and amazed to be named second in the nation,” Apel said. “Still, we had hoped that the hard work and dedication our team put in would pay off.”

“We were super happy,” Amin said. “Our team spirit throughout the tournament was high as everyone was supporting each other, so it made our second place feel more like a first-place victory.”

Head coach Nick Herink said the second-place finish was a testament to the time and effort the Spartans put into their craft. Moorhead (Minn.) High School (268 points), East (244) and Texas-based Harlingen South High School (216) were the only three teams to surpass the 200-point plateau at the tournament.

“It still doesn’t feel real!” Herink said. “The kids and coaches on this team put in an incredible amount of work. Speech is a year-round activity involving nearly 70 students at East, and seeing this group that has been through so much together finish second in the nation – I’m at a loss for words.”

Senior Linnea Blankenhorn paced the Spartans with a national championship in the Oral Interpretation of Poetry contest. Tim Gabbard of Moorhead was second, Harlingen (Texas) High School’s Brooklynn Dunston was third and Lincoln East teammate Ethan Phan finished fourth. Blankenhorn earned first place out of 63 competitors.

Blankenhorn became the sixth East student to win a national title since NIETOC began in 2010. East’s previous national champions were Carla Seravalli (2015, Expository Speaking), Suvy Qin (2015, Original Oratory), Claire Rooney (2023, Poetry Interpretation), Max Apel (2024, Dramatic Interpretation) and Luke Nash (2024, Poetry Interpretation).

“When I learned that I was the national champion of Poetry Interpretation I was shocked but also relieved,” Blankenhorn said. “I had put so much work over the year to polish and refine my piece, and finally getting to see that hard work pay off was amazing.”

Blankenhorn said she enjoyed the freedom of choosing her own poems to perform throughout the year. She also liked expressing her viewpoints through a creative lens.

“The thing I enjoyed most about Poetry Interpretation was being able to convey a message through multiple characters all connected by the topic,” Blankenhorn said. “I was able to act, while also putting out a message I truly believe in.”

Amin and Apel both earned finalist honors in multiple categories. Apel pocketed a pair of third-place medals in the Humorous Interpretation (176 entries) and Dramatic Interpretation (199 entries) contests, and Amin secured third place for her work in Program Oral Interpretation (162 competitors). Amin also paired with junior Zach Johannes for a fourth-place medal in the Duet Acting category (102 entries).

Amin and Apel felt the iron-sharpens-iron concept was true at NIETOC. They said competing against dozens of the nation’s best speakers helped them improve their techniques and strategies on stage.

“It’s super fun!” Amin said. “Getting to see everyone from different states as well as seeing different pieces is inspiring and moving and allows for the competitors to grow from each other.”

“Having the opportunity to compete alongside and learn from performers from across the nation helps me and my teammates grow as competitors,” Apel said. “To be a strong actor, you have to constantly study others, stay open to feedback and be willing to adapt your style. Competing at NIETOC gives us the perfect chance to do exactly that.”

Blankenhorn said the supportive atmosphere within East’s program was a primary factor in the team’s second-place finish. She said she would carry those memories with her for the rest of her life.

“The best part of being involved in speech at East was being able to lean on peers and coaches for help in anything we needed,” Blankenhorn said. “Whether it was help with a speech piece, or some drama in our lives, there was always someone there willing to listen and help. I met some of my best friends through speech and I would never do it differently.”

Lincoln High’s Tristyanna Lewy paced the Links with a semifinal appearance in the Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose category. She placed eighth out of 80 competitors.

Mabruka Mumade led North Star by reaching the octafinals in Original Oratory (213 entries). Phoenix Braatz and DaZayah Hartshorn-Harvey guided Southeast with quarterfinal appearances. Braatz placed 13th in Expository Speaking (71 competitors) and 19th in Poetry Interpretation, and Hartshorn-Harvey earned 14th place in Program Oral Interpretation.

Danielle Ibe-Ikechi and Brooklyn Bruggeman each reached the semifinals for Southwest’s squad. Ibe-Ikechi captured eighth place in Poetry Interpretation and Bruggeman netted a tenth-place finish in Program Oral Interpretation.

2025 LPS NIETOC Results

Lincoln East Results

Dramatic Interpretation: Max Apel (Finalist, 3rd place)
Duet Acting: Nusrat Amin and Zach Johannes (Finalists, 4th); Andrea Hu and Sophia Wang (Quarterfinalists, 27th)
Duo Interpretation: Abena Bonsu and Zach Johannes (Semifinalists, 8th); Gavin Foust and Claire Rooney (Quarterfinalist, 29th); Avery Fast and Jack Welstead (Octafinalists)
Humorous Interpretation: Max Apel (Finalist, 3rd); Sawyer Shaner (Quarterfinalist, 28th); Cora Thompson (Octafinalist); Wade Combs (Octafinalist)
Informative Speaking: Claire Rooney (Quarterfinalist, 16th); Vesta Anderson (Quarterfinalist, 21st); Nitya Haridas (Octafinalist)
Original Oratory: Jack Welstead (Semifinalist, 8th); Belinda Qiao (Quarterfinalist, 22nd); Cinae Schneider (Octafinalist)
Poetry Interpretation: Linnea Blankenhorn (National Champion, 1st); Ethan Phan (Finalist, 4th)
Program Oral Interpretation: Nusrat Amin (Finalist, 3rd)

Lincoln High Results

Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose: Tristyanna Lewy (Semifinalist, 8th)
Poetry Interpretation: Mahshid Farahmand (Quarterfinalist, 15th); Ariana Martinez Giron (Quarterfinalist, 22nd)

Lincoln North Star Results

Original Oratory: Mabruka Mumade (Octafinalist)

Lincoln Southeast Results

Expository Speaking: Phoenix Braatz (Quarterfinalist, 13th)
Humorous Interpretation: DaZayah Hartshorn-Harvey (Octafinalist)
Original Oratory: Aolani Wilson (Octafinalist)
Poetry Interpretation: Phoenix Braatz (Quarterfinalist, 19th)
Program Oral Interpretation: DaZayah Hartshorn-Harvey (Quarterfinalist, 14th); Aolani Wilson (Octafinalist)

Lincoln Southwest Results

Dramatic Interpretation: Brooklyn Bruggeman (Quarterfinalist, 23rd)
Duet Acting: Kate Bollinger and Macy Gonderinger (Octafinalists)
Duo Interpretation: Brooklyn Shoemaker and Mason Farmer (Octafinalists); Jordyn Davis and Jack McCormick (Octafinalists)
Humorous Interpretation: Brooklyn Shoemaker (Octafinalist)
Poetry Interpretation: Danielle Ibe-Ikechi (Semifinalist, 8th); Lyra Walsh (Quarterfinalist, 18th)
Program Oral Interpretation: Brooklyn Bruggeman (Semifinalist, 10th)

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 24, 2025

Meeting notice for the Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 - June 24, 2025

The Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 will hold several meetings on Tuesday, June 24, located in the Boardroom at Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street. The Board of Education will hold a special Work Session at 4:30 p.m. for the purpose of previewing the Preliminary Proposed 2025-2026 LPS Budget. Then the Board will hold a regular meeting at 6:00 p.m., with the ESU 18 meeting immediately following.

Members of the public and media may access the meetings via live video streaming or by physically attending the meetings, which are subject to all national, state and local limitations on public gatherings associated with COVID-19. Overflow accommodations may need to be implemented to ensure the health and safety of all in attendance.

The agenda for all meetings can be found here: lps.org/board.

There are multiple ways to view the livestream of all meetings:

Board webpage
LPS YouTube Channel
LNK TV Education Channel (Spectrum channel 1303, Allo channel 23, or LNKTV in the AppleTV and Roku app store)

Participation by citizens in the Regular Board Meeting

The Board believes public attendance and participation, when appropriate to the business at hand, is beneficial to the work of the Board and models the importance of civic engagement and civil discourse to the community’s children, but it cannot impede the Board from completing the business of the meeting.

In keeping with Board Policy 8420 and Neb Statute 84-1412(3), the Lincoln Board of Education has established these reasonable regulations to conduct Public Comment:

Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose.

A time limit of three minutes will be allotted for any speaker unless prior to the beginning of the Public Comment agenda item, the chair sets a different reasonable time frame to be allotted for speakers in order to accommodate the number of persons who have submitted "Record of Appearance" cards. The time limit is per speaker, per meeting and may not be transferred or assigned to other speakers.

The chair may endeavor to organize public comment by what agenda items or other issues have been identified as topics by public speakers, adjust for the age of speakers, and/or split the Public Comment agenda item to be conducted in different positions within the Board’s Order of Business. At the discretion of the chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.

In order to be called forward to address the Board during Public Comment, each person wishing to speak must obtain a "Record of Appearance" card from staff at the meeting in which they wish to speak. "Record of Appearance" cards are available beginning 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the meeting. Those wishing to speak must accurately complete the required sections of the card, and submit it to the appropriate staff member by 15 minutes after the start of the meeting.

Individuals will be called forward to speak by name, organization being represented, if applicable, and address. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment by stating their first and last name and, if applicable, any organization they represent.

In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.

If the number of people wishing to speak under the public comment portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled.

Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials (paper no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches) available to the Board but may not use any other form of media. Public speakers are asked to provide 10 copies of any copies of printed materials presented to the Board.

Persons attending Board meetings and/or speaking to the Board during Public Comment or during a public hearing must follow all requirements established by the Board, as well as all Board, chair and staff directions in order to help maintain the order, proper decorum, safety and security, and the non-disruptive functioning of the Board meeting. These include, but are not limited to the following:

Abiding by time limits;
Refraining from applauding, cheering, jeering, or engaging in speech that defames any individual(s), or stymies or blocks meeting progress;
Refraining from the use of audio recordings, video recordings, or any digital still images, posters, signs, costumes, other props and/or photographs;
Refraining from abusive, disruptive or threatening language or gestures; and
Staying in the areas identified by the Board as reserved for the public.

If at any time persons appearing before the Board do not comply with these or any other Board requirements, it shall be the responsibility of the chair to declare that person or persons out of order and require a change in behavior, delay or recess the meeting, or refuse permission to continue to address the Board, and ultimately may require the person or persons to leave the premises of the Board meeting.

Posted on June 23, 2025

Marvelous Mentor: Cassata recognized for positive work as Standing Bear principal

Sue Cassata’s rock-solid leadership at Standing Bear High School has led to many enriching moments for students, staff and residents across Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals (NSASSP) honored Cassata for her many achievements this spring with the NSASSP Region 1 High School Principal of the Year Award. Cassata has become a cornerstone of educational expertise at Lincoln Public Schools thanks to her intellect, integrity and innovative practices. She began teaching at LPS in 1991 and has served in multiple leadership capacities throughout the school district.

Bryan Community Principal Denise Craig and East High School Principal Casey Fries both said Cassata was highly deserving of the honor. NSASSP Region 1 officials selected her because of their respect for her inspirational and effective leadership style.

“I would say there are several things that make Sue a great principal,” Fries said. “She is a learner who is always driven by personal growth, she is well-read and she has a very strong understanding of high-quality instructional practices. However, I would say what sets her apart as a principal is her unwavering care and compassion for those that she serves. Her ability to lead with empathy, passion and integrity help to create a culture where everyone feels loved, valued and supported.”

“In the LPS administrator community, Sue is a leader who makes the rest of us better,” Craig said. “She thinks and talks through problems and solutions in ways that others may not see at first.”

Northeast High School Principal Liz Miller said Cassata is driven by a desire to provide everyone with a positive environment to learn and grow in.

“Her leadership style is characterized by patience and a willingness to engage in active listening, building strong connections and relationships within the school community to support individual and collective growth journeys,” Miller said. “Sue is a transformative leader who engages in effective questioning, artfully challenging the status quo to effectively connect diverse ideas for the greater good of the educational environment.”

Cassata accepted the award this spring at a Region I meeting in Seward. Craig and NSASSP Region 1 President Justin DeWitt of Cross County Community School District presented the honor to her at the banquet. Region 1 includes school districts of all sizes from 18 counties.

Cassata said she enjoys the daily responsibilities that come with her principal position. She began serving as East High School principal in 2008 and accepted the statewide NSASSP Principal of the Year Award in the 2020-21 school year. She became Standing Bear’s first leader in February 2022 and laid a firm foundation for the school’s philosophy and principles.

“I love seeing kids thrive, and I love seeing staff do what they do,” Cassata said. “Every day is different and every day is unique, and I just love the energy that a high school brings. There’s not a single thing about it that I don’t care for.”

Cassata started her LPS career as a social studies teacher at Southeast High School. She led hundreds of Knights in her Western Civilization and Citizenship Issues classrooms during her tenure. After working in the educational leadership program at Doane University for several years, Cassata returned to LPS as an assistant principal at North Star High School. She spent three years in that role before becoming East’s principal.

Fries said Cassata is respected throughout Lincoln because of her willingness to help others. Her open-phone policy has led to many helpful conversations with fellow principals and administrators. Her proactive approach to solving problems has allowed her to become a catalyst for positive change at LPS.

“Sue has served – officially or unofficially – as a mentor to nearly every high school principal in our district,” Fries said. “Whenever one of us secondary principals has a question or needs advice, Sue is often one of the first people we call. Her knowledge, built from years of experience and strong relationships across the district, makes her an invaluable resource to our principal group.”

Craig said she has also benefited from speaking with Cassata on a range of topics. She said Cassata has a gift for supporting others through both advocacy and encouragement at school. That has created a large amount of trust both inside and outside LPS buildings.

“Sue is very in-tune with the humanity of her communities and works to be a good, consistent and fair human to others,” Craig said. “Sue develops strong relationships with her teaching staff, and they enjoy working with her.”

Cassata said mentoring is one of her favorite parts of the job. She felt it was essential to help others learn how to become educational pilots in their classrooms, offices and schools.

“I think one of the responsibilities we have as principals is mentoring those that want to become principals or see themselves either as a formal school leader or an informal school leader,” Cassata said. “Providing them opportunities and providing them a chance to experience, to see, to grow and to develop their own leadership is so important.”

Fries said Cassata’s rock-solid leadership has left a lasting impression across the entire city.

“Sue’s influence can be seen in the growth and success of leaders throughout our district,” Fries said. “I believe the LPS community is stronger and better because of her mentorship.”

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 20, 2025

Community invited to preview Preliminary Proposed LPS 2025-2026 Budget and provide feedback

The community will have its first opportunity to preview the Preliminary Proposed 2025-2026 LPS Budget during the Lincoln Board of Education work session next week. The presentation will then be followed by multiple opportunities for the public to ask questions and provide feedback to staff and Board members through public forums and an online form.

The preliminary proposed budget will first be presented publicly during a special Board work session at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center on Tuesday, June 24, starting at 4:30 p.m. The work session will be livestreamed on the LPS website (lps.org), the LPS channel on YouTube (bit.ly/LPSLive), and on the LNK-TV Education Channel (Allo channel 23, or Spectrum channel 1303).

Below are all of the opportunities for the community to participate in the process next week:

Tuesday, June 24

4:30 p.m. - In-person presentation during Budget Work Session at Steve Joel District Leadership Center in the Boardroom. The session will be livestreamed on YouTube or LNK-TV Education Channel. There will be an opportunity for public comment.
6:00 p.m. - In-person regular Board of Education meeting with an opportunity to speak during public comment. The regular meeting will be livestreamed.

Wednesday, June 25

7:00 a.m. - Online input form opens for the public to submit comments or questions (link can be found on website: lps.org/budget). The Q&A form will close on July 11.
12 p.m. - Virtual public forum (link can be found on website: lps.org/budget)
6:00 p.m. - In-person public forum at Steve Joel District Leadership Center, Boardroom. The session will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Thursday, June 26

6:00 p.m. - Virtual public forum (link can be found on website: lps.org/budget)

Information about the budget development process can be found on the website at lps.org/budget.

Posted on June 18, 2025

Delightful Duos: Four sets of twins leave Randolph with fond memories

Randolph Elementary School fifth graders could be forgiven for having double vision when they looked at class pictures this year.

Four sets of twins took their final lessons as Roadrunners this spring. Aurea and Kitty, Ashlynn and Brynlee, Caroline and Rose and Seth and Summer began their Lincoln Public Schools careers as kindergarten students at Randolph.

What’s the best part about having a twin with you at school for the past six years?

“That the other twin is always there for you every step of the way,” Rose said.

“Whenever you need to talk to somebody, they’re always there,” Caroline said.

“You’re respected,” Brynlee said. “There aren’t many other people who are twins.”

Randolph Principal Ryan Erickson said he has enjoyed having all eight students at school. There are four sections of fifth grade at Randolph, which is home to approximately 450 students in grades K-5.

“It’s been a great opportunity to work with all of the families and watch the twins grow up here,” Erickson said. “It’s been really fun. It’s definitely a unique thing to have this many twins in one class.”

Kitty said she has loved being an identical twin with Aurea. One drawback is that other Roadrunners have had trouble distinguishing which twin is which. Both have black hair, are the same height and have the same wide smile.

“Sometimes people can’t even tell us apart, and to me, it’s pretty easy,” Kitty said.

Caroline said even though many of the twins look alike, they all have a variety of interests.

“All the sets of twins aren’t exactly the same,” Caroline said. “We each have our different personalities, which is really neat.”

All eight twins enjoyed their final day of school, which featured a tunnel walk throughout the building. Younger students in grades K-4 lined the hallways to cheer for the entire fifth grade class. They created signs with crayons, pencils and markers and stuck out their hands to receive high-fives from the departing Roadrunners.

All of the fifth graders then came together for their final Randolph assembly. They sat on risers on one side of the gym as parents and guardians recorded the graduation event with their smartphones. Erickson began the ceremony by saluting students for reaching both academic and personal milestones at the school.

“You have made so much growth and we are so proud of you,” Erickson said.

Erickson said the twins were part of a fifth grade class that built strong bonds and relationships with students, teachers and staff. He read results from a class survey that listed chicken sandwiches, Salisbury steak and cheeseburgers as some of their favorite school lunches. Their favorite field trips were to a Lincoln Saltdogs baseball game, a one-room schoolhouse and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Morrill Hall.

The twins and other fifth graders said their advice to younger students was to be kind, treat others well, take risks and keep working hard. Erickson said that wise outlook would serve them well as they take the next steps on their LPS pathways.

“There is no doubt in my mind that you are ready for middle school,” Erickson said.

All of the Randolph fifth graders then came forward and read positive statements about themselves and their elementary careers. Members of Room 205 went first and Rooms 204, 206 and 202 followed them. Their personal statements were also shown on a screen on the gym wall for the audience to read along.

Many Roadrunners listed traits that they had learned both at home and in Randolph’s classrooms. Caroline smiled as she read several sentences in front of classmates and community members.

“I am a strong, patient, hardworking young scholar and I am always open for success,” Caroline said in her statement. “My family has taught me to always make everyone feel safe and welcome and always be on their side no matter what happens. At school, I have learned if something gets hard, keep trying and you will succeed.”

At the conclusion of the graduation ceremony, all of the fifth graders walked outside to enjoy spring weather with family members who had attended. Aurea, Kitty, Seth, Summer, Ashlynn, Brynlee, Caroline and Rose shared hugs with others and then gathered for a group photo.

Summer said the best part about being a twin was knowing that she and Seth could have the same memories of their time growing up in Randolph’s hallways.

“That we’re always with each other,” Summer said.

Missed our 2025 last week of school highlights? Relive the fun on the Lincoln Public Schools website and our photo gallery at https://news.lps.org/lastweeklps-2025/.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 13, 2025

Remarkable Researchers: Science Focus Program students earn top awards for science projects

Lincoln Public Schools scientists used strong exploration skills to pin their names on state educational maps this spring.

Eight Science Focus Program (SFP) students shared their scientific knowledge at the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences (NJAS) State Science Fair. Lily Ardinger Stibal, Ophelia Beltran, Sophie Donner, K.J. Hartman, Claire Johnson, Alexia McDonald, Liam O’Neal and Cara Rezac presented research on subjects ranging from soil microbes to water-based macroinvertebrates.

