Highlights of 10/24 Lincoln Board of Education meeting, work session

Highlights of 10/24 Lincoln Board of Education meeting, work session

The Lincoln Board of Education held a regular meeting – followed by a work session focused on strategic planning – on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at Lincoln Public Schools District Office, 5905 O St. The Board will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 14.

Highlights of 10/24 Lincoln Board of Education meeting

Student calendars approved for 2019-20 and 2020-21

The Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday approved two years of student calendars – for 2019-20 and 2020-21– calendars focused on creating the best possible academic years for learning.

Main highlights of the 2019-20 calendar:

  • The first day of school will be August 13 – and the last day of school will be May 21.
  • Semester break is Dec. 20-Jan. 6 – with students returning to school Tuesday, Jan. 7.
  • First and third quarter breaks are: Oct. 17-18, and March 9-13.
  • Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 27-29 – spring break will be April 10.

Main highlights of the 2020-21 calendar:

  • The first day of school will be August 12 – and the last day of school will be May 20.
  • Semester break is Dec. 23-Jan. 4 – with students returning to school Tuesday, Jan. 5.
  • First and third quarter breaks are: Oct. 15-16, and March 8-12.
  • Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 25-27 – spring break will be April 2 

Policy changes

The Board approved several minor policy changes all related to Business Affairs: Series 3000, 3400, 3960 and 3915.

Student Celebration

The Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday celebrated Community Learning Centers and the annual Lights On initiative scheduled this year for Thursday, Oct. 26.  Lights On Afterschool was launched in 2000, the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. 

Presenters were:

  •      Nola Derby-Bennett, new director of Lincoln Community Learning Centers
  •      Acasia Turechek, fourth grade student who participates in a Community Learning Center at Belmont Elementary School
  •      Jennie Stroup, LPS parent
  •      Alex Torres, former Park Middle School student – former Community Learning Center student – and current Community Learning Center staff member from the Boys & Girls Club. 

Highlights of 10/24 Lincoln Board of Education work session

The Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday moved closer to a final draft for a new, refreshed strategic plan for the school district.

The school district has spent the last year gathering community voices and developing six themes for a new Lincoln Public Schools Strategic Plan – an initiative that included 49 community sessions and 3,800 responses from community citizens.  The six themes would potentially provide focus for the school district over the next five years:

  • Academic Success
  • Future Ready Global Citizens
  • Support for Students
  • Support for Educators
  • Family and Community Partnerships
  • Facilities and infrastructure – Growth Ready

On Tuesday, Board members spent three hours reviewing possible goals in each of the major thematic areas of the future strategic plan, and selecting their top priorities.   Next, the Strategic Planning Committee will distill consensus, then turn over those suggestions to the superintendent and staff to create a proposed draft.  The Board will likely vote final approval of a Strategic Plan in December. 

Here is a sample of first priorities for Board members in the six theme areas:

Facilities and Infrastructure

  •     Annie Mumgaard, Lanny Boswell:  Continue to update the LPS 10-year facilities and infrastructure plan.
  •     Connie Duncan Matt Schulte, Don Mayhew: Research and develop facility plans to address growing high school enrollment.
  •   Barb Baier: Explore innovative campus ideas.

Family and Community Partnerships

  • There was only one possible major goal listed in this theme: By 2022 all students will have access to full-service community schools that provide after school programs.  (This goal may be scaled back.)

Support for Educators

  • Don Mayhew, Kathy Danek: ERP Implementation (Enterprise Resource Planning), Implement a 21st century Human Resources and Business System.
  • Annie Mumgaard, Connie Duncan, Barb Baier, Lanny Boswell:  Lincoln Public Schools will research and implement strategies to recruit, hire, develop, support and retain the highest quality and diverse staff.
  • Matt Schulte: Reduce pressures of standardized testing in the classroom (and audit of testing) 

Support for Students

  • Matt Schulte, Kathy Danek: Increase flexibility of instructional delivery: hours, classrooms, eLearning.  (This may go under Academic Success.)
  • Barb Baier, Connie Duncan: Explore all-day early childhood classroom options (and/or additional part-day options), including community partnerships and stand-alone facilities.
  • Lanny Boswell, Don Mayhew Create plan to address mental health needs of children.
  • Annie Mumgaard: Perform an equity audit to provide data to help make decisions.

Future Ready Global Citizens

  • Barb Baier, Lanny Boswell, Don Mayhew, Connie Duncan, Matt Schulte: World language – exposure in elementary and middle school with goal of fluency (which includes a possible action step of establishing an elementary dual language program).  
  • Kathy Danek, Annie Mumgaard: STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) access across the school district for all LPS students.

Academic Success

  • Annie Mumgaard: Add more choices for students to follow passions.
  • Barb Baier: Create fine arts and performing arts focus program.
  • Don Mayhew: Increase choices through additional focus programs.
  • Connie Duncan, Matt Schulte, Lanny Boswell, Kathy Danek: LPS will reach a goal of 90 percent graduation rate for students who are equipped for college and career choices. (This one may become a major over-arching goal – which could change major priorities in this category.)


Published: October 24, 2017, Updated: October 24, 2017