Lincoln Public Schools launches Community High School Task Force

September 28, 2017

The Lincoln Board of Education adopted a goal this school year to establish a High School Task Force to investigate community options and priorities for serving high school students – and Thursday Lincoln Public Schools launched the Community High School Task Force to study the school district’s enrollment and educational needs.

The Task Force – made up of about 70 community citizens and LPS educators – will meet monthly throughout this school year at all six public high schools.  They will make recommendations to the superintendent by May, 2018. 

“The goal is to create a community conversation around several big issues,” said LPS Superintendent Steve Joel, speaking at the first meeting Thursday at East High.  “How are we going to address the dramatic growth we are seeing, especially in high schools? What should a new high school look like? And how can we best prepare our high school students for the new world? 

“Education is so deeply valued and deeply supported in this community, yet education continued to change,” Joel continued.   “This is a chance to think creatively, an opportunity to think differently about high school…There must be some good solutions to the explosive growth we are experiencing…We are counting on this group to help us find the answers.”

Last year, LPS served 11,677 high school students, and by 2021, LPS is expected to have 13,344 high school students.  Last year three high schools had enrollments of more than 2,000 students: Lincoln North Star High School, Lincoln Southeast High School and Lincoln High School.

“That means this is the right time and a wonderful opportunity to start talking about the high school question in Lincoln,” Lanny Boswell, president of the Lincoln Board of Education, told the Task Force.  “On behalf of the Board of Education, I thank you for all being willing to give us your time.”

The Task Force formed several subcommittees at the close of the Thursday meeting, and the general subcommittee topics will be:  

•       Focus Programs/Innovative Delivery
•       Traditional High School/School Size
•       City Growth/Capacity Needs
•       Student/Community/Diversity

Task Force Co-Chairs:

• Gloria Eddins
• Bob Rauner

Task Force meetings:

Date	Location	Time
September 28th, 2017	East High School 1000 S. 70th Street	Meeting 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Optional Tour at 3:30 p.m.
October 26th, 2017	North Star High School 5801 N. 33rd Street	Meeting 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Optional Tour at 3:30 p.m.
November 30th, 2017	Southeast High School 2930 S. 37th Street	Meeting 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Optional Tour at 3:30 p.m.
January 25th, 2018	Lincoln High School 2229 J Street	Meeting 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Optional Tour at 3:30 p.m.
February 22nd, 2018	Southwest High School 7001 S. 14th Street	Meeting 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Optional Tour at 3:30 p.m.
March 22, 2018	Northeast High School 2635 N. 63rd Street	Meeting 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Optional Tour at 3:30 p.m.

 

 

 

 

---