Ardinger Stibal, Beltran, Donner, Hartman, Johnson, McDonald and O’Neal were all seniors this spring and Rezac was a junior. Ardinger Stibal, Donner and Hartman were chosen to present at the American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS) Annual Program in Phoenix next winter, and McDonald was selected to compete in the United States Stockholm Junior Water Prize contest this month.

SFP teacher Emily Rose Seifferlein said she was proud of everyone’s work. Students first prepared scientific posters for the Southeast Regional NJAS Science Fair. Professional scientists rated and discussed the merits of their scientific questions, data collection methods, research analysis and communication techniques. The same rigorous process happened at the state event later in the spring.

“Being skilled in scientific methodology and communication are critical skills for scientists,” Rose Seifferlein said. “The long-term projects that our students conduct each year allow them to grow in their understanding of how science is done in real life.”

Donner was ecstatic when she learned she had been chosen for nationals. She produced a project called “Assessment of Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates in Salt Creek: Lincoln, Neb.”

“My smile could have lifted me off the ground that day,” Donner said. “I was so proud after all the presenting to feel like it was a subject of interest not just for me, but to others as well.”

Donner reached out to University of Nebraska-Lincoln professors and gained access to equipment that helped her monitor water quality. She traveled to Salt Creek multiple times to analyze if macroinvertebrates such as aquatic insects were living in healthy water.

“Every time I got down to the creek to collect, I found myself enjoying the views, and I felt like I made a difference,” Donner said. “I enjoyed being able to work with UNL and all my teachers over the long months to produce meaningful research. I think I would be a completely different person without this experience!”

Donner discovered that there were unhealthy levels of total nitrogen and E. coli bacteria in Salt Creek. She learned people were dumping chemicals into the creek, which could cause dangerous nitrate levels in humans.

“Each of these is a sign that we aren’t taking care of our creek enough, and it may be harming more than just the animals and macros in the water, but also us,” Donner said.

Hartman examined the impact of socioeconomic factors on litter content in Lincoln for her four-month research project. She counted, sorted and recorded the types of garbage she found at ten parks around Lincoln twice a month. Her data revealed that more than 50 percent of Lincoln’s litter involved items such as nicotine and alcohol products.

“I absolutely loved doing this project,” Hartman said. “Though tedious and tiring at parts, I feel very proud of my contribution to the community and environment. When I found out that my project not only made state, but was selected for the national conference, I was completely stunned and thrilled! I already felt proud of my research, but these recognitions helped solidify that feeling.”

Hartman said it was fun to display her data at both the regional and state contests. She was thankful to have an opportunity to share her analysis with even more people in Phoenix Feb. 11-15.

“I am very grateful to have been able to make this project happen and compete with my fellow researchers,” Hartman said. “I am very excited to continue this project and for the conference!”

Ardinger Stibal compared the lives of adolescents and young adults with hearing loss and those with typical hearing for her project. She interviewed multiple students to learn how their social activities and experiences varied because of their hearing levels. She said she was “absolutely thrilled” when she was selected for nationals.

“It felt rewarding to have a project that I had put so much time, research and collaboration into recognized not only for the complexity needed to move on to the national level, but for the real-world impact it can have on people’s lives,” Ardinger Stibal said.

Ardinger Stibal said her personal knowledge of hearing loss played a key role in her project. She received cochlear implants when she was ten months old and participated in hearing research studies across the country. The studies focused on items such as language development, balance and listening.

“My passion and experience in research early on is in part what led me to apply to the Science Focus Program, as my experiences solidified for me how important science and technology is for our lives,” Ardinger Stibal said. “My senior capstone allowed me to express this in a way that was personal to me and that would improve the everyday lived experiences of those with hearing loss, recognizing both the struggles and successes those with hearing loss face every day.”

Ardinger Stibal’s research has already made an impression in Nebraska. She presented her findings at the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Empowerment in Special Education Conference and Resource Day this spring. The event included representatives from many school and professional organizations.

McDonald will travel to St. Louis this month for the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) contest. She will represent Nebraska on the national stage. The Stockholm International Water Institute began the SJWP contest in 1997 to encourage research about issues affecting oceans, seas, lakes, ponds, rivers and other waterways.

The United States contest will run from June 19-22 at Washington University. The winner will advance to the international event held in Sweden in August.

McDonald went to Holmes Lake and Pawnee Lake twice a week to explore their health. She focused her research on the population of sediment diatoms, which are single-celled algae that have cell walls made of silica. Diatoms play key roles in the nutrient cycling of marine and lake waters and serve as a major food source for mollusks and fish.

“I decided to focus on water quality and lake health for my project because, in my previous year’s study, I did another project focused on water quality and that helped me understand just how important having a healthy environment really is,” McDonald said. “In addition to that, at the Science Focus Program, we emphasized giving back to our community. In this way, I tried to create a project that could be used to help people and improve the care we put into our environment.”

There are many sediment diatom species, and each one has a specific tolerance for environmental factors in water like salinity. Scientists can determine the health of a lake by studying how many overall diatoms are present and which diatom species are most common.

“It’s always nice to get outside, but it was especially cool to see how the lake evolved over the seasons,” McDonald said. “It was also really cool to watch how the populations of diatoms changed as the conditions in the water changed. It was a real-time glimpse into how the small changes made by humanity amount to big changes in nature, which just emphasizes the need to protect our water sources.”

Rose Seifferlein said science fairs are a key part of the high school learning process. She said SFP students gained many life lessons that will benefit them in their scientific futures.

“Science cannot happen in a vacuum – it must be shared,” Rose Seifferlein said. “Science fairs like those held by the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences allow for students to practice communicating their findings to other experts and to the public. Our students go to college knowing how real science is done and how to share the results.”

SFP NJAS State Science Fair Qualifying Projects

Lily Ardinger Stibal – “Examining Lived Experience by Adolescents and Young Adults with Hearing Loss and Those with Typical Hearing”
Ophelia Beltran – “Impact of Redwood Cedar Trees on Insect and Arachnid Biodiversity in Southeast Nebraska”
Sophie Donner – “Assessment of Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates in Salt Creek: Lincoln, Neb.”
K.J. Hartman – “Examining the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Litter Content in Lincoln, Neb.”
Claire Johnson – “Comparison of Soil Microbes Within Reconstructed and Virgin Prairie Land”
Alexia McDonald – “Correlating Diatom Populations and Water Quality Indicators as Signs of Lake Health: Holmes Lake and Pawnee Lake, Southeast Nebraska”
Liam O’Neal – “Development of a Water Quality Index using Entropy-Based Weighting and Temperature Management”
Cara Rezac – “Quantitative Comparison of Microplastics Along an Urban-Rural Gradient in Salt Creek”

Want to know more about customizing your high experience? Learn about the Science Focus Program and other LPS Focus Programs at https://home.lps.org/focus.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 12, 2025

Highlights of the June 10 Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 regular meetings

The Lincoln Board of Education and Educational Service Unit (ESU) 18 met for regular meetings on Tuesday, June 10, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street. You can watch the full video of both meetings on YouTube.

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Athletics and Activities update

Lincoln Public Schools Athletic and Activities Director JJ Toczek provided a year in review for the Board. The core purpose of the LPS Athletics and Activities program is to offer students education-based opportunities to extend the learning experiences outside the classroom. These experiences aid in the overall growth of student-participants by promoting academic achievement, skill development, life skills, citizenship and competitive success.

Goals for the last school year included working collaboratively with school athletic and activities directors and providing them with support, carrying out the program’s goals through an equitable lens, and aid in the overall growth of student-participants. There was also a focus on sportsmanship, increasing safety and security at events and promoting positive student and adult behaviors through continuous communication and student leadership development.

Other highlights from the year included:

Girls wrestling saw an 82.8% increase in participation in two years.
Unified sports saw a 66% increase in participation in two years.
Overall number of students participating in NSAA/LPS activities was up 34%.
The overall four-year graduation rate for LPS athletic and activities student participants was 98.0%.

You can watch a highlight of the Athletics and Activities presentation on YouTube.

First reading

Elementary boundary change recommendations

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

Property purchase

The Board Planning Committee recommends the Board consider entering into a purchase agreement of $2.9 million for the property.

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

Proposed 2025-2026 pay rates for substitute and miscellaneous employees

Each year the Board reviews pay rates for substitutes and miscellaneous employees.

This year the recommended salary increases are dependent on the employee group and range from no increase to a 3.55% increase. It is recommended substitute paraeducators receive a 6.56% increase and substitute office professionals receive a 10.92% increase due to recruiting difficulties.

For intramural workers and coaches, athletic event workers, standard head clinician setup pay, clinical additional coaches, concessions workers, student workers, band workers, band camp workers and camera operators, the recommended adjustments are made in anticipation of the increase in the Nebraska minimum wage to $15.00 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2026.

The Board waived second reading and voted to approve the new pay rates.

Renewal of print and copy fleet service agreement with Xerox

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

Second reading

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Grant - COPS School Violence Prevention Grant Program

LPS staff propose the school district submit a competitive application to the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), within the U.S. Department of Justice, for the School Violence Prevention Program grant. This program provides funding to improve security at schools and on school grounds through: coordination with local law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence against others and self; placement and use of deterrent equipment; and acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency.

The Board voted to approve the grant application.

Informational items and reports

From the Board

Finance Committee

Committee Chair Annie Mumgaard shared that the Board Finance Committee met prior to the regular meeting to preview the Preliminary Proposed 2025-2026 Budget Presentation. Staff will continue to make adjustments to the presentation after getting Board committee feedback.

The Preliminary Proposed 2025-2026 LPS Budget will first be presented publicly during a special Board work session on Tuesday, June 24, starting at 4:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center, or watch the livestream available on the LPS website or LNK-TV Education Channel.

There will be many opportunities for the community to engage in our budget process that week and through the summer:

Tuesday, June 24: Regular Board Meeting, public comment
Wednesday, June 25: virtual public forum at noon (link will be on lps.org), in-person public forum at 6:00 p.m. at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center, or submit online questions/comments on the LPS website through July 11.
Thursday, June 26: virtual public forum at 6:00 p.m. (link will be on lps.org)

Board member Barbara Baier added “I want to emphasize that this is when the public should be involved in the budget process. There have been changes in the past because of public comments.”

The Career Academy

Board member Annie Mumgaard gave a brief report from the last TCA meeting.

TCA exists as part of an interlocal agreement between Southeast Community College and LPS, and it will be celebrating a 10 year anniversary this year.

There are 429 seniors and 395 juniors registered for the next school year, with more being added over the summer.

The TCA student organizations saw great success in competition this year. Educator Rising had nine students place in the top three at state. The HOSA team had two state champions, and SkillsUSA had five state champions.

Superintendent update

During the Superintendent Update, Interim Superintendent John Skretta thanked Director of Athletics and Activities JJ Toczek for his presentation and highlighted the success of several LPS teams.

Lincoln East Baseball and Golf and Southwest Girls Soccer teams won state championships. LPS schools swept the podium at Girls Tennis with East winning the championship, Southwest bringing home the runner-up trophy and Southwest placing third.

Skretta also celebrated a successful interview day on Friday, June 6, at Scott Middle School. There were over 120 applicants interviewed throughout the afternoon. He encouraged anyone still looking for a career that makes a difference in a children’s lives to check out the current job openings on the LPS website, or attend the second interview day on July 15 at North Star High School.

Public comment

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

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights LPS. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured highlights of senior speakers from each of the graduation ceremonies livestreamed by the LPS Communications Team. You can watch the Glimpses on YouTube.

ESU 18 Regular Meeting

The board of ESU 18 held its regular meeting immediately following the Lincoln Board of Education meeting to approve the consent agenda. You can view the ESU 18 meeting on YouTube.

First reading

Interlocal agreement with Lancaster County for educational services to the Youth Services Center

The County agrees to reimburse ESU 18 for all expenses incurred in providing such services pursuant to the agreement, however, that the amount of such reimbursements shall not exceed $999,050.

The Board will hold a second reading and vote to approve the agreement at the next meeting.

Agreement with Nebraska Department of Education for SNRP for Hearing Impaired Students

The Board will hold a second reading and vote to approve the agreement at the next meeting.

Posted on June 10, 2025

Lasting Legacy: School, city leaders honor Wieskamp for leading LPS operations team

Scott Wieskamp has designed positive moments for thousands of Lincoln Public Schools students with his architectural, leadership and communication talents.

Wieskamp will retire from his position as LPS director of operations later this month after serving a generation of students, staff and area residents. His ability to construct positive relationships throughout the city has ushered in an era of exponential growth for the school district. LPS has expanded its footprint by three million square feet, provided safe and healthy places for learning and become a national facilities leader under his watch.

People from across the city gathered at Lincoln Children’s Zoo this spring to celebrate Wieskamp’s legacy-leaving tenure at LPS. A long line of well-wishers stretched outside the door to talk with him and share their memories of how he impacted their time in Lincoln. He told them that he appreciated all of the LPS friendships that have been formed since his first workday in 1999.

“The fact that you’re all here means a lot to me, so thank you,” Wieskamp said.

Wieskamp oversees all custodial services, maintenance and facilities operations across the school district. This includes work related to architecture, construction, design and planning, cabinetmaking, carpentry, concrete and masonry, custodial services, computer repair, electrical, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), plumbing, playgrounds, mowing, snow removal and swimming pools.

Lincoln Board of Education President Bob Rauner said Wieskamp’s wide-ranging knowledge of facilities and maintenance topics has benefited LPS in many ways. Over the past 27 years, LPS has grown from 5.5 million square feet to 8.5 million square feet, added 11 school buildings, doubled the number of high schools and renovated dozens of educational structures.

“It’s just amazing to me the logistics that goes into what he does,” Rauner said. “We’re going to have the effect of that for decades, maybe a century.”

David Cary, the director of planning at Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Department, echoed those sentiments. He presented Wieskamp with a proclamation from the mayor’s office that declared May 15, 2025, as Scott Wieskamp Day. Cary expressed his gratitude for the open lines of communication that Wieskamp established between LPS and the city for dozens of projects.

“It’s not hyperbole to say that Scott’s efforts have literally saved both the school district and the city millions and millions of dollars because of the efficiencies gained from the work that we’ve done together,” Cary said.

Wieskamp was raised in Lincoln and attended Pershing Elementary School, Mickle Middle School and Northeast High School. The late Northeast teacher and coach Ed Johnson inspired Wieskamp to study architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and he worked at a local architectural partnership for 14 years before pursuing a job at LPS. He was first hired as supervisor of maintenance and became director of operations in 2001.

Wieskamp said he has been fortunate to live and work in a city that values both education and cooperation. His networking skills with the city have led to increased coordination on water and sewer systems, road projects and facilities partnerships.

“Lincoln has that can-do attitude, and there aren’t that many communities that have that, so that’s been a thrill for me and really important, so I appreciate that,” Wieskamp said.

Denny Van Horn, a former LPS associate superintendent for business affairs, said Wieskamp earned the trust and respect of his staff over the years by approaching every situation with integrity and intelligence. The positive morale that emerged from that leadership style led to high-quality work both inside and outside LPS buildings and facilities.

“Thank you for leaving LPS in a far better condition than when you started those many years ago,” Van Horn said in a statement. “You leave a legacy that will impact the school district and community for many years. I pay you the utmost respect and gratitude for what you have done and who you are.”

Wieskamp credited his staff for working hard to complete tasks of all sizes. He said their ability to handle everything from plumbing emergencies to pavement patchwork made them a top-notch crew. LPS has become a national leader in geothermal energy, earned Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) awards from the United States Department of Energy and received Energy Star certifications at more than 30 buildings.

“All of our team is amazing,” Wieskamp said. “I would put them up against anybody.”

Wieskamp said the personal connections that he made throughout the department were important to him. Many of his employees hugged him at the ceremony and burst into applause several times during his remarks.

“You’re the best part of my job in terms of what you do and what you’ve performed and the things that we’ve accomplished over the years,” Wieskamp said. “The hardest part is walking away from that.”

Rauner has seen the full scope of Wieskamp’s knowledge during many school tours around Lincoln. He said that dedication to the community would impact thousands of LPS students in the years to come.

“We’re going to miss you,” Rauner said. “I hope you enjoy your retirement and everything you end up doing, but thank you for everything you’ve done for LPS.”

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 06, 2025

Successful Scientists: ISP students gain confidence by creating science fair projects

Garrette reacted with excitement this spring when a Northwest High School student asked him what he enjoyed most about conducting a science experiment with crystals.

“The salt crystal was my favorite,” Garrette typed into his communication device that he brought to his science fair booth.

Garrette and fellow Individual Success Program (ISP) classmates Mary, Josh and Ava shared their newfound scientific knowledge with dozens of Falcons at the annual ISP Science Fair. They created booths about topics such as food choices of fish and the effect of sugar on ice cream for the event, which took place on Northwest’s first floor. Students from English and biology classes asked them questions about their projects and complimented them for their work ethic.

ISP teachers Adi Holmes and Ashely Peterson and speech-language pathologist Anna Hower smiled as they watched the conversations unfold. Students began working on their projects in January and completed the entire scientific process of experimentation and discovery. They then developed display boards that let them relay their research to an audience.

“I’ve already been tearing up just seeing the excitement that they have, being able to show their parents and other students what they’ve been working on,” Hower said. “I was watching one student, and seeing her smile just made me smile so much.”

“Every year there are always such creative ideas and the students have so much fun with it,” Holmes said. “It’s really awesome because Ashely and I both, as teachers, love teaching through discovery, so this is a really great way of doing that. Seeing their personalities come out through their projects and then allowing them to just discover things has taught them a lot, so it’s great.”

ISP provides individualized academic and behavior instruction and support for students in the program. Many students used communication devices to speak with teachers throughout the day.

Brook Hamrick has spent 24 years at LPS and has worked with ISP for the past three years. She said the science fair provides students with confidence and a sense of community.

“It’s super fun to see them do activities that other kids get the opportunities to do throughout their educational careers,” Hamrick said.

Peterson began teaching in ISP at East in 2019 then at Northwest when the building opened three years ago. The 18-year LPS veteran heard about the possibility of a science fair for ISP students, and she began pursuing the idea with fellow teachers and administrators. She said activities like the science fair promote student well-being in both academic and social ways.

“I think it’s essential,” Peterson said. “It’s a chance for our students to explore different ideas and have opportunities in life, and it’s a chance for them to experience life to the fullest and be able to participate in things and interact with other students.”

Peterson and Holmes spent time with students each Monday on the science projects. Garrette, Mary, Josh, Ava and classmate Sully conducted experiments and inputted their data into a computer program that created graphs. They then compiled the graphs and pictures onto display boards.

Hower then built scripts using their communication devices that allowed them to interact with visitors at the fair. Each display board listed several questions that Northwest students could ask them after viewing their project.

“This is a huge deal just for them to have the opportunity to share what they’ve learned with other people in a way that they are able to,” Hower said. “They’re amazing human beings who have great ideas, and they get to share them with everybody.”

Holmes and Hower said the science fair was a valuable experience for visitors as well. English and biology students spent time talking with each participant and shared heartfelt smiles with them. In addition to discovering which food beta fish like to eat, they also learned about compassion and acceptance.

“I’m glad to see that there are a lot of Northwest students coming down today, because not only is it beneficial for our students, but it’s really beneficial to them too,” Holmes said. “Teaching empathy is what it’s all about, so I think it’s great. It can do nothing but good for everybody involved.”

“What’s cool is that our school has been amazing with their involvement with ISP and our special education program,” Hower said. “Our Northwest teachers and our administrators come to the fair, and they’re excited to see what our students have been doing because they interact with them throughout the year.”

After everyone had toured the exhibits, students gathered into one of the ISP classrooms for an awards ceremony. Northwest Principal Cedric Cooper presented certificates to everyone in categories such as Best Presentation, Most Innovative and Best Experimental Design.

Peterson said she counts down the days to the ISP Science Fair each year because of the long list of ways that it benefits students.

“One of the highlights of the year is doing this with the students,” Peterson said. “I think they really enjoy it. They’re always excited about it.”

