Highlights of the March 25 Lincoln Board of Education regular meeting

March 25, 2025

The Lincoln Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Schools Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O Street. You can watch the full video of the meeting here.

Special reports, presentations and celebrations of success

Ashton Krueger - East High School

Lincoln East High School German teacher Ashton Krueger began teaching at Lincoln Public Schools in 2023. Krueger was awarded the 2024 New World Language Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska International Languages Association (NILA) at their fall conference. This award is presented to an educator who shows noteworthy promise during their first five years in education.

You can watch a highlight of the presentation here. 

Kelleen Rosebaugh - Southeast High and Schoo Middle schools

German teacher Kelleen Rosebaugh began at Lincoln Public Schools in 2016. She currently teaches German at Southeast High School and Schoo Middle School.  Rosebaugh was awarded the 2024 Nebraska German Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Association of Teachers of German (NATG) and the Nebraska International Languages Association (NILA) at their fall conference.

You can watch a highlight of the presentation here.

Terri Dimon - Standing Bear High School

Terri Dimon came out of retirement in the Fall of 2024 to jumpstart Standing Bear High School’s French program. She previously taught at Southeast High School for 14 years, and Pound Middle School for 13 years. Dimon was awarded the 2024 Nebraska French Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska International Language Association (NILA) and the Nebraska Association of Teachers of French (NATF) at their fall conference. 

You can watch a highlight of the presentation here. 

First reading

Southwest High School tennis court renovation

Staff recommended the Board accept the lowest responsible vendor to meet specifications of the tennis court renovation project at Southwest High School. 

Due to the tight construction timelines to finish the project over the summer, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid for $579,600 from Nemaha Sports Construction out of Lincoln. This will be paid from the depreciation fund.

North Star High School track renovation

Staff recommended the Board accept the lowest responsible vendor to meet specifications of the track renovation project at North Star High School. 

Due to the tight construction timelines to finish the project over the summer, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid for $659,700 from Nemaha Sports Construction out of Lincoln. This will be paid from the depreciation fund.

Artificial turf playgrounds at Huntington, Prescott and Saratoga

Staff recommended the Board accept the lowest responsible vendor to meet specifications of adding artificial turf to the playgrounds at Huntington, Prescott and Saratoga elementary schools. This is a similar project to several other schools in Lincoln where it is difficult to grow natural grass due to the volume of use.

Due to the tight construction timelines to finish the project over the summer, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid for $1,398,000 from Nemaha Sports Construction out of Lincoln. This will be paid from the depreciation fund.

Skylight replacement project

Staff recommended the Board accept the lowest responsible vendor to meet specifications of replacing approximately 159 insulated translucent skylights at Fredstrom and Kooser elementary schools and Southwest High School.

Due to the tight construction timelines to finish the project over the summer, the Board waived second reading and voted to approve the bid for $1,286,786 from SGH Redglaze Holdings Inc. out of Omaha. This will be paid from the insurance fund.

Wheelchair school buses

Proposals were requested from interested vendors to purchase five wheelchair school buses with three-point safety belts for use by the Transportation Department. The buses will replace some of the existing buses and the cost includes trade-ins.

Staff recommend approving the lowest bids from Cornhusker International Trucks out of Lincoln for $748,700, and will be paid from the depreciation fund.

The Board waived the second reading due to purchasing deadlines and approved the lowest bid.

84-passenger school buses

Proposals were requested from interested vendors to purchase five 84-passenger school buses with three-point safety belts for use by the Transportation Department. The buses will replace some of the existing buses and the cost includes trade-ins.

Staff recommend approving the lowest bids from Nebraska Central Equipment out of Alda, Nebraska for $1,047,500, and will be paid from the depreciation fund.

The Board waived the second reading due to purchasing deadlines and approved the lowest bid.

Cisco Webex calling

LPS has worked with Cisco Voice over Internet Provider solutions since 2001 with the server infrastructure on premises. The proposed five-year contract would move all services to Cisco Webex Cloud. This solution offers LPS a more flexible, cost-effective and scalable communication system compared to traditional on-premise phone systems. Regular software updates and built-in security measures ensure the system remains reliable, up-to-date and protected.

