Highlights of 8/31 Lincoln Board of Education work session

The Lincoln Board of Education held a work session – focused on strategic planning – on Thursday, August 31 at Lincoln Public Schools District Office, 5905 O St.

The Lincoln Board of Education brainstormed a broad range of possible goals as part of the new strategic planning process Thursday evening in a four-hour work ession to suggest, discuss and start to augment five themes previosly developed to help chart the course for the school district over the next five years.

“This is a milestone moment,” Board President Lanny Boswell said, “representing the continuation of so much hard work.”

“I see our job as Board members as developing goals that help guide our work over the next five years – but goals that have been informed by the community,” added Board Vice President Don Mayhew.

The long list of goals discussed Thursday were then specifically tied to the appropriate of five themes – themes developed as a result of intense community participation in an initiative that began early last school year and included 49 community sessions and 3,800 responses from community citizens. 

These proposals will now be turned over to appropriate Board committees for further discussion, development and considerable focus – to solidify goals, action steps and ways to measure and define the success. The brainstormed goals from Thursday will likely be seriously cut down to one to three goals per theme.  The strategic plan is expected to come back to the full Board in December.

Following are the five themes (previously developed), with a long list of unedited, brainstormed goals under those themes. 

• Academic Success (assigned to Student Learning Committee)
• Graduate college and career ready (90 percent or above)
• Evaluate graduation requirements in light of careers
• Testing – sunset unnecessary programming
• Consistent PE time across all schools and increase amount
• Create a real fine arts program as a focus program
• Performing arts center
• Jump start to career at TCA
• Take full advantage of TCA
• Industrial technology classes for all kids
• Strengthen eLearning for students, displaced from the classroom
• Add choice, focus programs, performing arts
• Three to four magnet schools including community partnerships
• Review current focus programs
• Increase explore opportunity for middle school
• eLearning middle/high school outside of classroom
• School choice – follow your passion
• Assess graduation requirements
• All elementary students should have hands-on experiences

• Future Ready Global Citizens (assigned to Americanism – Multicultural –  Transportation Committee)
• World language exposure in elementary and middle school with goal of fluency
• Elementary dual language program 
• Perform appropriate research and develop plan for facilities and curriculum to serve our high school students in face of overwhelming growth and changing technology
• Increase/strengthen computer science in curriculum
• Develop systemic transformation into 21^st century learning community
• Replace economics with personal finance classes
• Real world personal finances
• Increase science programs 

• Support for Students (assigned to Student Support Committee)
• Equity audit to provide tool to help make decisions
• Explore all day early childhood schools including community partnerships
• Prioritize classroom sizes/student teacher ratios
• Flexibility – hours, classrooms, eLearning
• Create plan to address mental health needs of our children
• Invest more in social works and counselors  

• Support for Educators (assigned to Personnel/Policy Committee)
• Staff reflective of community diversity
• Leadership development and continuity planning
• Re-establish mentor program for new educators
• Conduct audit on time and resources used for assessments and standardized tests
• ERP implementation – Enterprise Resource Planning
• Prioritize classrooms sizes – student teacher ratios

• Family and Community Partnerships (assigned to Extended Learning Opportunities Committee)
• Full service community schools
• Support and strengthen family engagement
• High quality after school programs in all schools
• City wide internship program
• Whole family services – embedded in school 

The Board added one possible new group of goals in a category called Facilities and Infrastructure – Growth Ready (assigned to Planning Committee)

• Develop facility plan that reflects changing demographics and needs of our community
• Add facilities to support growing enrollment
• Perform appropriate research and develop plan for facilities and curriculum to serve our HS students in face of overwhelming growth and changing technology
• Innovative campus ideas
• Fully utilized current facilities through boundaries, restructure, policies
• Deal with growth yet keep the small town feel

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