Learn more about our Special Education Department and the services provided on our website at https://home.lps.org/specialed/.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 06, 2025

Meeting notices for the Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 - June 10, 2025

The Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 will hold regular meetings on Tuesday, June 10, located in the Boardroom at Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street. The Board will hold a regular meeting at 6:00 p.m., with the ESU 18 meeting immediately following.

The agenda for all meetings can be found here: lps.org/board.

There are multiple ways to view the livestream of all meetings:

Board webpage
LPS YouTube Channel
LNK TV Education Channel (Spectrum channel 1303, Allo channel 23, or LNKTV in the AppleTV and Roku app store)

Participation by citizens in Board Meetings

In keeping with Board Policy 8420 and Neb Statute 84-1412(3), the Lincoln Board of Education has established these reasonable regulations to conduct Public Comment:

Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose.

A time limit of three minutes will be allotted for any speaker unless prior to the beginning of the Public Comment agenda item, the chair sets a different reasonable time frame to be allotted for speakers in order to accommodate the number of persons who have submitted "Record of Appearance" cards. The time limit is per speaker, per meeting and may not be transferred or assigned to other speakers.

The chair may endeavor to organize public comment by what agenda items or other issues have been identified as topics by public speakers, adjust for the age of speakers, and/or split the Public Comment agenda item to be conducted in different positions within the Board’s Order of Business. At the discretion of the chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.

In order to be called forward to address the Board during Public Comment, each person wishing to speak must obtain a "Record of Appearance" card from staff at the meeting in which they wish to speak. "Record of Appearance" cards are available beginning 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the meeting. Those wishing to speak must accurately complete the required sections of the card, and submit it to the appropriate staff member by 15 minutes after the start of the meeting.

Individuals will be called forward to speak by name, organization being represented, if applicable, and address. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment by stating their first and last name and, if applicable, any organization they represent.

In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.

If the number of people wishing to speak under the public comment portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled.

Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials (paper no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches) available to the Board but may not use any other form of media. Public speakers are asked to provide 10 copies of any copies of printed materials presented to the Board.

Abiding by time limits;
Refraining from applauding, cheering, jeering, or engaging in speech that defames any individual(s), or stymies or blocks meeting progress;
Refraining from the use of audio recordings, video recordings, or any digital still images, posters, signs, costumes, other props and/or photographs;
Refraining from abusive, disruptive or threatening language or gestures; and
Staying in the areas identified by the Board as reserved for the public.

Posted on June 06, 2025

Independence Academy continues sprouting career skills with The Career Academy

The Independence Academy cultivated a new learning experience for its students with The Career Academy this spring.

Nine Independence Academy scholars explored TCA’s Agriculture and Bioscience career pathway.

“I think it's interesting, and I want to learn about animals and plants,” Independence Academy student Mallory said.

TCA Agriculture and Bioscience Pathway instructor Nicole Sorensen planted seeds of knowledge in this year’s Independence Academy cohort. Sorensen’s lessons ranged from gardening in the greenhouse to simple veterinary procedures like mock trimmings of cats’ and dogs’ toenails. This was also her first time teaching for The Career Academy.

“This was probably one of the funnest classes I've taught,” Sorensen said. “The students are always excited, ready to learn. They will pretty much do anything put in front of them, which is great to see. They ask really good questions to learn more and get better at the skills that we're doing.”

The students also got a live tutorial in basic horse grooming when two horses visited the campus. They took turns walking the animals, brushing their fur and cleaning their hooves. They even got to feed the horses a few carrots as a treat for their hard work.

“It was really fun because I can do jobs here that I actually like,” Independence Academy student Kira said.

“I learned a lot and I also made new friends,” Mallory said.

The Independence Academy is a program for students ages 18-21 with disabilities at Lincoln Public Schools. It helps provide the young adults a path to independence through life, social and career training.

This is the second time the program has collaborated with TCA to allow new education opportunities for its students. Last year, Independence Academy learned more about TCA’s precision machining career pathway. After seeing success from that inaugural year, educators decided to look into other educational possibilities.

“We saw how well that worked with students, and how it just kind of opened their eyes to other opportunities that they hadn't thought about before for other jobs,” Independence Academy teacher Emily Nathan said. “We wanted to continue opening up those doors and opportunities.”

The Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools’ Stuart Elliott Student Assistance Fund helped open the door for these classes. The fund increases access to various educational experiences by removing potential economic barriers for students.

Educators aimed for the class to not only give hands-on experience and applicable work skills, but also show the community and the scholars themselves that their future options are limitless.

“I have loved the support from the TCA community, being able to show what our students can do, and being able to just open all these doors for everyone,” Nathan said.

“I like The Independence Academy. I think it's fun and a very good learning experience,” Mallory said.

Learn more about The Independence Academy and its offerings for young adults on our website at https://home.lps.org/specialed/the-independence-academy/.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 05, 2025

Highlights of the July 23, 2024 Lincoln Board of Education work session, regular meeting and ESU 18 meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 met on Tuesday, July 23, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

Lincoln Board of Education Work Session

Prior to the regular meetings, the Board held a work session for the purpose of reviewing the Preliminary LPS 2024-2025 Budget.

Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish provided an overview for the Board. Highlights include:

New this year was an online form for community members to submit their questions and comments. There were 33 questions and comments submitted, and answers to the questions were posted on the budget webpage in a Frequently Asked Questions format.
There will be several more meeting opportunities for the public to provide feedback on the preliminary budget:
- Aug. 13, 6pm, Regular Board Meeting Public Comment
- Aug. 26, 6pm, Budget Hearing
- Aug. 27, 6pm, Regular Board Meeting Public Comment
- Sept. 10, 6pm, Regular Board Meeting Public Comment
The budget filing deadline is Sept. 30, 2024.
Budget investments are aligned with the Strategic Plan priorities identified by the community. A summary and full video of the presentation from the June work session can be found here.
Approximately $9 million of identified needs will not be funded this year based on resource constraints.
Enrollment is holding steady. We are hearing from school registrars that there are new students enrolling as families are moving to Lincoln from other places in the United States. Most of them are choosing to move to Lincoln because of the reputation of the city and public schools.

LPS prudently builds the annual budget using a three-year forecast to minimize the negative impact of drastic swings in revenue. By utilizing cash flow, LPS is able to weather volatile shifts in revenue caused by large reductions in State Equalization Aid a year after the school district may receive a bump in local property assessment values the previous year.

During the 2024-2025 budget process, the Board will consider an estimated total levy increase of 2.7 cents - or approximately $1.10 per 100 of valuation - to help offset the approximately $32 million decrease in state equalization aid to the district. The drop in state aid this year is calculated to equal a levy of nine cents. If approved, the average homeowner of a property valued at $281,614 would see a $75 increase in their property taxes.

Last year, the Board approved a 14 cent drop in the total levy to $1.07 per 100 of valuation. Two factors that led to the sizable drop were the valuation growth and the state of Nebraska’s investment in Special Education cost reimbursement from state sources instead of local sources.

LPS is preliminarily proposing a 4.96% increase in the expenditure budget to $539,159,965. The majority of the expenditure increase - approximately $18.6 million of the almost $25.5 million - will go towards salary and benefit increases already approved through the staff negotiation process earlier in the year. Staff salaries and benefits make up almost 90% of the total budget. Each month, LPS pays approximately 6,500 employees a total of $30 million - money that pumps back into the Lincoln economy through the purchase of goods, services and property taxes.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the 2024-2025 preliminary budget can go to the special webpage: lps.org/budget.

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

First reading

Land sale – Wilderness Hills Park parcel

Staff recommended that LPS approve the sale of approximately 2.25 acres to the City of Lincoln near the intersection of Castle Pine Drive and Wilderness Hills Boulevard.

From time to time, LPS and the City of Lincoln collaborate on the location of city-owned public parks adjacent to LPS elementary school sites. The city desires to purchase the 2.25 acres in order to develop a city-owned public park.

The proposed agreement calls for a sale price of $207,000 for the 2.25 acres. The Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next meeting.

Electric Type-A school buses

Proposals were requested from interested vendors to purchase three Type A electric school buses with 3-point safety belts for use by the LPS Transportation Department. The buses will be replacements to some in the current fleet. LPS was recently awarded the Clean School Bus Rebate Program Grant. The grant will provide $265,000 towards the purchase of each bus.

Staff recommend the Board approve the bid from Truck Center Companies from Omaha for a total of $833,250. The Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next meeting.

Contract with First Student for Transportation services

The LPS Transportation Department contracts with First Student each year to provide busing services as needed due to staffing challenges throughout the school year. Staff recommended a contract extension with First Student for $1,250,000.

Due to the timeline, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the contract with First Student.

Renewal agreement with Xerox

The current Xerox production contract term is a base period of four years with an option to renew for additional periods upon mutual agreement and successful contract performance. The existing production contract expired in June of 2024. It is recommended that LPS renew the production copy and services agreement with Xerox Corporation for the period of July 2024 through June of 2028.

This will be an annual estimated expenditure of $636,827 from the General Fund, Nutrition Services Fund, Federal Fund, Activities Fund, Special Grant Fund and ESU 18 Fund and the actual expenditures will be determined by usage.

Due to the timeline, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the contract with Xerox.

Second reading

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 Arbor Road North to Norwood Park Elementary School, Dawes Middle School and Northeast High School.

The Board voted to approve the assignments.

2024-2025 Transportation Plan

The mission of LPS Transportation is to provide safe and timely student transportation to and from assigned schools and activities according to district policies. During the 2023-2024 school year there were 3,939 LPS students who used LPS Transportation, up 750 students from the year prior. Over 1.68 million route miles were logged during the school year.

During the 2023-2024 school year, routes were consolidated from 131 to 126 to match staffing due to a shortage. The plan is to have 127 routes for the 2024-2025 school year, and start building back to 150 routes as staffing allows.

Board policy 3710 states that LPS Transportation will transport only those students who qualify under provisions of state law, including:

Elementary and Middle School students residing more than four (4) miles from the school in the attendance area within which they reside.
Special Education students whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) require transportation as essential to learning.
Students who have been moved for the benefit of the district to relieve overcrowding, due to major facility renovations, or for efficiency in use of buildings and/or staff.
In addition, the Board, at its discretion, may approve other transportation areas based upon unique circumstances and for the purpose of equalizing school enrollments and facilitating programs.

The Board voted to approve the plan.

Legislative Guidelines

Each year, various federal, state, and local governmental bodies will consider legislative and administrative actions that will have an impact on Lincoln Public Schools. To communicate the positions of the Board of Education, the Board approves Legislative Guidelines that provide guidance to district staff and representatives communicating with governmental bodies.

The proposed draft of Legislative Guidelines for 2024-2025 includes minor changes to clarify existing Board positions. Some of those changes include adding “early childhood” to language about the students we serve, and changing language about how school districts budget and use reserves. You can view the updates to the guidelines here.

The Board voted to approve the updates.

Community Learning Center agreements

LPS is entering into the 25th year of partnering with community organizations to offer Community Learning Centers. Director Nola Derby-Bennett told the Board that 29 schools currently offer CLC programming at various sites.

It is recommended the Board approves continuing the agreements between LPS and the following entities to provide CLC programming: Lincoln Parks and Recreation, The Malone Center, Northeast Family Center, Cedars Youth Services, YMCA Of Lincoln, Civic Nebraska, Willard Community Center, Lincoln Housing Authority, Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln and Family Service of Lincoln.

The Board voted to approve the agreements.

Informational reports

Finance Committee

Committee Chair Kathy Danek reminded the community about the Board work session prior to the regular meeting where Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish gave another presentation about the preliminary budget. The community can watch the work session here, and learn more about the 2024-2025 preliminary budget on our special webpage.

Superintendent update

Gausman started his update with a shout out to Brian Seifferlein and David Koehn and their work in producing the Classroom Calling video series as shown during Glimpses tonight.

In addition, Gausman told the Board that over 300 administrators met yesterday for the annual Leadership Day where they heard about the work towards Strategic Plan goals.

“Let me tell you, we have a tremendous group of leaders in this district,” said Gausman. “They are dedicated and passionate about supporting staff, families, and our students. This is going to be a fantastic school year, and we are excited to see all of the great things happening in our buildings.”

Public comment

There were no individuals that addressed the Board during public comment.

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights Lincoln Public Schools. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured Campbell Elementary Teacher Olivia Thorell as part of the Classroom Calling video series.

ESU 18 Regular Meeting

The board of ESU 18 held its regular meeting immediately following the Lincoln Board of Education meeting.

Interlocal agreement with Lancaster County for Educational Services to the Youth Services Center

The County agrees to reimburse ESU 18 for all expenses incurred in providing such services pursuant to the agreement, however, that the amount of such reimbursements shall not exceed $987,320.

Due to the timeline, the ESU 18 Board waived second reading and voted to approve the annual agreement.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Highlights of the Feb. 27, 2024 Lincoln Board of Education regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Digital Citizenship presentation

LPS Director of Library Services Chris Haeffner provided an update to the Board on efforts to educate students about digital citizenship.

“Ever since computers started popping up in school libraries several decades ago, our district and our families have recognized the importance of digital citizenship instruction,” said Haeffner. “Now more than ever as many of our students spend much of their day online in some capacity, digital citizenship and media literacy skills are critical in navigating their world.”

LPS introduced the first digital citizenship learning objectives over a decade ago, and over the last year Library Services has partnered with curriculum specialists and computing services staff to update and revise those objectives. These revisions reflect the most up-to-date skills that students need in order to be safe, thoughtful and ethical users of technology.

The new objectives focus on four areas: digital safety, media and information literacy, digital well-being and social responsibility.

First reading

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 Northbank Junction to Norwood Park Elementary School, Dawes Middle School and Northeast High School. It also assigns the newly annexed area of Highland View to Kooser Elementary School, Schoo Middle School and North Star High School.

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

Update to Policy 3530

LPS Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish brought forth a proposed revision to Policy 3530 and district procedures around student school lunch debt. The Board had asked for staff to review current policies and procedures in light of LB 855 being introduced by the Nebraska Legislature this session.

The proposed revision to Policy 3530 adds the following language:
“The Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs is not authorized to utilize an outside collection agency for an uncollected or uncollectible accounts in which the negative balance is accumulated from the purchase of student meals.”

LPS announced the previous week it has suspended referring additional families to collections effective immediately, and will recall current accounts with the collection agency. In addition, the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools will continue to work with LPS Nutrition Services to use donations designated for meal debt to address delinquent accounts.

More information about the changes can be found on the LPS website.

The Board will hold a second reading on the Policy 3530 revision and vote at the next regular meeting.

McPhee, Hartley and Clinton turf playgrounds project

LPS Director of Operations Scott Wieskamp informed the Board that there are some playgrounds in the district where it is challenging to grow grass. A recommendation from the Board Planning Committee was to add artificial turf to these playgrounds.

Bids were requested from interested vendors for the installation of synthetic turf playground improvements at McPhee, Hartley, and Clinton Elementary Schools. Services will include: site demolition, grading, installation of aggregate base course, installation of storm sewer piping, synthetic turf, and other minor improvements.

It is recommended that the bid be awarded to Nemaha Sports Construction in Lincoln for $1,004,000.

Due to construction timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid.

Seacrest Field turf improvements

Bids were requested from interested vendors for the installation of synthetic turf field improvements at Seacrest Field. Services will include: site demolition, grading, installation of aggregate base course, installation of storm sewer piping, synthetic turf and other minor improvements.

It is recommended that the bid be awarded to Sprinturf for $485,375.

Due to construction timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid.

Arts & Humanities/Bottlers Building renovation project

Bids were requested from interested vendors for the renovation of the Arts and Humanities/Bottlers Building.

It is recommended that the bid be awarded to BIC Construction LLC from Lincoln for $2,644,400.

Due to construction timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid.

Northeast High School pool mechanical modifications

Bids were requested from interested vendors for modification of the Northeast High School pool mechanical system.

It is recommended that the bid be awarded to Helm Mechanical Inc. for $1,183,740.

Due to construction timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid.

Second reading

Proposed 2024-29 Strategic Plan

As part of its goals for the 2022–2023 school year, the Lincoln Board of Education agreed to work with consulting firm District Management Group to gather community input and draft the 2024–2029 LPS Strategic Plan.

The All Means All Action Plan and the Superintendent’s Transition Plan are the core of the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan and represent the district’s commitment to community input and equitable outcomes. Developing the draft of the plan occurred in three phases:

Phase I: A preliminary analysis of existing data and feedback, including a review of the All Means All Action Plan and the Superintendent’s Transition Plan happened from March to June of 2023.
Phase II: From June to October 2023, the steering committee worked with the Board, staff, and District Management Group to draft a preliminary proposed strategic plan based on emerging themes. They then took that draft plan to the community to solicit feedback.
Phase III: During November 2023 through January 2024, the steering committee worked with District Management Group and the rest of the Board to review stakeholder feedback and finalize the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan.

As part of the proposal, the Board will consider an updated Mission Statement:

“The mission of Lincoln Public Schools is to prepare ALL students for successful careers, lifelong learning, and civic engagement.”

Part of the strategic plan also includes measurable goals as part of four priority areas. The specific data-informed thresholds and timelines will be established by the appropriate district teams and approved by the Board of Education by April of 2024. All goals will be monitored and evaluated by LPS leadership through June of 2029. LPS leadership will also present detailed progress updates on measurable goals to the Board of Education on an annual basis.

Priority goals and measurable goals outlined in the draft plan include:

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes

Challenging and appropriate instruction with a strong foundation in literacy and diverse pathways to graduation
- Raise the ALL students graduation rate and reduce existing differentials from ALL students.*
- Increase percentile rank in both Math and English Language Arts (ELA) for ALL students on nationally normed assessments.
- Increase enrollment in honors courses for ALL students, with a specific emphasis on historically underrepresented student groups by reducing disproportionality in the rate of course enrollment between ALL students who have completed at least 1 honors course and each student group.*
- Increase the percentage of ALL early childhood students who meet or exceed age expectations in all developmental areas (social emotional, cognitive, physical, language, literacy, and mathematics) as measured annually by the nationally normed GOLD assessment spring checkpoint.

(The GOLD assessment is a comprehensive assessment system for children from birth through kindergarten that blends ongoing, authentic assessment in all areas of development and learning with intentional, focused performance assessment tasks for selected predictors of school readiness in the areas of literacy and numeracy.)

Intentional supports and relationships for ALL students focused on positive behavior to build strong and safe school communities
- Reduce total suspensions for ALL students. *
- Reduce suspension disproportionality ratios for ALL student groups. *
- Maintain or increase the proportion of students who report feeling a sense of belonging.

Staff Wellbeing and Outcomes

Support and empowerment for diverse staff who meet the changing needs of ALL students
- Increase the percentage of all employee groups from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.*
- Maintain or increase the retention rate for LPS certified staff positions.
- The average compensation and benefits of LPS classified staff will be competitive with similar positions based on market analysis.
- Maintain or increase the proportion of staff members who report feeling a sense of belonging.

Family and Community Engagement

Outreach that welcomes families and community members as partners in supporting the success of ALL students
- Increase the percentage of parents and families who report having opportunities to be involved in school activities.
- Increase the percentage of parents and families who report that staff builds positive relationships with them.
- Increase the percentage of community members who report having opportunities to be involved with the school district.
- Increase the percentage of community members who report that the district builds positive relationships with them.

District Systems and Operations

District systems that continue to direct resources based on student needs
- Review, analyze, and verify that 100% of schools have resources aligned to identified student need, based on available funding.
- Increase the percentage of stakeholders who feel that district systems and operations are transparent.
- Adopt an updated 10-Year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan and identify available resources for implementation.

Please note: All goals with an asterisk (*) represent goals from the LPS All Means All Action Plan.

You can view the full plan here. The Board voted to approve the 2024-29 LPS Strategic Plan.

Policy 8000 - Board Operating Procedures

Staff and the Board review policies on an ongoing basis and update policies to ensure that they accurately reflect the ever-changing work of the district.

Policy 8000 has been revised to change the vision statement to the new Mission Statement as proposed during the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan.

The Board voted to approve the policy update.

Revised student calendar for 2024-2025

With the proposed negotiated agreement between LPS and Lincoln Education Association, the Board Calendar Committee reviewed the 2024-2025 student and staff calendar to ensure it would match the proposed agreement.

Each year a joint LPS and Lincoln Education Association committee composed of a Board member, parents, teachers and administrators recommends a student calendar to the Board for consideration. The Board adopted calendar variables to guide the Calendar Committee’s work in meeting the goal of creating a school calendar that demonstrates the district’s commitment to learning.

Changes to the 2024-2025 school calendar to match the negotiated agreement include:

Tuesday early release days will no longer occur for staff professional learning. Staff professional learning will now occur during six non-student/staff work days throughout the school year.
The six non-student professional learning days during the 2024-2025 school year will be Sept. 3, Oct. 15, Nov. 5, Jan. 3, Feb. 18, and Apr. 21.
Every student calendar will be the same with the removal of Elementary Only Plan days.
Fall break is moved earlier to ensure 42 days per quarter.

The Board voted to approve the revised 2024-2025 student calendar, and that revised calendar can be found here.

Foundation for LPS lease agreement

The Foundation for LPS was established as a non-profit entity 24 years ago to cultivate donors who are passionate about education and to encourage them to make major and planned gifts to LPS. As a result, the Foundation has been able to help with funding numerous LPS programs, and provide financial assistance to students and families over the years.

In order to continue facilitating this mutual partnership for the benefit of LPS students and programs, with the expanding and growing space needs for LPS Departments, LPS wishes to continue leasing space to the Foundation in a relocated location at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center (SJDLC) at a current market value rate of $17.00 per square foot.

The Board held a second reading and voted to approve the agreement.

Informational items and reports

From Board Committees

Fiscal impacts of proposed legislative bills 1316 and 1241

Lincoln Public School Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish provided an informational update on proposed Nebraska Legislative Bills 1316 and 1241 during the regular Lincoln Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

During the 2023 legislative session, three bills were introduced on behalf of Governor Jim Pillen that created a school finance package. This package was carefully crafted in collaboration with educators and state senators from across Nebraska. Included in the package was a continued focus on local control - allowing locally elected school boards to make decisions based on their community’s feedback and input on priorities.

During the 2023-2024 budget process, the Lincoln Board of Education adopted a 14 cent drop in the total levy from $1.21 to $1.07 per 100 of valuation in response to the new school finance package approved by the state.

Standish told the Board that the way LB1316 is currently written would have short and long-term implications on the LPS budget and operations.

The short-term impact would be approximately a three percent revenue loss for the 2024-2025 school year based on state models, coupled with an increase in the cost of labor and inflation. The new three percent hard cap calculation does not include the additional Special Education reimbursement, and won’t be included until the 2024-2025 cap calculation. This would decrease the revenue to LPS approximately $14 million from $541,254,913 to $527,401,376.

In the long-term, Standish told the Board this reduction in revenue would result in LPS’s inability to recruit and retain a quality workforce during a nation-wide labor shortage. This would result in unfilled teaching positions, larger class sizes and classes taught by staff outside of their endorsement areas. It would also lead to even more unfilled support staff positions (paraeducators, transportation, custodial) that serve students and schools. This would make it difficult for the local Board of Education to add programming and services based on community identified priorities, and the school district would have a diminishing ability to address ongoing or new student needs because of program and service cuts due to the drop in revenue.

LPS prudently builds its annual budget using a three-year forecast to minimize the negative impact of volatile swings in revenue. A hard three percent cap on revenue growth would make it difficult for LPS to manage these drastic fluctuations. One example is in Lancaster County where residential property is reassessed on a rotating basis. In the year that property valuation increases it is a year that LPS has higher state aid. The following year when the valuation doesn’t grow at all, the state aid drops because the valuation increased the previous year. For the 2024-25 school year, LPS expects the State Equalization Aid to drop in excess of $30 million dollars.

Standish also informed the Board that LB 1241 introduced to the Nebraska Legislature this year would provide zero growth for a school district property tax request and does not take into account the role of the equalization aid in the Nebraska school finance system. Nebraska State Senator Brad von Gillern who introduced the bill recognized during the hearing that his bill would need changes.

The community can find the proposed legislation on the Unicameral’s website. Anyone wishing to learn more about the impact of the proposed legislation on Lincoln Public Schools can reach out to Standish’s office at (402)436-1635.

Superintendent update

LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman provided an update for the Board. During his update, he spoke about the ceremony honoring LPS long-time educator Ada Robinson during the school building dedication on Sunday.

“Mrs. Robinson's legacy will continue to inspire generations to come,” said Gausman. “Her dedication to her students, her unwavering belief in the power of public education, and her commitment to fostering a sense of community are values that we hold dear in our district. We honor her memory by ensuring that her name will forever be associated with excellence in education.”

Gausman also thanked the LPS Transportation Department for their service during National Bus Driver Appreciation Week.

“The transportation department plays a pivotal role in our education system, and their impact extends far beyond the yellow school bus. Thank you, LPS Transportation, for your unwavering service. We appreciate you more than my words can express.”

Gausman wrapped his update by congratulating student-athletes on their state competitions.

Public comment

There was one individual that addressed the Board during public comment. You can watch the public comment as part of 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 Clinton Elementary School as they conducted a Standard Response Protocol drill of Hold with use of an AED.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Highlights of the April 9, 2024 Lincoln Board of Education regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 9, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

First reading

Title VI, Indian Education Program grant

Native American students are enrolled in all Lincoln Public Schools representing about 60 tribes as designated by the parent.

The U.S. Department of Education, through Title VI of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides funds to fulfill the federal government’s responsibility to the Indian people for the education of Indian children. These funds support LPS efforts in creating and executing educational programs and culturally relevant activities to empower every American Indian student to achieve their highest academic potential.

Lincoln Public Schools has received federal funds for services for Native American students since the mid-1980’s. Grant award amounts vary by year according to the total amount of Indian Education funds available at the federal level and are not based only on the number of students per program.

Estimated funding from Title VI for 2024-25 is approximately $191,755, based on the current student count of 713. Decisions regarding the use of these funds are made in consultation with the Native American Advisory Committee.

Director of Federal Programs Marco Pedroza and Youth Development Team Coordinator Joe Rousseau provided an update on the program to the Board. The Board will hold a second reading on the grant application and vote at the next meeting.

Juvenile Justice Prevention Fund grant

LPS Student Services is asking the Board to consider a grant application to help start a more comprehensive re-entry transition program for youth returning from the Lancaster County Youth Services Center.

The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners annually sets aside prevention funding for services to youth at risk of entering or reentering the juvenile justice system.

Often, youth are released from detention and return back home and school with little to no notice. This can result in the student, family and school being unprepared for this transition. If awarded, LPS would create a school social worker position that would help such students and their families to identify and secure needed supports while including and preparing the school so that all parties are better prepared for a successful and seamless transition.

The LPS Student Support Program will house the new position and serve as the first step for students returning from detention before they transition back to their home school.

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

Strategic Plan with measurable goals

The Board directed the superintendent to bring forward measurable goals by April 2024 for each priority that was outlined in the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan adopted by the Board on February 27, 2024.

As part of its goals for the 2022–2023 school year, the Board agreed to work with consulting firm District Management Group to gather community input and draft the 2024–2029 LPS Strategic Plan. The All Means All Action Plan and the Superintendent’s Transition Plan are the core of the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan and represent the district’s commitment to community input and equitable outcomes.

The following measurable goals were presented to the Board by LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman (all goals with an * asterisk represent goals from the LPS All Means All Action Plan):

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes

Challenging and appropriate instruction with a strong foundation in literacy and diverse pathways to graduation.

By June 2029, raise the LPS district on-time graduation rate to 87.0%, with a focus on reducing existing differentials between student groups.*
By June 2029, LPS will see a 3% increase in percentile rank in both Math and ELA for ALL student groups on nationally normed assessments.
By June 2029, increase district enrollment in honors courses for all students with additional emphasis on historically underrepresented student groups by reducing disproportionality in course enrollment by 50%.*
By June 2029, increase the percentage of early childhood students who meet or exceed age expectations by 5% in each developmental area (social emotional, cognitive, physical, language, literacy, and mathematics) as measured on the nationally normed GOLD assessment.

Note: The GOLD assessment is a comprehensive assessment system for children from birth through kindergarten that blends ongoing, authentic assessment in all areas of development and learning with intentional, focused performance assessment tasks for selected predictors of school readiness in the areas of literacy and numeracy.

Intentional supports and relationships for ALL students focused on positive behavior to build strong and safe school communities.

By June 2029, reduce total suspensions for ALL students by 20%*.
By June 2029, reduce suspension disproportionality ratios to 1.2 or less for all student groups.*
By June 2029, students who report feeling that they have a sense of belonging at school will increase 10% from the baseline measure taken in 2024, and the gaps in positive belonging perception reported by demographic groups will narrow by 5%.

Staff Wellbeing and Outcomes

Support and empowerment for diverse staff who meet the changing needs of ALL students.

By June 2029, increase the percentage of all employee groups from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to at least 8.5% of the total staff.*
By June 2029, increase the retention rate for LPS certified staff positions by 2%.
By June 2029, ensure that the average compensation and benefits of LPS classified staff will be competitive with similar positions based on market analysis.
By June 2029, increase the proportion of staff members who report feeling a sense of belonging by 2%.

Family and Community Engagement

Outreach that welcomes families and community members as partners in supporting the success of ALL students.

By June 2029, parents and families who report having opportunities to be involved in school activities will increase 2%, and the gap in positive perception reported by demographic groups will narrow by 5%.
By June 2029, parents and families who report that staff builds positive relationships will increase 2%, and the gap in positive perception reported by demographic groups will narrow by 5%.
By June 2029, community members who report having opportunities to be involved in school activities or partnerships will increase 10%, and the gap in positive perception reported by demographic groups will narrow by 5%.
By June 2029, community members who report that district staff build positive relationships with them will increase by 10%, and the gap in positive perception reported by demographic groups will narrow by 5%.

District Systems and Operations

District systems that continue to direct resources based on student needs.

By June 2029, review, analyze, and verify that 100% of schools have resources aligned to identified student need, based on available funding.
By June 2029, increase the percentage of staff and families who feel that district systems and operations are transparent.
By June 2029, adopt an updated 10-Year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan and identify available resources for implementation.

Read the draft of the plan with measurable goals here. The Board will hold a second reading on the measurable goals and vote at the next regular meeting.

Elementary and high school classroom projection projects

In 2014 under the direction of the Board, LPS developed and implemented a technology plan called Connected Learning for the Achievement of Students & Staff (CLASS) to address the school district’s technology infrastructure needs. As part of that plan, projection devices were installed in high school classrooms during the 2015-16 school year, and in the elementary classrooms during the 2017-18 school year. Those devices have reached the end of their life cycles and need to be replaced.

Staff recommend the Board approves the lowest bid from GovConnection for the purchase of 1,560 Epson projectors for the total cost of $2,110,258.80.

Due to the short timeline, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the purchase.

Second reading

Fresh milk products

Proposals were requested from interested vendors to provide fresh milk and dairy products for use by LPS Nutrition Services for all locations. The contract prices are for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. There are four optional one-year renewal periods.

Staff recommended that the Board approve the contract with Kemps Dairy for $1,152,515.

The Board voted to approve the contract.

Fresh bakery products

Proposals were requested from interested vendors to provide fresh bakery products for use by LPS Nutrition Services for all locations. The contract prices are for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. There are four optional one-year renewal periods.

Staff recommended that the Board approve the contract with Pan-O-Gold Baking Company for $251,368.
The Board voted to approve the contract.

Informational items and reports

Superintendent update

Gausman celebrated many student accomplishments during his update. He congratulated East High School Senior Hannah Tang for being selected to represent Nebraska by the Nebraska Department of Education as part of the United States Senate Youth Program. Gausman also recognized the DECA and HOSA students who placed and state and earned a spot at national competitions.

Gausman also applauded the 350 ninth grade students who voluntarily came to Wesleyan University last Saturday morning and participated in AP exam prep workshops for Human Geography. There will also be an opportunity for AP government and AP U.S. history students in April. This opportunity was made possible because of the PROMISES grant awarded last fall.

He also celebrated the six Lincoln High School seniors who signed commitments to the University of Nebraska - Lincoln College of Education and Human Sciences to become educators. In a partnership between UNL and the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy at Kansas State University, the goal of the Project RAICES initiative is to recruit and develop a more diverse group of educators. This project fits in with the LPS Strategic Plan and All Means All plan goals of increasing the percentage of all employee groups from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Gausman wrapped his report inviting the community to the a special open house this Friday, April 12, from 5:30 -7 p.m. as the Arts and Humanities Focus Program celebrates 25 years. The building will be remodeled next year, so this is one of the last chances to see the original space.

The open house at Arts and Humanities Focus Program will include tours and refreshments with a short program starting at 6:00 p.m. The community is invited to attend in person or watch the program livestream on the Lincoln Public Schools website.

Public comment

There was one individual that addressed the Board during public comment. You can watch the public comment as part of 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 a new series Classroom Calling and the work by Ben Lytle, a teacher for students who are visually impaired.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Lincoln Board of Education previews Preliminary Proposed LPS 2024-2025 Budget, requests community feedback

The Lincoln Board of Education held a work session on Tuesday, June 25, to preview the Preliminary Proposed LPS 2024-2025 Budget as presented by Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish.

Building the preliminary proposed budget begins each February when LPS staff review every budget line item and look at student enrollment and needs to match staffing levels for each school building. The budget process this year also focuses on aligning resources with priorities recently outlined in the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan.

“What happens during negotiations on salary and benefits with staff really drives our budget decisions,” said Standish. “That along with the priorities outlined in our strategic plan as identified with help from our community guided our conversations about where to direct our resources.”

Other highlights of the 2024-2025 preliminary proposed expenditure budget aligned with the strategic plan include:

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes

Raise the graduation rate by investing in the continued partnership with The Bay for the Bay High Focus Program, and adding a coordinator at a focus program.
Also addressing the graduation rate goal by replacing the federal funding that is ending for the Graduation Pathways program.
Meeting the early childhood goal by opening four additional preschool classrooms. The additional funding will be needed for staffing the new classrooms, providing transportation and meals for students, and providing summer preschool as required to be in compliance. To help with staffing during a shortage of teachers who meet required certification, LPS will implement a program to existing staff and help them become certified.

Staff Wellbeing and Outcomes

To assist in recruiting and retaining highly-qualified staff, salaries and benefits were negotiated with all staff groups to include increases ranging in 4.55%-10%.
The budget will pick up after the end of pandemic funding and continue to cover incentives for substitutes and class covers by staff.
The district will also re-invest more into extra standard assignment pay for those activities outside of the staff contract day.
Providing approximately $1.9 million to add instructional staff to address student needs.

Family and Community Engagement

A $3,000 increase in the supply budget to offset the cost of hosting Citizens Academy and monthly Learning Lunch Series.

District Systems and Operations

Required fixed cost increases of approximately $909,000 will address insurance premiums, transportation, maintenance, and unpaid student meal debt.

LPS values community input, and continues to rely on a solid process for budget development that includes multiple opportunities for community feedback.

“The entire budget process is built on student needs, and LPS has a long-standing process of gathering community input on the preliminary proposed budget during the months of June and July to ensure we are doing that,” added Standish. “We truly value the questions and feedback we get to help us make adjustments before the finalized budget is submitted for Board approval in September.”

The community is invited to attend any of the following opportunities:

Tuesday, June 25

6:00 p.m. - Online input form opens for the public to submit comments or questions. The form will close on July 12.

Wednesday, June 26

Noon - Virtual public forum (Link to Zoom webinar)
6:00 p.m. - In-person public forum at Steve Joel District Leadership Center, Boardroom

Thursday, June 27

6:00 p.m. - Virtual public forum (Link to Zoom webinar)

If the community cannot attend any of the June forums, the community is invited to submit their feedback and questions via the LPS website from June 26 - July 12. Go to lps.org/budget and click on the blue button. Answers to the questions will be posted on the LPS website budget page.

Schedule a presentation

Any community group that would like to schedule a presentation on the preliminary proposed budget should contact LPS Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish at 402-436-1636 or by emailing lstandis@lps.org. More information about the Preliminary Proposed LPS 2024-2025 Budget can be found on the LPS website: lps.org/budget.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Highlights of the June 11, 2024 Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 met for regular meetings on Tuesday, June 11, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

John Neal - Associate Superintendent for Civic Engagement

The Board of Education recognized Associate Superintendent for Civic Engagement John Neal for his 43 years of serving staff, students, families and the community through his work in education.

Dr. John Neal began his career with LPS in 1981 as an assistant swimming coach at Northeast High School and then as a gifted mentor in 1982, before taking a job outside of LPS. He returned to LPS as the principal at Mickle Middle School in 2002.

In 2008, Dr. Neal became the district’s first Director of Secondary Education where he oversaw middle and high schools and the four focus programs - Science Focus Program, Arts and Humanities Focus Program, Information and Technology Focus Program, and Entrepreneurial Focus Program.

A new position was created in 2012, and Dr. Neal was selected to serve as the Assistant to the Superintendent for Governmental Relations and General Administration. In this position, he served as the official liaison between the school district and other government entities, including as the district’s lobbyist. While the duties remained the same, Dr. Neal’s title changed multiple times, the last time to Associate Superintendent for Civic Engagement in 2023.

During his tenure at LPS, Dr. Neal assisted with the development of The Career Academy. He also collaborated with others to build the Safe and Successful Kids Interlocal agreement, and to implement the Eagle Feather Project for Native American graduating seniors. Dr. Neal oversees Athletics, Communications, Community Learning Centers, TeamMates, and Wellness.

Athletics and Activities update

Other highlights from the year included:

Girls wrestling saw an 86.7% increase in participation in the second year of the program.
Unified sports saw a 40.1% increase in participation since last year.
Overall participating in NSAA/LPS activities was up an additional 628 students.
The overall four-year graduation rate for LPS athletic and activities student participants was 98.5%.

First reading

Policy 3500 - Funds Management

Lincoln Public Schools reviews and updates policies on an ongoing basis to ensure that they accurately reflect the ever-changing work of the district and capture changes to state and federal laws and requirements.

Revisions to Board Policy 3500 are recommended by the Board Finance Committee to more closely align with Business Affairs Policy 3610 which delegates full power and authority to the Director of Purchasing to sign contracts and documents in the ordinary course of the district’s business activities that are $10,000 and under and that are consistent with the district’s spending plan and budget.

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

2025-2026 Student calendar

Each year a joint LPS/LEA committee composed of a Board member, family members, teacher and administrators recommends a student calendar to the Board for consideration. A framework of calendar variables was adopted by the Board to guide the Calendar Committee’s work in meeting the goal of creating a school calendar that demonstrates the district’s commitment to learning.

Following the development of the recommended student calendar, district staff assigns additional staff-specific days on the calendar according to the negotiated agreement, including staff compensatory and teacher professional learning days. These days are non-student days.

The Calendar Committee has brought forth a 2025-2026 student calendar for Board consideration after receiving feedback from staff, parent and student groups.

You can preview the proposed 2025-2026 student calendar here. The Board will hold second reading and vote on the proposed 2025-2026 Student Calendar at the next meeting.

Interlocal Cooperation Act Agreement between Lincoln Public Schools and ESU 18 for core and educational services

Educational Service Units (ESUs) are called “service units” because their main objective is to serve the needs of Nebraska’s school districts, educators and students. Created by the Nebraska Legislature in 1965 to provide services to enhance educational excellence, ESUs exist in order to provide access to core services deemed vital to a child’s education by the state of Nebraska.

ESU 18 is unique in that it serves a single district, Lincoln Public Schools, but does not work in isolation as ESU 18 networks with other ESUs across the state of Nebraska along with the ESU Coordinating Council.

There are ongoing interlocal cooperation agreements to provide core services by LPS to ESU 18 and educational services by ESU 18 to LPS that mirrors services provided by ESUs across the state. Such services include instructional media services, technology, and staff development with LPS reimbursing ESU 18 for said services in the first agreement, and ESU 18 reimbursing LPS for said services in the second agreement.

The term of the renewal period for these agreements will be Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.

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

Proposed renewal of contracts with associate superintendents and ESU administrator

The Board annually reviews the contracts of the associate superintendents and the ESU 18 administrator.

The Board held first reading and will vote at the next meeting on contract amendments, extensions and total salary increases of 4%, with an overall total package compensation increases of 4.10% for the associate superintendents of Business Affairs, Human Resources and Teaching and Learning during the 2024-2025 school year.

The Board also held first reading and will vote at the next meeting on contract amendments, extension and total salary increases of 4.28% with an overall total package compensation increase of 4.45% for the director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment and ESU 18 administrator during the 2024-2025 school year.

Proposed 2024-2025 pay rates for substitutes and miscellaneous employees

Each year the Board reviews pay rates for substitutes and miscellaneous employees.

This year the recommended salary increases are dependent on the employee group and range from no increase to a 4.54% increase. It is recommended substitute paraeducators receive a 7.55% increase and the stipend for substitute nutrition services personnel with 10 years of regular employment experience go from $0.15 per hour to $0.50 per hour due to recruiting and retention difficulties for these positions.

The Board waived second reading and voted to approve the new pay rates which can be viewed here.

Proposed agreement with Transportation Employees Association

A negotiated agreement with the Transportation Employees Association was put before the Board for the 2024-2025 school year.

The agreement includes a total package increase of 10.06%, with an 11.03% salary increase. The total package also includes increases in Social Security and retirement costs. The estimated 1.99% increase in health insurance premiums will be covered by the school district for the 2024-25 year. The death benefit payout will also increase from $5,000 to $20,000.

Because of the upcoming Summer Interview Days, staff asked the Board to waive second reading and vote on the agreement. The Board voted to approve the agreement which can be viewed here.

Lincoln Public Schools will host two interview days this summer to fill nearly 150 open positions across the school district. The first will be held on Thursday, June 13, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Scott Middle School in the gym. Job openings include bus drivers, paraeducators, transportation paras, food service workers, food service manager trainees, head bakers, head cooks and custodians. Walk-ins are welcome, but interested applicants are strongly encouraged to complete the pre-event application on the LPS website to speed up the process. More information can be found on the LPS website.

You can find all of the approved employee groups 2024-2025 negotiated agreements online here.

Second reading

10-Year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan update

Staff brought forward a recommendation to revise the 10-Year Facility and Infrastructure Plan to include a new facility at the Yankee Hill site. The project was previously in the Tier II Priority list of the plan. LPS staff have identified the need for additional space for student support programming.

The LPS Board of Education initiated a 10-year facility planning process in 2005 to serve as a guideline for district facility and infrastructure needs. The LPS 10-Year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan has been subject to annual reviews, approvals, and changes over the years as circumstances and conditions have demanded.

The current 10-Year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan was approved by the Board of Education on Dec. 10, 2019. The numerous needs identified in the plan were the result of input from community-based groups including the High School Taskforce and a Superintendent’s Facilities Advisory Committee. On Feb. 11, 2020, 62-percent of Lincoln voters cast their ballots in favor of the bond issue which funded Tier I Priorities. LPS has a 20-year history of completing projects in line with community expectations and successfully prioritizing a few projects from Tier 2 Priorities within the bond amount authorized by the voters. All of the financing is in place and the vast majority of Tier I Projects are complete. Approximately $25 million is available for Tier II Priorities.

LPS needs a facility to better serve the Yankee Hill Education Center, the Student Support Program, and the Transition Program for students in grades 9-12. The district owns in excess of 24 acres on the site. The proposal is to design and construct a new facility and repurpose the existing facility for other district educational programs. The new facility will serve all three programs.

The Yankee Hill Education Center is a high school behavioral skills program that serves students who have been identified as needing a period of time in a safe, supportive, therapeutic environment that focuses on building prosocial skills along with academics. Program staff are trained in a behavior program model to create a structured, safe, and predictable school environment for students.
High School Student Support Program is part of the Student Services Department providing students in high school the opportunity to continue their academic progress and earn credit during times of transition, long-term suspensions, or expulsions in a smaller, more structured environment. (Currently located at the Nuernberger Education Center.)
High School Transition Program is an opportunity for students in grades 9-12 to continue their academic progress within Lincoln Public Schools. Students work on graduation requirements through eLearning in a smaller, more structured environment within a larger, comprehensive high school. The program can serve up to 40 high school students. (Currently located at Nuernberger Education Center and Northeast High School.)

The new High School Student Support Center facility at the Yankee Hill site will be approximately 47,000 square feet and the current cost estimate is $24 million. The tentative project schedule is for design to begin in the Fall of 2024, and ground-breaking sometime during the Summer of 2025 A soft opening is planned around January of 2027.

The current Yankee Hill facility will be utilized for the Individual Success Program, a comprehensive Special Education program for students with developmental disabilities from kindergarten through age 21. The mission of the ISP is to improve school performance, behavior, mental health, and social wellbeing for students with significant needs through specialized education, support, and inclusive advocacy. The Individual Success Program currently located at Cavett, Robinson, Lux, Lincoln East, and Lincoln Northwest will relocate to the existing Yankee Hill facility.

Upon the completion of the High School Support Center at the Yankee Hill Site, the Nuernberger Education Center will be fully dedicated to serving middle school students and the Don Sherrill Education Center will continue to serve elementary students.

The Board voted to approve the update to the 10-Year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan.

MAP Growth Testing contract

MAP Growth is a nationally-normed test that measures both student achievement and growth in reading and math. There is close alignment between fall and winter MAP results and the spring Nebraska Department of Education’s Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) tests that measure Nebraska English Language Arts and Math state standards. The MAP Growth results are used in LPS to monitor student achievement and growth, as part of placement and intervention decisions for students, evaluate district curricula and programs and to report to parents.

Staff recommended the Board approve a three-year agreement with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a total of $629,348 to provide the MAP Growth assessment.

The Board voted to approve the contract.

Informational items and reports

Finance Committee

Board Finance Committee Chair Kathy Danek reminded the community of upcoming opportunities for community input on the development of the 2024-2025 Budget. LPS prudently builds the annual budget using a three-year forecast to minimize the negative impact of drastic swings in revenue. By utilizing cash flow, LPS is able to weather volatile shifts in revenue caused by large reductions in State Equalization Aid a year after the school district may receive a bump in local property assessment values the previous year.

Upcoming key dates for public input include:

June 25: Work Session at 4:30 p.m. to view presentation of the proposed preliminary budget followed by the Regular Board meeting with a public comment period.
June 26: Virtual presentation and public forum at noon by going to lps.org; and in-person presentation and public forum at 6:00 p.m. at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center (5905 O Street).
June 27: Virtual presentation and public forum at 6:00 p.m. by going to lps.org.

Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish added, “June is when we really need that community feedback.”

You can find more key dates on the development of the 2024-2025 Budget here on the website.

The Career Academy

Board member Annie Mumgaard reported from the joint TCA board meeting that they are up 75 applications from last year. Any students interested in learning more about TCA or wanting to apply can visit the website: https://home.lps.org/tca.

Superintendent update

LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman provided an update on the 2024 National Individual Events Tournament of Champions. Students from East, North Star, Southeast and Southwest high schools represented LPS in 12 categories.

Lincoln East enjoyed one of the best finishes in school history claiming third place in team standings. East students Max Apel and Luke Nash each won national championships and Isabella Razdan and Harper Schupbach were national runners-up. Fifteen other Spartans helped the squad earn the third-place trophy.

Lincoln Southeast had eight competitors with four placing in the top 15, Southwest had five competitors with one placing in the top 10, and North Star had four competitors.

Gausman also thanked Associate Superintendent for Civic Engagement John Neal for his years of service as tonight’s meeting was Neal’s last before retirement.

Public comment

There were two individuals that addressed the Board during public comment. You can watch it as part of 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 sights and sounds from graduation ceremonies across the district. You can watch the Glimpses video here.

ESU 18 Regular Meeting

The board of ESU 18 held its regular meeting immediately following the Lincoln Board of Education meeting.

Interlocal Cooperation Act Agreement between Lincoln Public Schools and ESU 18 for core and educational services

The term of the renewal period for these agreements will be Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.

The ESU Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next regular meeting.

Proposed renewal of contracts with ESU administrator

The ESU Board annually reviews the contract of the ESU 18 administrator.

The Board held first reading and will vote at the next meeting on contract amendments, extension and total salary increases of 4.28% with an overall total package compensation increase of 4.45% for the ESU 18 administrator during the 2024-2025 school year.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Highlights of the June 25, 2024 Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 met for regular meetings on Tuesday, June 25, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street. Prior to the regular meetings, the Board held a work session to preview the Preliminary Proposed LPS 2024-2025 Budget. You can view the summary and video highlight of the work session here.

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Matt Larson - Associate Superintendent for Educational Services

The Board of Education recognized Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Matt Larson for his 37 years of serving staff, students, families and the community through his work in education.

Larson began teaching math at Lincoln High School in 1987, served as math department chair at Lincoln High, and as one of the district’s first instructional coordinators before serving as the LPS K-12 math curriculum specialist from 1995 to 2018. During his time in math curriculum, Larson collaborated with others to establish the first set of curricular objectives, common assessments, grading practices, and professional learning community work in any curricular area.

In July of 2018, Larson was named the interim Associate Superintendent for Instruction, and then permanently took over the role in January, 2019.

During the pandemic shut down in 2020, Larson worked with Instructional Directors to develop and deliver remote learning within two weeks. At a time when many schools across the nation were shut down for over a year, LPS was able to return to in-person instruction while also offering remote and hybrid learning in the fall of 2020 due to the work of Larson and his team of Instructional Directors.

In addition to his contributions to LPS, Larson is nationally known for co-authoring multiple math textbooks, professional books, and journal articles in mathematics education, as well as speaking at conferences across the country. During his time at LPS he simultaneously served for a term as President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

First reading

Newly annexed property to the City of Lincoln

The Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next regular meeting in July.

2024-2025 Transportation Plan

LPS Transportation Director Phil Skorupa gave an overview of the previous school year and plans for the upcoming year to the Board.

The mission of LPS Transportation is to provide safe and timely student transportation to and from assigned schools and activities according to district policies. During the 2023-2024 school year there were 3,939 LPS students who used LPS Transportation, up 750 students from the year prior. Over 1.68 million route miles were logged during the school year.

Board policy 3710 states that LPS Transportation will transport only those students who qualify under provisions of state law, including:

Elementary and Middle School students residing more than four (4) miles from the school in the attendance area within which they reside.
Special Education students whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) require transportation as essential to learning.
Students who have been moved for the benefit of the district to relieve overcrowding, due to major facility renovations, or for efficiency in use of buildings and/or staff.
In addition, the Board, at its discretion, may approve other transportation areas based upon unique circumstances and for the purpose of equalizing school enrollments and facilitating programs.

Skorupa also encouraged anyone interested in applying for a position in the Transportation Department to attend the upcoming Interview Day on July 16.

The Board will hold a second reading and vote on the plan at the next regular meeting in July.

Legislative Guidelines

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

Community Learning Center agreements

Derby-Bennett announced that she will be traveling to Washington, D.C. in July to accept a national award from the U.S. Department of Education. ??The 2024 Engage Every Student Recognition Program Champions demonstrate they are working to ensure all students have the opportunity to thrive, learn and grow through engagement in high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs.

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

Policy updates

The Board periodically reviews and revises policies to align with current practices or meet requirements set forth by local, state or federal laws and regulations. Staff recommended 18 policy and regulation changes required by recent state legislation being passed and changes in federal law.

Due to the timeline of the requirements, the Board voted to waive second reading and approve the policy changes.

Second reading

Policy 3500 - Funds Management

The Board voted to approve the revisions.

2025-2026 Student calendar

The Calendar Committee has brought forth a 2025-2026 student calendar for Board consideration after receiving feedback from staff, parent and student groups.

The Board voted to approve the 2025-2026 Student Calendar.

Interlocal Cooperation Act Agreement between Lincoln Public Schools and ESU 18 for core and educational services

The term of the renewal period for these agreements will be Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.

The Board voted to approve the agreements.

Proposed renewal of contracts with associate superintendents and ESU administrator

The Board annually reviews the contracts of the associate superintendents and the ESU 18 administrator.

The Board voted to approve the contract amendments, extensions and total salary increases of 4%, with an overall total package compensation increases of 4.10% for the associate superintendents of Business Affairs, Human Resources and Teaching and Learning during the 2024-2025 school year.

The Board voted to approve the contract amendments, extension and total salary increases of 4.28% with an overall total package compensation increase of 4.45% for the director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment and ESU 18 administrator during the 2024-2025 school year.

Superintendent update

During his update, Superintendent Paul Gausman added his remarks of gratitude to Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Matt Larson.

“Matt, your ability to make complex issues so simple when you are really reflecting on them and considering leadership actions is important and useful,” added Gausman. “For a number of years you were doing a position so big that we had to divide it into two. You did so without complaining, and you not only helped redesign that position, but you agreed to stay on for another year. For that, I thank you.”

Public comment

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

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights Lincoln Public Schools. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured a partnership with Northeast High School and Kawasaki.

ESU 18 Regular Meeting

The board of ESU 18 held its regular meeting immediately following the Lincoln Board of Education meeting. You can view both meetings here.

Interlocal Cooperation Act Agreement between Lincoln Public Schools and ESU 18 for core and educational services

The term of the renewal period for these agreements will be Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.

The ESU Board voted to approve the agreements.

Proposed renewal of contracts with ESU administrator

The ESU Board annually reviews the contract of the ESU 18 administrator.

The Board voted to approve the contract amendments, extension and total salary increases of 4.28% with an overall total package compensation increase of 4.45% for the ESU 18 administrator during the 2024-2025 school year.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Owls fly with new safety skills at fun Elliott event

Angela and Tylin showed off their new safety-first skills this spring by moving their heads back and forth before stepping onto the Billy Wolff Trail.

The two Elliott Elementary School first graders looked left, right and left again as part of the 2025 Bike to School Day celebration. Hundreds of Owls stopped by four educational stations with local safety leaders. Lincoln Public Schools, LPS Sustainability Department, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD), City of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Department, Safe Kids Lincoln-Lancaster County and Black Hills Energy teamed up for the annual event, which took place at Elliott this year.

Tylin said it was important to be aware of trail traffic such as pedestrians, bikers or rollerbladers. Rachel Redepenning, a public health educator with LLCHD, and Delrae Hirschman, a volunteer with Safe Kids Lincoln-Lancaster County, taught children how to safely approach major routes like the Billy Wolff Trail, which runs along the western edge of Elliott’s campus.

“If you don’t look both ways, you might get hit,” Tylin said.

Angela was awed by a safety session with a large profile vehicle. Black Hills Energy employees Mark Husmann and Fernando Izaguirre helped children climb into the front seat of a utility truck. They explained to the Owls how difficult it was for them to see around the outside of the vehicle and how vital it was for students to make eye contact with drivers.

“When you see the truck, you can’t stand and play next to them, because the driver can’t see you,” Angela said.

Redepenning and Elliott Principal Michelle Kulas said they were both encouraged about the day’s outcomes. They felt it was essential to help students soak in many safety lessons throughout the morning and afternoon. In addition to the large profile vehicle and trail etiquette sessions, they also learned how to properly wear a bike helmet and safely navigate crosswalks by school.

“Giving them all of those different safety pieces and being able to provide them in one day is really awesome,” Redepenning said. “It’s across the board. It helps them in so many different ways.”

“Our students want to be safe and they want to make responsible decisions,” Kulas said. “Our job is to provide them with the education they need to make those decisions independently and know how to stay safe.”

Kulas requested that the trail etiquette session be added to the day’s agenda this year. The Billy Wolff Trail features 11.25 paved miles throughout Lincoln and has become busier in recent years. This is especially true near Elliott’s section of the trail, which is close to the Lewis Ballfields area and the growing Telegraph District.

“This trail is a big commuter trail, so there were a lot of bikes today,” Hirschman said. “Kids could see, ‘Oh yeah, we do have to watch out, because there are really fast bikes coming through.’ It really hits home for them.”

Redepenning and Hirschman also spoke with students about proper ways to travel on the trail. They emphasized walking or biking on the righthand side, saying “On your left!” when passing someone and watching out for people who might try to step onto the pavement.

“Several kids we’ve talked to bike to school every day on the trail, especially the fifth graders,” Redepenning said. “They’re out there running and walking on the trail a fair amount, so being able to have these safety skills is huge for them.”

LTU employees Melissa Ramos-Lammli and Roberto Partida spent their day teaching children about crosswalk safety along N Street. They told students to look left, right and left again when they approach a crosswalk, and to make sure that vehicles are stopped before they step out onto the street. They also told them to be aware of their surroundings both in the crosswalk and on both sides of the road.

Ramos-Lammli, a senior traffic technician, and Partida, a transportation planner, presented their tips to students before helping them navigate their way across N Street. Ramos-Lammli said she enjoyed spending time with younger and older Owls.

“I love working with the kids and just reminding them,” Ramos-Lammli said. “A lot of them know the basics, and we want to make sure we encourage that and take that home with them and pass it along to their families and older and younger siblings.”

Ramos-Lammli said the spring timing of the event was critical for both students and area drivers. Many children will put their safety training into practice as they walk or bike to friends’ houses, neighborhood parks or local libraries during the summertime. The increased number of students who are outside also means drivers must pay extra attention while moving across Lincoln.

“It’s so important to do this right now,” Ramos-Lammli said. “Kids are going to be out at all hours of the day going to their activities, so it’s really important that we make sure that drivers are aware that they’re going to be out there.”

Redepenning said the partnership with LPS will help students like Angela and Tylin remain safe throughout their childhood years in Lincoln.

“The school’s been very supportive of really helping to push these messages out, not just today, but all year round,” Redepenning said. “They really do care about the kids’ safety and are great supporters of getting the message out there to prevent those injuries from happening.”

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Posted on June 03, 2025

Highlights of the August 27, 2024 Lincoln Board of Education Regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

Public hearing on policy 6443 - Parental and Family Engagement

Each year the Board of Education is required to review Policy 6443, hold a public hearing, and approve the policy.

All parents and family members of all students are welcomed and encouraged to become involved with their child’s school and education. Associate Superintendent for Civic Engagement John Skretta outlined just some of the ways LPS engages with parents and families throughout the school year.

No person spoke during the public hearing about Policy 6443.

The Board held first reading on the policy later in the meeting, and will hold a second reading and vote to reaffirm the policy at the next meeting.

First reading

Newly annexed property to the City of Lincoln

The area of Highland View would be assigned to Kooser Elementary, Schoo Middle School, and North Star High School starting with the 2024-2025 school year.

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

Resolution for option enrollment students 2024-25

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. 1, 2025.

A new 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 2025-26 school year will be published on the LPS website.

The Board will hold a second reading and vote on the resolution and capacity limits at the next meeting.

Interlocal agreement for School Resource Officers and Threat Assessment Officer

Every year, LPS reviews an agreement with the City of Lincoln to fund school resource officers and a threat assessment officer as part of the Safe and Successful Kids Interlocal Agreement. The 14 SROs are assigned to LPS middle and high schools, and the threat assessment officer is assigned to the school district. The officers help with the education of students, assist staff and facilitate communication between LPS and Lincoln Police Department. SROs take appropriate law enforcement action when situations arise requiring the exercise of police authority.

Each year, the Safe and Successful Kids Interlocal Board reviews and presents data and feedback collected by both LPS and the Lincoln Police Department. You can find the presentation from last November here.

Due to the timeline with the school year currently under way, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the agreement.

Agreement with Educare of Lincoln

Through the LPS Sixpence Endowment Grant received for 2024-2025, LPS proposed to enter into an agreement with Educare of Lincoln to contract for services in five of the infant toddler classrooms located at Educare of Lincoln.

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

2024-2025 Insurance rates

For 28 years, LPS Risk Management has arranged for the district’s insurance coverage through an Owner Controlled Self-Insurance program. This allows the school district to have lower premiums, hold funds until needed to pay claims, have the district legal counsel involved in all lawsuits, have all claim settlements approved by the school district and keeps LPS staff and legal counsel involved in claims from the beginning.

The LPS insurance broker, UNICO, provides LPS Risk Management with a report comparing the estimated premium costs for standard insurance coverage to the actual Owner Controlled Protected Self-Insurance program costs and estimates a savings to the district of more than one million dollars per year in premium costs alone.

Due to timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the insurance rates as presented.

Second reading

Land sale - Robinson Parcel

Staff recommended that the Board consider the sale of approximately two acres of the southeast corner of Robinson Elementary School site to the City of Lincoln.

From time to time, LPS and the City of Lincoln collaborate on the location of city-owned public parks adjacent to LPS elementary school sites. The city desires to purchase the two acres in order to develop and maintain a city-owned public park.

The proposed agreement calls for a sale price of $81,982 for the two acres.

The Board held a second reading and voted to approve the sale.

Land acquisition - near Yankee Hill Education Center

Staff recommended entering a purchase agreement with the State of Nebraska for approximately 5.2 acres of real estate near South Folsom Street and West Pioneers Boulevard. This property is immediately adjacent to the Yankee Hill Education Center site and may be used for the new facility.

The purchase agreement is for $340,000.

The Board held a second reading and voted to approve the agreement.

Policy series 4,000 and 6,000 updates

The proposed changes to 4930, 6430-5 and 6570-2 are in line with the new required state laws passed by the legislature last spring.

The Board held a second reading and voted to approve the changes.

Informational Items

Wellness, American Civics, Multicultural Committee

Chair Annie Mumgaard gave an update from the committee meeting and hearing held at 4:30 p.m. prior to the regular Board meeting.

During the committee meeting, the committee heard more information about the Providing Rigor and Opportunity: Meaningful Instruction for Success for Every Student (PROMISES) grant that helped provide training for teachers, provide classes to prepare student for AP exams, and cover testing fees for students taking AP U.S. history, human geography and American government for LPS students.

The Career Academy

Mumgaard also provided an update from the last joint meeting with Southeast Community College. This year, The Career Academy is celebrating its 10 year anniversary.

Superintendent Update

LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman gave an update on the first two weeks of school.

"I have been visiting schools and love the excitement and buzz in the buildings," said Gausman. "I started my formal school visits this week, where I meet with the staff before school to gather their feedback on our initiatives and check in with students. I value these conversations and seeing our amazing staff in action and how they serve our students and families."

The start of school also means the start of fall athletics and activities. Golf and softball started last week, and all other fall sports kick off this weekend.

Public comment

There were no individuals that addressed the Board during public comment.

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights Lincoln Public Schools. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured a day in the work of Fredstrom paraeducator Anna Ackah. You can watch the Glimpses video here.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Highlights of the Feb. 13, 2024 Lincoln Board of Education regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Danielle Fulcher - Northwest High School

Danielle Fulcher teaches Spanish at Northwest High School and was recently awarded the 2023 Nebraska Spanish Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

The nomination letter for the award states:

"Danielle has left an indelible mark on the landscape of World Language education in Nebraska. She has not only presented captivating insights during the 2022 NDE World Language Guest Speaker Series but also lent her expertise to the evaluation of student submissions for the 2022 Distinguished World Language Scholar Awards. Her invaluable contribution extends to the 2022 and 2023 NDE World Language Open Education Resource Hub Development Cohort, where her dedication and collaborative spirit have garnered admiration from her peers and the NDE World Languages team."

First reading

Proposed 2024-29 Strategic Plan

Phase I: A preliminary analysis of existing data and feedback, including a review of the All Means All Action Plan and the Superintendent’s Transition Plan happened from March to June of 2023.
Phase II: From June to October 2023, the steering committee worked with the Board, staff, and District Management Group to draft a preliminary proposed strategic plan based on emerging themes. They then took that draft plan to the community to solicit feedback.
Phase III: During November 2023 through January 2024, the steering committee worked with District Management Group and the rest of the Board to review stakeholder feedback and finalize the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan.

As part of the proposal, the Board will consider an updated Mission Statement:

“The mission of Lincoln Public Schools is to prepare ALL students for successful careers, lifelong learning, and civic engagement.”

Priority goals and measurable goals outlined in the draft plan include:

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes

Challenging and appropriate instruction with a strong foundation in literacy and diverse pathways to graduation
- Raise the ALL students graduation rate and reduce existing differentials from ALL students.*
- Increase percentile rank in both Math and English Language Arts (ELA) for ALL students on nationally normed assessments.
- Increase enrollment in honors courses for ALL students, with a specific emphasis on historically underrepresented student groups by reducing disproportionality in the rate of course enrollment between ALL students who have completed at least 1 honors course and each student group.*
- Increase the percentage of ALL early childhood students who meet or exceed age expectations in all developmental areas (social emotional, cognitive, physical, language, literacy, and mathematics) as measured annually by the nationally normed GOLD assessment spring checkpoint.

Intentional supports and relationships for ALL students focused on positive behavior to build strong and safe school communities
- Reduce total suspensions for ALL students. *
- Reduce suspension disproportionality ratios for ALL student groups. *
- Maintain or increase the proportion of students who report feeling a sense of belonging.

Staff Wellbeing and Outcomes

Support and empowerment for diverse staff who meet the changing needs of ALL students
- Increase the percentage of all employee groups from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.*
- Maintain or increase the retention rate for LPS certified staff positions.
- The average compensation and benefits of LPS classified staff will be competitive with similar positions based on market analysis.
- Maintain or increase the proportion of staff members who report feeling a sense of belonging.

Family and Community Engagement

Outreach that welcomes families and community members as partners in supporting the success of ALL students
- Increase the percentage of parents and families who report having opportunities to be involved in school activities.
- Increase the percentage of parents and families who report that staff builds positive relationships with them.
- Increase the percentage of community members who report having opportunities to be involved with the school district.
- Increase the percentage of community members who report that the district builds positive relationships with them.

District Systems and Operations

District systems that continue to direct resources based on student needs
- Review, analyze, and verify that 100% of schools have resources aligned to identified student need, based on available funding.
- Increase the percentage of stakeholders who feel that district systems and operations are transparent.
- Adopt an updated 10-Year Facilities and Infrastructure Plan and identify available resources for implementation.

Please note: All goals with an asterisk (*) represent goals from the LPS All Means All Action Plan.

You can view the draft plan here, and a video highlight of the presentation here by Joe Costello from District Management Group. The Board will hold a second reading and vote on the draft 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan at the next meeting.

Policy 8000 - Board Operating Procedures

Staff and the Board review policies on an ongoing basis and update policies to ensure that they accurately reflect the ever-changing work of the district.

Policy 8000 has been revised to change the vision statement to the new Mission Statement as proposed during the 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan.

The Board will hold a second reading on the proposed policy changes and vote at the next meeting.

Revised student calendar for 2024-2025

Proposed changes to the 2024-2025 school calendar to match the negotiated agreement include:

Tuesday early release days will no longer occur for staff professional learning. Staff professional learning will now occur during six non-student/staff work days throughout the school year.
The six non-student professional learning days during the 2024-2025 school year will be Sept. 3, Oct. 15, Nov. 5, Jan. 3, Feb. 18, and Apr. 21.
Every student calendar will be the same with the removal of Elementary Only Plan days.
Fall break is moved earlier to ensure 42 days per quarter.

The Board will hold a second reading and vote on the revised 2024-2025 calendar at the next board meeting.

Second reading

Proposed negotiated agreement with the Lincoln Education Association

In a proposal presented to the Board, the Lincoln Education Association (LEA) and LPS have reached a tentative contract agreement for the 2024-25 school year.

The agreement represents an intentional combination of the valuable contributions our teachers make for Lincoln Public Schools and revitalizing district practices to support student learning along with teacher retention and recruitment.

Approved by a vote of LEA members on Jan. 19, the agreement provides a total compensation package increase of 4.55 percent for the 2024-25 school year, with the base salary increasing from $47,356 to $48,556. In addition, a proposed change to the salary schedule to reduce the number of steps from 40 to 25 to make it more sustainable, and target the unintended compression in the salary schedule for mid-career professionals. The school district will also assume the 1.99% health insurance premium increase.

In addition to a compensation package increase, the agreement presents changes to the school calendar that will impact staff, students and families. The first major change is the end of early release for professional learning each Tuesday for high schools, and once a month for elementary and middle schools. The professional learning time will now be a part of the six non-student days within the new calendar for planning and professional development. All certificated staff will continue to have a 189-day calendar, with 175 days for student learning. A revised proposed student calendar was presented to the Board earlier in the meeting.

Other changes to the agreement includes:

An additional $700,000 towards extra standards compensation. This includes an increase in coordinator stipends from $11,329 to $15,000, and a move from 10 extra days to 14.
Accumulated leave payout will increase from $16.50 to $20.00 per hour following 10 years of service.
The 189-day teacher contract will be the same at all levels and broken down as follows:
- There are a total of 175 student learning days.
- In August, five days before students begin for professional learning and planning.
- Two days within the school year are for parent-teacher conferences.
- One day after the end of the student calendar will be a staff work day.
- Six days within the school year are for professional learning in the morning with autonomous plan time in the afternoon. Of those six days, four will be for building-led professional learning and two for district-lead sessions.
Required staff meetings will be reduced to a maximum of one meeting per month for up to 75 minutes.
The threshold for staff to ratify any variance in a school building was lowered from 85 percent to 75 percent approval.
Upon return from one-year Leave Of Absence, staff will be placed where there are openings in the district after surplus certificated employees are assigned. They will no longer be guaranteed their former position or location.
The number of “Blackout Days” or days in which staff cannot request time off was reduced to the first and last five student days and the days immediately before and after a scheduled break.
A joint committee will be formed to review the LPS appraisal process, the new teacher tenure model and extra standard roles and pay.

The agreement covers approximately 3,700 LPS employees who are teachers, librarians, nurses, social workers, counselors, school psychologists, speech language pathologists and early childhood and home-based teachers.

The Board voted to approve the agreement.

Informational items and reports

Student Learning and Technology Committee

Committee member Annie Mumgaard shared an update from the last committee meeting that included an update on the vape detectors, new cell phone practices and digital hall passes in high schools.

Mumgaard reported that the vape detector pilot began at East High School at the start of second quarter. During the first week of the pilot, there were nearly 100 alarms. That number immediately and significantly dropped. At the end of the first semester there were on average only five to ten alarms per week.

A combination of new cell phone practices and the digital hall pass system in the high school are also having a positive impact on school climate and environment. Out of school suspensions for physical fights and altercations in high schools are down 19 percent compared to a year ago. The number of “D” and “F” grades is down nearly one percent compared to the 2022-2023 school year, resulting in more classes passed and credit earned toward graduation.

In addition, there has also been a 30 percent increase in the number of library books checked out of libraries.

Superintendent update

LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman kicked off his report by congratulating Lux sixth-grade student Bella Sharif for winning the 36th annual LPS Oral Spell Bee on Saturday.

He went on to recognize the 134 school counselors at LPS as last week was National School Counseling Week. School counselors are highly trained professionals who help students form healthy goals, mindsets, and behaviors. With the aid of a school counselor, students learn to develop effective collaboration and cooperation skills, practice perseverance, develop time management and study skills, and develop self-motivation and self-direction habits.

School counselors also design and deliver programs that improve student outcomes. Counselors advocate and collaborate to promote equity and access for all students by connecting their school counseling program to the school improvement plan.

Gausman added, “We are grateful for our school counselors and their important work at the Lincoln Public Schools.”

During the report, Gausman also introduced Mike Gillotti as the next Associate Superintendent for Educational Services. Gillotti will follow Matt Larson who announced his retirement in January.

Gillotti currently serves as principal at Scott Middle School, a position he has held since November 2022. He returned to LPS in 2022 from Bettendorf Community School District in Iowa, where he served as the associate superintendent of teaching and learning.

During his time in Iowa, Gillotti implemented data-driven systems to include Professional Learning Communities and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to improve student achievement. He was instrumental in the implementation of Standard Response Protocols in the district. Gillotti also worked closely with the superintendent to allocate resources to instructional priorities identified in the strategic planning process.

Gillotti will officially finish the school year at Scott Middle School and begin his new duties on July 1.

Public comment

There were two that addressed the Board during public comment. You can watch the public comment as part of 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 clips from the LPS and Lincoln City Libraries African American Read-in.

Posted on June 03, 2025

Bryan Community students sew special quilts with children's clothes

Bryan Community students stitched together special moments with their children this spring by including their baby clothes in keepsake quilts.

Student-parents partnered with the International Quilt Museum (IQM) to create lifelong memories during the project. Bryan Community teacher Ellie Pearson, IQM Education Coordinator Lindy Clausen and IQM Education Intern Nani Anjolok helped students make personalized block quilts throughout the fourth quarter. Many of them incorporated pieces of baby onesies alongside colorful fabrics into their comforting artworks.

Bryan Community student Malia said it was exciting to watch her daughter’s eyes light up when she first saw the quilt. She said it was encouraging to sew something unforgettable for her.

“I always knew I wanted to do something with her clothes, but this gave me more of an opportunity to do something with it,” Malia said. “Ellie’s a very good teacher, so she taught me how to do everything.”

Pearson said she has enjoyed watching the mothers and father in the class take the quilts from concept to creation.

“I think it’s really meaningful to them, and it’s something that they can pass down to their children that they made,” Pearson said. “I think it’s really special for them to be able to give their kids something personal to have.”

Pearson began leading Bryan Community students in her classroom this past fall. The parenting course focused on life lessons such as cooking, sewing and other hands-on skills. Pearson and Clausen have known each other for many years, and they worked together to make the sewing unit memorable for everyone.

“Lindy is one of my good friends, and she reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, what if we partnered and I could come make quilts with them?’” Pearson said. “And I said, ‘Let’s do it!’ It’s been a fun partnership.”

Clausen said it was heartwarming to get to know the parents and watch them work through the challenges of quilting. They learned how to sew, bind and piece fabric together and lay it out in a block design. The blocks included cartoon characters, plush animals, hearts, stars and many other patterns.

“Any art material, but especially fabric, can have its own personality sometimes, so to just maneuver it was challenging,” Clausen said. “Also, baby clothes are not the easiest things. They’re not like quilting cotton, so they would stretch and provide an extra challenge, but the students did an awesome job.”

Pearson said Clausen and Anjolok made a difference with their caring approach to the process. Many students had never used sewing machines before, but they gained confidence in their abilities as their quilts took shape.

“They did a really good job of stepping alongside the students and helping them with the project,” Pearson said. “It can be stressful to do something new like this, so they were very positive and encouraging and helped them a lot with the steps.”

Malia used many soft colors such as light pink, yellow and tan in her quilt. She included several blocks of Minnie Mouse and added drawings of Winnie the Pooh and Hello Kitty characters in her design. She stitched 49 blocks into her square-shaped quilt.

What was it like to see the finished product?

“Amazing,” Malia said. “I didn’t think I was going to do it that well, actually, but I’m glad that I got everything put together and it all worked out well.”

Malia said the quilting project was one of the many highlights of the class for her. She said Pearson has helped her become a better parent by giving her the tools she will need to be successful.

“This class has helped me become more hands-on with cooking, sewing, crafts,” Malia said. “It gives me a better experience of doing things with my child. It’s been really good. This class has just been fun in general.”

Pearson said she would like to expand the partnership between Bryan Community and the IQM in the future. She and Clausen are exploring the possibility of having students take field trips to the museum as part of the parenting class. Clausen and other IQM staff members lead multiple quilting workshops for children, young adults and families throughout the year.

“I think that would be cool to have the moms and dads go over there and get a tour and see what else is available for them,” Pearson said.

Pearson and Clausen joined many Bryan Community students this spring to celebrate their finished quilts. They wrapped their children in the textile art, watched them smile in quilt-lined chairs and hung their artwork on one of the walls. Clausen said the experience was the final stitch in a season full of special moments.

“It was very sweet, because the quilts are meaningful to them and their child,” Clausen said. “It’s just been really fun to get to know them and see them work through the challenges of quilting and learn a new skill.”

To learn more about Bryan Community, visit our website at https://bryan.lps.org/.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on June 03, 2025

Huntington school spirit soars at school-wide pep rally

Cheers, chants and rounds of applause echoed throughout Huntington Elementary School’s gym during its first pep rally in early May.

The Eagles surprised their Community Learning Center’s boys and girls basketball teams with a celebration to honor their season. The boys scored the CLC’s first basketball tournament championship title.

“I felt like a professional. I felt like I was in the NBA or something. I felt really welcomed,” Huntington fifth grade student Mason said.

The pep rally also featured the school’s mascot and cheerleaders hyping up the crowd. The cheerleaders even formed a spirit tunnel for each athlete from each team to enter as Principal Kristi Schirmer announced their names. She also presented the boys with the inaugural CLC basketball tournament championship trophy in front of their peers.

“It felt really special that we all got to go up there – couldn't be there without the team,” Huntington fourth grade student Zakarii said.

Zakarii and Mason are two of the six players on Huntington’s CLC championship team. All the athletes stressed the importance of teamwork and hard work on the court, leading the squad to also go undefeated this season.

“This wouldn't have been happening without my team,” Mason said. “We played team ball the whole season and got the job done in the championship.”

“It was really fun to watch our team,” Huntington School Community Coordinator Jeralyn Klingenberg said. “Not only did we work on skills on the court, but also skills off the court, and representing Huntington school spirit.”

Huntington staff members worked overtime to create this special experience for the teams. They raced against the buzzer and organized the pep rally in less than 24 hours after the team secured the title. The educators wanted to teach the Eagles the meaning of school spirit in real time.

“As we watched them play throughout the games, we noticed a sense of teamwork and unity,” Schirmer said. “We then started talking about how we could possibly bring this feeling back to school for the other students to experience and celebrate.”

Staff also presented Huntington’s first school spirit award during the rally to fifth grade student Braiden for his support of the teams.

“I wanted to show school spirit and support every player on the basketball team,” Braiden said.

Huntington staff members believe the pep rally is the first of many future opportunities to help foster Eagle pride and community.

“We want children to feel that school is a place where they are safe and a place where they belong,” Schirmer said.

Congratulations to the Huntington CLC basketball teams for a great season!

Boys Team

Tyler

Jaylen

Mason

Dylan

Oakley

Zakarii

Girls Team

Harmony

Yareli
Alexis
Abigail
Kristina
Sha'Leena

Want to learn more about our Community Learning Centers? Visit our website at clc.lps.org.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 30, 2025

Bay High students pick up business skills at pop-up shop event

Fish-shaped bags, heavy metal music CDs and portraits of area pets were all on the menu for prospective buyers this spring at a new Bay High Focus Program event.

Bay High seniors displayed their business ideas during a pop-up shop held at the focus program’s building. Students developed personalized products, created branding and marketing strategies and built a cohesive store layout prior to the event. They then sold merchandise to customers for more than two hours on a Friday night.

Bay High senior Moth said she enjoyed her pop-up shop experience. She presented items from her business Chimera Arts to visitors throughout the night. Her work included linoleum-cut prints, felt keychains, t-shirts, buttons and bags sewn into a mixture of shapes.

“It went pretty well,” Moth said. “It was fun talking to people and getting to see things there. Every single time I’ve vended I’ve changed a few things about my setup, so I’m really happy with how my booth and my table turned out.”

Bay High senior Meko was also happy with how her pop-up shop fared at the event. She founded a pet portraiture business last fall with the goal of establishing a foothold in the pet drawing market. She creates portraits of various animals and then places the pictures on either buttons or t-shirts for customers.

“Being at the pop-up shop was a lot of fun because I got to communicate a lot with different people,” Meko said. “Because my business is about pets, I got to talk about pets with them. I love animals, so it was great to do that.”

Meko said she learned about the value of face-to-face conversations throughout the night. She made one commission sale and propped open the door to many more potential opportunities with her business cards.

“The business cards were a big success,” Meko said. “I only had about five left when it was all over, and I started out with 30, so I was able to spread the word about my business to a lot of people.”

Bay High business teacher Ethan Carlson said he and other staff members were pleased with the night’s outcome. One of their top goals for the pop-up shop format was to give seniors a new venue to showcase their business ideas to members of the public. They felt embedding pop-up shops into one of the focus program’s monthly Art and Thrift events would be a good solution.

Participants used their organizational and planning knowledge to create a detailed blueprint for the evening. Bay High students have participated in Art and Thrift showcases on the first Friday of every month throughout the year. Juniors develop an event called Skate Art Music Fest for their capstone project, and seniors focus on the entrepreneurial process of starting their own business.

All of those previous academic and real-world experiences came together as students talked with customers at their booths.

“I think this group was more excited about this opportunity than I’ve seen in the past,” Carlson said. “Our students are really invested in their personal businesses. Across the board, I thought every student really invested well into what they were excited about and came up with good business ideas.”

Alexander used the pop-up shop platform as a way to advertise his one-man heavy metal band called Nocturnifum. The senior handles vocals and plays drums, guitar and bass guitar for each song, which he mixes together with editing equipment in a Bay High studio. He began releasing music this past December and sold 13 t-shirts at the entrepreneurship event.

“I’m still kind of learning, but I’ve seen how other bands do it, how other local bands do it,” Alexander said. “I go to shows a lot and observe how their band sells merchandise and all of that. It’s pretty interesting.”

Moth said she has also learned a lot from her vending experiences. She has sold items at four Bay High events and felt she has improved her marketing abilities.

“In the beginning, I didn’t have the print holders, I didn’t even do t-shirts, so everything was just kind of laid out,” Moth said. “It looked fine, but it was kind of boring. But now, I feel that my booth has a lot more personality. I think people are more drawn in by it and intrigued by, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ It’s more eye-catching now.”

Carlson said the event taught students about the importance of teamwork as well. They shared ideas prior to the evening and watched those connections create stronger outcomes for everyone.

“There was just a lot of excitement collectively, because they knew, ‘Hey, we’re putting on this shop together, so let’s work together to make it awesome. I want to help you think about your booth and how to decorate it so it’s fun for everyone,’” Carlson said. “It really did bring the class together in a really fun and unique community-building kind of way.”

Alexander said Bay High experiences like the pop-up shop have set him up for future success. He said they have showed him that learning new skills should always be on the educational menu.

“Knowing more than one thing is definitely a smart idea,” Alexander said. “It drains you, but it’s good because you want to know more than one thing. It’s always good to have a backup plan.”

Visit bayhigh.lps.org to learn more about how the Bay High Focus Program inspires creative, entrepreneurial-minded students at Lincoln Public Schools.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 29, 2025

Elementary students showcase talent during district art show

Kooser Elementary School student Santana is a shining example of the positive power art can have on lives of all ages.

Santana, a fourth grader at Kooser, shared his talent alongside dozens of other young artists at the 2024 elementary district art show. Lincoln Public Schools students, parents and community members gathered at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center and the Hawthorne Building this spring to look at more than 220 vibrant drawings, paintings and prints.

Santana presented a watercolor painting that showed a nature scene full of hope. He said art is comforting for him and has helped him feel better.

“Many bad things have happened to me, but I figured out how to move away from them and start having a more happy life,” Santana said.

Joann said she has noticed the uplifting influence of art in her son’s life. She watched with pride as Santana explained how he created his watercolor scene.

“I think it’s good for him,” Joann said. “It’s good to freely express his emotions and puts him in a better mood overall. He draws at home too.”

Santana’s artistic skills have also made a major impact on other people. Morgan Beach leads art classes at Kooser and watched Santana paint a bright rainbow above green grass and flowers. He drew clouds above the rainbow and flipped back his paintbrush to create rain droplets on the canvas. He added a teal-and-blue sky with the words “Days can be sad but always stay happy” at the top.

“It’s going to be hard for me to part with this,” Beach said. “I’ve already talked with the computer teacher, and I’m going to make a whole bunch of color copies. I’m going to have a hard time parting with this particular piece.”

LPS students Vanellope, Granger and Ke’dric also spoke about their artistic creations. Vanellope, a second grader at Roper Elementary School, created a print of floating hearts for the district show. She made hearts of various sizes in two rectangular prints. One side featured a solid blue-and-white design of the hearts, and she made the second side in an identical shape through a “ghost print” process.

“It’s kind of like jelly,” Vanellope said. “Every color you have to paint on paper and then you put on a kind of jelly, and then you stamp it on the paper. If you still have a little more paper left, then you can make a ghost print.”

Granger is also in second grade at Roper. She produced a print called “I Love U” using the same type of method.

“I did it because I love a lot of people,” Granger said.

Granger said it was fun to cut out her design on paper and roll paint on it. She said it was “very special” to know her artwork was giving other people joy at the district show.

Ke’dric talked with excitement about his drawing of a giraffe that was on display. He picked a full spectrum of hues and shades for the giraffe when he began working on it.

“I chose the gold because gold is my second-favorite color, I chose the pink down here because that’s my first-favorite color, the blue is my third-favorite color, and then I did these for the different spots,” Ke’dric said. “I did the ears because it looked cool.”

Kafi said he was happy to see his son gain confidence from the art projects he has completed at LPS. Ke’dric is in fourth grade at Adams Elementary School and has brought home many drawings from his art classes.

“I think it’s amazing,” Kafi said. “I’m very proud of him. He has a lot of skills, and one of his skills that he’s really good at is art, so I’m glad that he was able to express himself in this painting.”

The district exhibit is one of many opportunities LPS artists have to showcase their successful work. Individual buildings host dozens of art shows throughout the school year. Art teachers also guide students in projects such as the “Only One You” rock painting venture at Kahoa Elementary School and the Glow Art Show event at Humann Elementary School.

In addition to providing examples of artmaking abilities, the district show also gave glimpses of the personal power art can have on society. When Santana was asked why he liked painting, his response was immediate and heartfelt.

“You’re the reason I love art,” Santana said as he pointed at Beach.

Beach smiled back, knowing that art would give Santana a chance to create many more winning rainbows in his life.

Click here to learn more about the wide array of art classes available at LPS. The site includes a list of school and district art teachers, programs of study and links to area museums and galleries.

The school district’s secondary art show will be on Thursday, May 9, from 5-7 p.m. at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 28, 2025

Inaugural Culler Cup helps LPS students net lifelong memories, soccer skills

Hundreds of Lincoln Public Schools middle school students netted lifelong memories this spring when they kicked off the first edition of a multi-school soccer tournament.

Approximately 300 students, staff and family members gathered at Northeast High School’s athletics field for the inaugural Culler Cup. Teams from five LPS Title I middle schools – Culler, Dawes, Goodrich, Lefler and Park – played 43 soccer games during the late afternoon and evening. The event promoted teamwork, cooperation and civic engagement in a fun environment for everyone.

Park eighth grader Isaac was one of the 150 LPS students who enjoyed their time at the tournament. Isaac smiled as he laced up his shoes to begin warming up with his teammates on one end of the field. He grew up playing soccer with his family and has participated in intramurals with other Park students.

“I was pretty excited because we’ve never had anything like this,” Isaac said. “I’ve really been looking forward to it.”

Lefler coaches Zoe Mays and Charlotte Ceballos said the Lions were just as enthusiastic when they arrived at Northeast. Mays and Ceballos held one practice prior to the tournament to give each seven-person team a chance to work together. Students received colorful t-shirts to wear as uniforms and were celebrities in Park’s hallways on game day.

“We’re really excited to be here,” Mays said. “As soon as the guys heard about it, they were begging to put together teams. We hadn’t even started to put up the posters about it yet, and they were already like, ‘What’s this soccer thing we’re hearing about?’ They were very excited about it.”

“The kids were excited to get the t-shirts,” Ceballos said. “They wore them today at school and around the building. Kids were congratulating them and wishing them luck for the games today. It’s been a big deal for them.”

Culler Building Coordinator Tom Kolbe said he was pleased to see many smiles appear as the tournament games unfolded. Culler students have taken part in their own Culler Cup activities for the past two years, but organizers wanted to expand the opportunities to players at Dawes, Goodrich, Lefler and Park. Approximately 30 girls and boys from each school signed up to play.

“It was uplifting to see so many middle school students have the opportunity to do what they love and represent their schools during the soccer tournament,” Kolbe said.

In addition to promoting student and staff wellbeing, the event also served as a catalyst for civic engagement throughout the city. Kolbe partnered with organizations such as Lincoln Community Learning Centers (CLC), Civic Nebraska and the Lincoln Community Builder Coalition (LCBC) for the tournament, which featured soccer games, music and food trucks.

Funds from the LCBC’s Strong Neighborhoods Grant program provided t-shirts for every player and feather flags for each school. Charles Richardson, the CLC site coordinator at Culler, helped promote the event across town, and coaches such as Mays and Ceballos led teams in each eight-minute game.

Ceballos and Park coach Griffin Overbeck both said the tournament was a good way to foster community spirit. Many students play intramural soccer in the fall at Moore Middle School, which provides opportunities to meet people who are from other buildings. This has created many friendships that will last throughout their middle and high school years.

“They have a lot of friends who play on the other teams too, so they’re happy to see some of their buddies,” Ceballos said. “It’s a really good event.”

“You could tell when we got here today that everyone was happy to see other kids that they knew,” Overbeck said. “It wasn’t just from one grade either. It was from sixth through eighth grade, which was pretty neat. It’s been a few months since we played our last intramural game and they were excited to get back on the field with each other.”

The seven-on-seven tournament format featured four games taking place at the same time. Each corner of the field featured back-and-forth action with smaller sidelines and nets. Students listened for announcements when there were four minutes and one minute left in each game. They then waited for their next game with teammates on the high school track.

Kolbe said organizers would like to make the Culler Cup an annual event at LPS. He said the sport of soccer builds many bridges for students and helps them net a host of lifelong skills.

“My colleagues at Title I middle schools witness students’ excitement for soccer every day,” Kolbe said. “This is especially true for our students new to LPS from other global places. It is a universal experience that brings us together.”

Want to learn more about how you or your student can get involved at LPS? Visit our Athletics and Activities page at https://home.lps.org/athletics/.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 28, 2025

Artistic Applause: LPS students showcase talents at secondary district art event

A happy accident led to a heartwarming outcome for North Star High School sophomore Ashlyn at this spring’s Lincoln Public Schools Secondary District Art Show.

Ashlyn was working on the first part of her mixed media drawing “Plateau” earlier this semester when she made a mark that wasn’t part of her original plans. Instead of heading back to the starting line, she decided to toss water on the image to see how it would turn out. The result was a vivid display of red, orange and purple cloud-like shapes that made the rest of her drawing stand out.

“We hadn’t worked on watercolors yet, and I did the background, and I messed up,” Ashlyn said with a smile. “Then I started throwing water all over the background, and it turned out really neat. I was just like, ‘Okay, well, I’ll keep doing that,’ because I had messed up, but I was like, ‘Okay, I have to fix it somehow.’”

Hundreds of people admired the creativity of student artists like Ashlyn at the district show, which took place at Steve Joel District Leadership Center. Families walked through all three floors of the district building to view paintings, drawings, sculptures and other imaginative ideas.

LPS Visual Art Curriculum Specialist Lorinda Rice greeted visitors inside the lobby as they arrived in the early evening. Students collected certificates of recognition from LPS visual art staff members before searching for their award-winning artworks. Rice said it was fun to watch the expressions on their faces as they realized a large audience would enjoy their efforts.

“Some are really shy and others are just so elated,” Rice said. “They’re excited to be here, and they’re pretty proud that they were selected to be in the show. It’s really neat to see them have that kind of excitement.”

Northeast High School sophomore Abdul was among those who were in the elated category. He created a black-and-white photo of a flower emerging out of the ground. He said flowers were his favorite subjects to capture on his camera.

“I just find it interesting to photograph nature,” Abdul said.

Abdul began taking photos last fall as part of an art class at Northeast. He enjoyed the process of finding scenic images and working on composition items such as angles and lighting. He would like to continue exploring photography in his final two years at Northeast.

“I just did the first photography class last semester and did another one this semester,” Abdul said. “It’s been fun.”

East High School sophomore Sopheigh wore the same type of bright smile as her family snapped a picture of her in front of her oil pastel called “Yawning Jaguar.” Her artwork featured a large jaguar opening its mouth while resting in the rainforest. Sopheigh said she was happy with how the image emerged on the canvas.

“It was my first time trying an oil pastel,” Sopheigh said. “I like trying out different techniques and seeing how they turn out.”

Sopheigh said she enjoys the freedom that comes from exploring her artistic options. Ashlyn also said it was fun to watch her ideas come to life with her paintbrushes and pens. She is planning to take more art classes at North Star in her junior and senior years.

“I just like that I can do whatever I want with it,” Ashlyn said. “There are so many things you can do with acrylics and watercolors and drawings and all of it.”

The district show was the final chapter of a yearlong artistic journey for hundreds of LPS secondary students. They completed many projects such as circular-shaped drawings at Lincoln High, an intergenerational exhibit at Eastmont Retirement Community and a monster mashup show featuring high school and elementary school artists. They also won a large number of local and state awards for their talents.

Rice said she was pleased to see a steady stream of people file into the district office throughout the night. She said it was heartwarming for students like Ashlyn, Abdul and Sopheigh to receive applause for their artistic ideas.

“It shows that this means a lot to people, which is so nice to know,” Rice said. “It’s been a really good night.”

Visit home.lps.org/art to learn more about visual art programs at LPS and how students are benefiting from their courses.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 28, 2025

Chalking Up Kindness: Wysong students spread positive messages with Hope Ambassadors project

Wysong Elementary School students created colorful displays of kindness this spring by crafting positive messages with pieces of chalk.

More than 30 Wysong fourth graders spread across the school’s outdoor recess area to work on a confidence-boosting “Chalk the Walk” project. They transformed the gray cement with phrases such as “Kindness Matters in the World,” “Good Vibes Only,” “You’re Going to Have a Great Day,” “Today You Rock” and “It’s a Great Day to Have a Great Day.”

Jules, Charlotte and Emma are three members of the Wysong Hope Ambassadors group, which is open to all fourth and fifth graders. Their goal is to build boulevards of hope throughout campus with activities that encourage and inspire others.

“The reason why we all joined is because we want to make sure everybody feels welcomed, kind, respected and heard,” Charlotte said. “Hope Ambassadors is all about spreading kindness all around.”

“I would recommend Hope Ambassadors because it’s super fun to do,” Emma said. “You get to be with your friends and you get to lift people up.”

Jules said she was happy to have a chance to work on the “Chalk the Walk” venture. She and her fellow Hope Ambassadors filled all corners of the playground area with pick-me-up notes in a 30-minute span. She felt it would make an impact on other Wolves throughout the day.

“I hope that they just read it and that, if they’re having a bad day, it makes them feel happy and feel better,” Jules said.

Amy Hix and Ursula Vernon-Hansen smiled as they watched students chalk up many victories on the sidewalk. Hix is Wysong’s school counselor and Vernon-Hansen is the school’s social worker. They have led Hope Ambassadors in a wide variety of uplifting projects throughout the year.

Hix said she and Vernon-Hansen felt the chalk activity would be a great way for the group to spread its message. Not only would the Hope Ambassadors feel good about creating the chalk drawings, but their words would be visible to hundreds of students who use the playground each day.

“This is a playground that everybody comes to,” Hix said. “This is where in the middle of the day, several times a day, all students are going to see the messages. Hopefully it will kind of shift some mindsets if we’re maybe having a hard day, and kind of those reminders that we’re all awesome and it’s good to smile and feel good about yourself.”

Hix and Vernon-Hansen told the Wolves about their plans when they gathered for their morning session. Emma and Charlotte said they were happy when they spotted containers full of large chalk on a small desk.

“I was really excited because I knew it was going to be positive in every way,” Emma said.

“It was like a really beautiful day out, and it was like, ‘Well, why don’t we just help people feel welcomed and have a great day?’” Charlotte said. “So, let’s go!”

Fourth and fifth graders who wanted to become Hope Ambassadors this year wrote a two-paragraph paper sharing why they wished to join the group. They have met twice a month to work on lessons that promote a positive environment in Wysong’s building.

The Wolves began the fall by talking about what they were hopeful for and how they could turn those ideas into reality. They made posters that illustrated messages of kindness and hope for their classmates, and they created an anti-bullying chain for other students to sign. They pledged that they would not bully others at school, home or anywhere else.

The Hope Ambassadors also spent time raising awareness and funds for this spring’s Extra Mile Walk. They joined hundreds of other LPS students who helped gather money for the Food Bank of Lincoln’s BackPack Program, which provides food-filled backpacks to children who may otherwise face food insecurity.

Hix said the Hope Ambassadors have become more aware of their difference-making abilities as the school year has moved along.

“I think that they kind of understand the impact that they can make,” Hix said. “Just those friendship skills and including people, and what a powerful thing that is for people.”

All of the Hope Ambassadors will have opportunities to join Hope Squads when they enter middle and high school. Hope Squad members help their classmates by connecting them with trusted adults and supporting them in difficult situations. They also explain to students how school counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, teachers, administrators and other trained professionals are there to offer help and encouragement.

Emma said the Wysong Hope Ambassadors’ top goal was to create colorful displays of kindness every minute of every day.

“A Hope Ambassador is someone who lifts people up whenever,” Emma said. “Even if they’re not having a bad day or they’re just like feeling fine, you can always lift them up. It doesn’t even have to be something big. If you give them a high five or a hug or hold the door for them, that’s what a Hope Ambassador is.”

Visit home.lps.org/counseling and home.lps.org/socialworkers/ to learn more about hope-filled initiatives such as Hope Ambassadors and Hope Squads at LPS.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 28, 2025

Fantastic Fishing: Yankee Hill students reel in educational benefits at fishing tourney

Yankee Hill Education Center students snagged lifelong learning moments on their educational lines this spring during a fishing trip to Holmes Lake Park.

Yankee Hill anglers caught confidence, happiness and social skills during their first appearance in the annual Lincoln Public Schools Fishing Tournament. They learned how to attach lures and bobbers to their lines, search for high-potential fishing spots and fine-tune the talents of patience, flexibility and innovation by the water.

Yankee Hill senior Nino said it was “a pretty cool experience” to travel to the fishing tournament for the first time. He was looking forward to reeling in a fish before the end of the day.

“They’re allergic to my rod,” Nino said with a smile. “They just run away.”

Nino said it was a good feeling to have an opportunity to be with his friends at the lake. He and other students met both academic and behavior requirements to earn their chance at fishing success.

“It feels really rewarding for all of the work that we’ve put in, especially as seniors, to be able to come out and do something to show that we’re being decent and can actually accomplish things in life,” Nino said.

Yankee Hill Principal Amanda Shonka-Shanahan said the fishing trip was part of a yearlong effort to provide Positive Student Outings (PSOs) for the Yetis. All Yankee Hill students who met the “Positive” rating on the school’s behavior scale were eligible to participate in the fishing tournament. Student Government members have also gone swimming in Northwest High School’s pool, competed in mini-golf and laser tag games, visited the F Street Community Center and helped at the Clyde Malone Community Center.

“This year at Yankee Hill, we have made an intentional focus on providing positive opportunities for our students to experience events in the community, both in and outside of LPS,” Shonka-Shanahan said. “For the majority of our students, these are new experiences. As students progress through our program and meet academic and behavioral goals, they gain leadership and skills that demonstrate they can be successful outside of our building.”

Brandon Prater, a student advocate at Yankee Hill, has led the PSO initiative this year. He worked with LPS K-12 Health and Physical Education Curriculum Specialist Matt Avey and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission members to arrange Yankee Hill’s spot in the tournament. Dan Reichert, a behavioral interventionist at Yankee Hill, said Prater’s efforts paid off when students arrived at Holmes Lake Park.

“We’ve been talking about it, talking about it, talking about it, pumping the kids up and pumping the staff members up, and finally this morning the day came,” Reichert said. “The students got on the bus, the staff got on the bus, we rolled up, and the kids are having a blast right now.”

Reichert, a 17-year veteran, said the educational benefits of the trip became clear within the first 15 minutes by the water. He watched students absorb lifelong lessons in real time as they tackled different fishing obstacles.

“I’ve had two or three kids say, ‘I don’t like this pole!’” Reichert said. “Well, let’s try a different lure, let’s try a different pole, let’s try one with a bobber, let’s try one at the bottom of the water. Just those skills that they’re working on right now will carry them on later into life when they eventually start working after they get done with high school.

“If their boss is saying, ‘Hey, you need to do something this way,’ it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, let me try doing something a different way.’ Just learning those life skills, I mean, that’s what it’s all about.”

Wyatt learned about the importance of inventiveness and seizing opportunities when he spotted a slow-moving fish along the edge of the water. He first tried to drop his line near the fish to encourage it to take a bite, but it wasn’t interested in his lure. He then laid down his pole, walked to the shoreline and stuck his fingers into the lake.

Wyatt’s hands-on approach proved to be a winning strategy, as he triumphantly raised his catch high in the air for everyone to see.

“I did it!” Wyatt shouted. “I caught it with my bare hands!”

Reichert said the fishing trip also strengthened bonds between students and staff members. He said those personal connections will help everyone in many ways at school. Instead of viewing teachers only through the lens of a person handing out tests or making project assignments, students can realize that their instructors can relate to them and want the best for them.

“It’s super important for the kids just to see the teachers outside of the classroom so they understand that we’re humans also,” Reichert said.

Shonka-Shanahan said she would like future groups of Yetis to net the same educational experiences that Nino, Wyatt and other Yankee Hill students have had this year.

“Students who have gone on these outings report feeling joy, a sense of pride and community, and self-worth, and we continue to see their academic and behavioral skills grow,” Shonka-Shanahan said. “These Positive Student Outings are now embedded in our building culture and we look forward to seeing what else we can do next year!”

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes is one of the key strategic areas in our 2024-29 Strategic Plan.

Want to learn more about the 2024-29 LPS Strategic Plan? Visit our website at https://home.lps.org/strategicplan/.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 28, 2025

Highlights of the May 27 Lincoln Board of Education regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 27, at 6:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Amanda Woodward - North Star High School

Lincoln North Star High School Skilled and technical sciences teacher Amanda Woodward was named the 2025 Advisor of the Year by Nebraska SkillsUSA during the spring conference. The award recognizes advisors that embrace the SkillsUSA Framework to create career-ready graduates and opportunities for every member.

Woodward has taught since 2019. She was instrumental in opening the Aviation and Technical Education Focus Program at North Star High School. Under Woodward’s direction, the North Star SkillsUSA chapter earned a gold medal in the Chapter Excellence Program.

Project Extra Mile Walk Update

The LPS Business Affairs team gave an update on the amount raised during the Project Extra Mile Walk. They were joined by Lincoln Food Bank Chief Relationship Officer John Mabry.

This year, over $200,000 was raised during the campaign and an additional $200,000 was donated by the Acklie Charitable Foundation bringing the total raised in 2025 to $400,000. Top fundraisers in LPS included:

Top elementary school: Maxey Elementary, $9,443.03
Top middle sSchool: Pound Middle School, $3,303.47
Top high school: Standing Bear High School, $1,139.17
Top LPS department: LPS Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment $3,619.70

Lincoln Public Schools has raised nearly $2.8 million dollars for the program over 18 years.

You can watch a highlight of the presentation on YouTube here.

First reading

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Grant - COPS School Violence Prevention Grant Program

LPS has applied and received this grant before to assist with purchasing new two-way radios for elementary and middle schools. If awarded, this three-year grant for $500,000 would provide additional training for School Resource Officers and LPS staff.
LPS Security Director Joseph Wright shared, “As we look at the data from the SSK (Safe and Successful Kids Interlocal), we found some really great results there. Those come from the co-training we offer with our school personnel, our administrators at the secondary level, along with the School Resource Officers. We are very intentional about working together as a team and deciding if it’s a school issue or a law enforcement issue. By training together, we’ve learned to do that very well and our data shows it.”

The Board will hold a second reading at the next meeting.

Office renovation for Community Learning Centers

Staff recommended the Board approve the lowest bid from Dickey-Hinds-Muir for $518,000 to renovate a portion of the Bottlers Building to house the Community Learning Center office. The CLC office is currently housed in Roper Elementary School. Moving it to central Lincoln will allow the staff to support their school sites more efficiently.

Due to construction timelines, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid.

Second reading

Policy 5520 - Student Fees

The Board annually reviews and approves Policy 5520 to ensure that its policy is in accordance with the Public Elementary and Secondary Student Fees Authorization Act.

The district’s general policy is to provide for the free instruction in school in accordance with the Nebraska Constitution and state and federal law. This generally means that the school district’s policy is to provide free instruction for courses that are required by state law or regulation and to provide the staff, facility, equipment, and materials necessary for such instruction without charge or fee to the students.

The school district does provide activities, programs, and services to children that extend beyond the minimum level of constitutionally required free instruction. Students and their parents have historically contributed to the district’s efforts to provide such activities, programs, and services. The district’s general policy is to continue to encourage and to the extent permitted by law, to require such student and parent contributions to enhance the educational program provided by the district.

There was one recommended change found on Appendix 1, and that is to increase the maximum fee for cheer and dance from $750 to $900. This is due to the significant increase in cost for required uniforms for these activities.

The Board will held a second reading and voted to approve the changes and the policy.

Newly annexed property to the City of Lincoln

The Board 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 Fire Ridge to Maxey Elementary School, Lux Middle School and East High School.

The Board voted to approve the assignments.

Bids for shelf-stable foods, refrigerated and frozen foods

Bids were requested from interested vendors to provide shelf-stable foods, refrigerated and frozen food products for use by LPS Nutrition Services for all locations. There are 429 items on the bid with 19 vendors fulfilling the contracts for a total of $6,711,115.80.

The Board voted to approve the bid

Informational items and reports

From the Board

Finance Committee

Committee Chair Annie Mumgaard reported that the budget process is underway and there will be several opportunities for the community to provide their input and ask questions. Those dates can be found on the LPS website: https://home.lps.org/budget/key-budget-dates/.

Superintendent update

During the Superintendent Update, Interim Superintendent John Skretta reflected on the end of the school year and celebrations. There were 10 graduation ceremonies with Yankee Hill on Tuesday, Independence Academy on Wednesday, Bryan Community on Thursday and the seven traditional high school commencements on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Over 3,000 students received their diploma.

Skretta thanked the LPS Communications team for their coverage of each ceremony with photos and livestreaming each ceremony. The video and photos can be found online at https://home.lps.org/graduation/2025-graduation-ceremonies/.

He also recognized the work of LPS Director of Secondary Education Jessie Fries and the high school administrators for their work in delivering successful ceremonies.

Skretta also said there will be approximately 2,000 high school students already signed up for summer school that will kick off Thursday, May 29. Late registration opens on Wednesday.

You can watch a highlight of the comments on YouTube here.

Public comment

There were no individuals that addressed the Board during the public comment period.

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights LPS. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured Yankee Hill students as they participated in the annual LPS Fishing Tournament.

Posted on May 27, 2025

Meeting notice for the Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting - May 27, 2025

The Lincoln Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, located in the Boardroom at Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street. The Board of Education meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Members of the public and media may access the meeting via live video streaming or by physically attending the meetings, which are subject to all national, state and local limitations on public gatherings associated with COVID-19. Overflow accommodations may need to be implemented to ensure the health and safety of all in attendance.

The agenda for all meetings can be found here: lps.org/board.

There are multiple ways to view the livestream of all meetings:

Board webpage
LPS YouTube Channel
LNK TV Education Channel (Spectrum channel 1303, Allo channel 23, or LNKTV in the AppleTV and Roku app store)

Participation by citizens in the Regular Board Meeting

In keeping with Board Policy 8420 and Neb Statute 84-1412(3), the Lincoln Board of Education has established these reasonable regulations to conduct Public Comment:

Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose.

A time limit of three minutes will be allotted for any speaker unless prior to the beginning of the Public Comment agenda item, the chair sets a different reasonable time frame to be allotted for speakers in order to accommodate the number of persons who have submitted "Record of Appearance" cards. The time limit is per speaker, per meeting and may not be transferred or assigned to other speakers.

The chair may endeavor to organize public comment by what agenda items or other issues have been identified as topics by public speakers, adjust for the age of speakers, and/or split the Public Comment agenda item to be conducted in different positions within the Board’s Order of Business. At the discretion of the chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.

In order to be called forward to address the Board during Public Comment, each person wishing to speak must obtain a "Record of Appearance" card from staff at the meeting in which they wish to speak. "Record of Appearance" cards are available beginning 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the meeting. Those wishing to speak must accurately complete the required sections of the card, and submit it to the appropriate staff member by 15 minutes after the start of the meeting.

Individuals will be called forward to speak by name, organization being represented, if applicable, and address. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment by stating their first and last name and, if applicable, any organization they represent.

In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.

If the number of people wishing to speak under the public comment portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled.

Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials (paper no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches) available to the Board but may not use any other form of media. Public speakers are asked to provide 10 copies of any copies of printed materials presented to the Board.

Abiding by time limits;
Refraining from applauding, cheering, jeering, or engaging in speech that defames any individual(s), or stymies or blocks meeting progress;
Refraining from the use of audio recordings, video recordings, or any digital still images, posters, signs, costumes, other props and/or photographs;
Refraining from abusive, disruptive or threatening language or gestures; and
Staying in the areas identified by the Board as reserved for the public.

Posted on May 26, 2025

Governing Grizzlies: Standing Bear students gain legislative experience at mock hearing

Standing Bear High School students learned how to become difference makers this spring by debating a proposed bill at the Nebraska State Capitol.

Advanced Placement Human Geography and Civics students traveled to the capitol building for a valuable field trip. They participated in a mock committee hearing about a fictional bill that would have granted voting rights to 16-year-olds in Nebraska. They researched the topic in small groups, offered testimony both for and against the bill and served as senators on the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.

Hadley said it was fun to gain firsthand knowledge of America’s “We the People” phrase during the mock hearing. She felt the visit to Hearing Room #1507 had given her a new perspective on how state senators produce legislation every year.

“I thought it was really cool getting to see the process and kind of getting to act it out,” Hadley said. “I feel like a lot of times, people just tell you what it is, but actually getting to do the experience was really different and exciting.”

Standing Bear social studies teacher Laurie Lofquist said it was important to bring students to the capitol grounds. Lofquist is Standing Bear’s social studies department chair and is leading AP Human Geography and Civics classes this spring.

“We can talk about government and the process in the classroom, but experiential learning is so impactful,” Lofquist said. “When we get the students out in the setting, having that experience of doing a hearing and researching the topics, it’s much more impactful. I think one day is worth probably four to five weeks of instruction in the classroom. That’s the impact of a powerful field trip.”

Audrey Nance of Civic Nebraska led an activity that let several dozen Grizzlies consider whether Nebraska should lower the voting age to 16. They learned why United States citizens passed the 26th Amendment – which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 – in 1971, and they researched arguments both for and against the proposed bill. They then developed testimony that they could choose to present in front of their peers during the mock hearing.

Samantha said she enjoyed hearing different viewpoints from her classmates in her small group.

“When we separated into groups and discussed the topic, it was fun to hear what they had to say,” Samantha said. “It was an interesting thing to hear who was for and who was against it.”

Reese was one of seven Grizzlies who testified at the hearing. She offered research that supported why she was arguing against the bill. She said the experience gave her more confidence about standing up for things she believes in.

“I decided to come up because I feel like it’s important to be the person that’s speaking up, because not a lot of people are that type of person who’s going to speak up,” Reese said. “You want to have a say.”

Classmate Brooke gave testimony in support of the bill. She fielded questions from senators about the topic and explained her research to them.

“When you’re 16 you contribute to the economy and you can drive, so you should be able to vote,” Brooke said.

Samantha and Hadley both served as senators on the committee. Hadley said it was inspiring to sit alongside her classmates in a position of responsibility.

“It was this big table with all these chairs in a big circle,” Hadley said. “I feel like you see it on TV and stuff, but you don’t ever really get to actually go up in the chairs. It was really cool.”

Samantha said she learned a lot from posing questions to each testifier. Senators asked them to defend their arguments and provide more details about their research.

“I liked asking people questions about what they thought,” Samantha said. “I thought it was fun to hear them explain why they thought what they did, and I also thought it was a fun way to debate what others thought and argue a little bit.”

The entire class discussed the results of the mock hearing before voting against the proposed bill. Lofquist said she was impressed with the level of thoughtfulness and care that the Grizzlies showed throughout the entire event.

“When I saw them out there using all of the skills that we teach in class and getting out in front of their peers and stating their business, I was really proud of the way that it all came together,” Lofquist said.

Lofquist felt the visit gave Standing Bear students a firm foundation in the principles of civic engagement.

“I think that today was a really engaging way to get them thinking about what it is to be a citizen and what voting rights that they will have and just looking ahead,” Lofquist said. “I hope that they bring that experience back to the classroom and they think about it more as they take government as a senior and start to vote.”

For Samantha, her time in Hearing Room #1507 reinforced how she and other Grizzlies can be true difference makers in society.

“I really enjoyed debating,” Samantha said. “I really like it. I think students have a lot of things to say, and it’s really helpful to hear things from the younger generation.”

Visit home.lps.org/socialstudies to learn more about the civic engagement opportunities available for LPS students in their social studies classes.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

Posted on May 23, 2025

Don Sherrill students grow roots of success with inspirational activities

Hartley Elementary School teacher Mikayla Matthes shared a wide smile with A’Royal as they talked about how he has bloomed academically and socially this year.

Dozens of A’Royal’s classmates at Donald D. Sherrill Education Center discussed how they were growing similar roots of success at the inaugural DDSEC School Pride Day. Staff members from 32 elementary schools came to the DDSEC campus to talk with students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The activity’s goal was to help them build stronger connections with their home attendance schools before they return.

A'Royal said he was happy talking with Matthes during the morning. He worked with her to complete five petals on a confidence-boosting flower. He listed his dreams for the future, something new he has tried, his strengths for success, how he received help from someone and how he helped someone else.

“I enjoyed that I got to color the flower and talk to my home attendance school,” A’Royal said.

DDSEC Principal Cindy Vodicka said A’Royal was writing pages of a success story through his hard work during the school year. He is taking classes at Hartley on a partial basis and is on his way to making a full return. Fourteen other students are back at their home schools after graduating from DDSEC this year.

Vodicka said she felt School Pride Day would help increase that number for the 2025-26 academic year. She and other members of the DDSEC School Improvement Team wanted to help students build trust with their home schools by giving them a chance to talk, laugh and work together.

“I think it went great,” Vodicka said. “I’m so excited about the wonderful turnout we had and our partnership with our home attendance schools, because that’s what helps kids go back to their school. It helps them graduate when they have great relationships.”

DDSEC teacher Holli Beck also had an optimistic response to the day’s events. She worked with students and teachers from Everett and Morley in one of the DDSEC classrooms.

Beck encouraged several children as they wrote on their flowers and completed phrases on a green leaf. Each green leaf contained the phrase, “Look at How I’ve Grown: I am Proud of Myself Because,” and students could write self-affirming words and sentences on them. Each inspirational leaf was then taped to branches of a tree in the school cafeteria.

“I think anytime you can do something to help kids stay connected with their home school, it’s a really good thing,” Beck said. “This was a really good day today. I’m happy with how the students did with all of their activities.”

DDSEC staff members help students focus on their strengths and learn prosocial skills throughout the year. The school uses a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) strategy to teach lessons about coping skills, positive self-esteem and consistent expectations. The therapeutic environment encourages students to thrive academically, behaviorally and socially.

Fredstrom Elementary School Assistant Principal Kathy Moldenhauer visited with Lana and Ben before DDSEC staff members Aneisha Brown and Abbey Patera led the flower activity. Lana and Ben are both planning to return to Fredstrom and enjoy successful careers. Ben said he wanted to become “a weather guy” when he grew up, and Lana said she wanted to become a veterinarian.

Lana said her favorite part of the morning was filling out her flower. She used multiple markers to create bright words on each petal.

“Coloring it and writing on it, because I really like writing,” Lana said. “I like math too because it’s fun.”

Beck and Vodicka both said they enjoyed watching students express themselves during the writing activity. They said it was promising to see the positive words that emerged on each petal.

“It’s amazing when you see them put their feelings down in their own words,” Beck said. “They were really excited to write on their flowers, because I think it showed them that their goals are possible. They’re believing they can do this.”

“One student said, ‘My goal is to get back to Elliott partial days,’” Vodicka said. “That’s our goal for them too, so when they start to verbalize it and say, ‘This is my goal,’ that’s when it happens, so it’s really exciting to see that.”

Vodicka said School Pride Day will encourage many students to blossom in their current and future educational fields at Lincoln Public Schools.

“This was one way that we could have home attendance school staff come and work with students and give them some directions and do activities with them to help students have that relationship,” Vodicka said. “When they do go back, they already have something established. They love it when people come and visit, so it was a lot of fun to have this happen today.”

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Posted on May 23, 2025

Highlights: May 19 Lincoln Board of Education and ESU 18 Organizational Meetings

The Lincoln Board of Education and Education Service Unit (ESU) 18 held special reorganization meetings on Monday, May 19, at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street.

New officers for Lincoln Board of Education

Bob Rauner was elected as the new president of the Lincoln Board of Education serving from May 2025 until May 2026. Piyush Srivastav was elected as vice president.

Lincoln Public Schools Interim Superintendent John Skretta was reaffirmed as secretary, and LPS Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish was reaffirmed as treasurer. As required by state law, Standish was also appointed as the LPS representative to attend the LB 644 joint public hearing and/or to attend and serve in such capacity on behalf of the district.

During the reorganization meeting, the Board also voted to reaffirm all policies and regulations.

New officers for ESU 18

Barbara Baier was elected as the new president of Educational Service Unit (ESU) 18, and Annie Mumgaard was elected vice president.

Lincoln Public Schools Interim Superintendent John Skretta was reaffirmed as secretary, and LPS Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish was reaffirmed as treasurer.

The ESU Board reaffirmed the appointment of Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Takako Olson to be the ESU 18 administrator.

During the reorganization meeting, the Board also voted to reaffirm all policies and regulations.

Posted on May 19, 2025

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Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Leslie Mann - Southwest High School

First reading

2025-26 Transportation Plan

Property exchange agreement - Northwest/Pegram

Extending agreement with Everdriven Technologies

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant

Sixpence Grant Proposal

Planning Region Team Grant Proposal

Agreement with Procare Therapy Inc

Agreement with Educare of Lincoln

Policy updates - 5000 and 6000 series

Second reading

Elementary boundary change recommendations

Property purchase

Renewal of print and copy fleet service agreement with Xerox

Informational items and reports

Superintendent update

Public comment

Glimpses of LPS

ESU 18 Regular Meeting

Interlocal agreement with Lancaster County for educational services to the Youth Services Center

Agreement with Nebraska Department of Education for SNRP for Hearing Impaired Students

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes

Staff Wellbeing and Outcomes

Family and Community Engagement

District Systems and Operations

Wednesday, June 25

Thursday, June 26

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2025 LPS NIETOC Results

Lincoln East Results

Lincoln High Results

Lincoln North Star Results

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Participation by citizens in the Regular Board Meeting

Tuesday, June 24

Wednesday, June 25

Thursday, June 26

SFP NJAS State Science Fair Qualifying Projects

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Athletics and Activities update

First reading

Elementary boundary change recommendations

Property purchase

Proposed 2025-2026 pay rates for substitute and miscellaneous employees

Renewal of print and copy fleet service agreement with Xerox

Second reading

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Grant - COPS School Violence Prevention Grant Program

Informational items and reports

From the Board

Finance Committee

The Career Academy

Superintendent update

Public comment

Glimpses of LPS

ESU 18 Regular Meeting

First reading

Interlocal agreement with Lancaster County for educational services to the Youth Services Center

Agreement with Nebraska Department of Education for SNRP for Hearing Impaired Students

Participation by citizens in Board Meetings

Lincoln Board of Education Work Session

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

First reading

Land sale – Wilderness Hills Park parcel

Electric Type-A school buses

Contract with First Student for Transportation services

Renewal agreement with Xerox

Second reading

Newly annexed property to the City of Lincoln

2024-2025 Transportation Plan

Legislative Guidelines

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