The contract includes all necessary services for a phone system:  call handling, call routing, call analytics, voicemail, E911 service and remote client service through staff computers or mobile devices.

It is recommended that the Board award the five-year contract for $1,525,064.50 to OneNeck IT Solutions. The Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next meeting.

Promoting Engagement and Knowledge (PEaK Project) grant application

The LPS Special Education department will once again apply for Promoting Engagement and Knowledge (PEaK) grant funding through the Nebraska Department of Education Office of Special Education. 

NDE began making these grants available annually during the 2018-2019 school year. These funds are intended to support school districts’ work to improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities. 

LPS has previously received PEaK grant funding to help provide high-quality intervention materials, professional learning opportunities, and instructional coaching in the areas of math and literacy instruction. PEaK funds would be used to continue this work for the 2025-2026 school year, pending Board and NDE approval. 

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

Second reading

Purchasing USDA commodity mozzarella cheese

Bids were requested from interested vendors to process and deliver diverted USDA foods mozzarella cheese for use by LPS Nutrition Services for all school locations. The contract prices are for the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, with two optional one-year renewal periods.

Staff recommend the lowest annual bid of $627,602 for approximately 75,000 pounds of mozzarella cheese from Nardone Brothers Baking Company, LLC.

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

Informational items and reports

Finance Committee

Board policy 3100 states that a budget calendar will be presented to the Board by April 1 of each year. This presentation will include timelines for when a preliminary list of budgetary goals and budget priorities will be available, a preliminary budget to meet the needs of the school system for the next fiscal year will be presented, a projection based upon the latest enrollment and revenue estimates for the succeeding fiscal year will be available, and tentative dates for necessary publications, public hearings and budget adoption.

Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Liz Standish presented the budget development calendar. Key dates in the development of the LPS budget shared during the presentation includes:

  • June 24: Board of Education Preliminary Proposed Budget presented during a special work session at 4:30 p.m., followed by a public comment period during the regular meeting at 6:00 p.m.
  • June 25: Online input window opens on lps.org.
  • June 25: Two public forums - virtual at noon (link available on lps.org), and in-person at 6:00 p.m. at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center (5905 O Street).
  • June 26: Virtual public forum at 6:00 p.m. (link available on lps.org).
  • July 11: Online input window closes.
  • July 22: Board of Education Proposed Budget presented during a work session at 4:30 p.m., followed by a public comment period during the regular meeting at 6:00 p.m.
  • Aug. 12: Opportunity for public comment during the regular Lincoln Board of Education meeting at 6:00 p.m.
  • Aug. 25: Board of Education Budget Hearing
  • Aug. 26: Opportunity for public comment during the regular Lincoln Board of Education meeting at 6:00 p.m.
  • Sept. 9: First reading of the proposed budget during the regular Lincoln Board of Education meeting.
  • Sept. 23: Second reading and vote on the proposed budget during the regular Lincoln Board of Education meeting.

Standish also shared information about the Nebraska Homestead Exemption program. The Nebraska Homestead Exemption program is a property tax relief program that reduces all or a portion of taxes for homeowners in Nebraska who occupy a home, used as their primary residence that meet the criteria. More information about the Homestead Exemption program can be found here. The filing deadline for the program is June 30, 2025.

More information will become available during the process on lps.org/budget.

Superintendent Update

Interim Superintendent John Skretta gave an update to the Board, starting with thanking the team of directors and associate superintendents for their continued support of the Board’s work. 

Skretta highlighted the signing event he attended on March 13 for the LPS Early Childhood Avenues program. This program is a partnership between LPS and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln to assist paraeducators in earning their early childhood certification. 

Zeman held a 50th anniversary celebration on Saturday where Skretta was able to learn about the history of the school and hear music by the students. 

Skretta thanked administrators at the buildings where he visited recently. He said he enjoyed connecting with the principals and seeing teaching and learning taking place. 

In closing, Skretta spoke about a recent opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. with the Nebraska Association of School Boards.

“We are going to continue to endeavor to ensure our elected officials at every level are aware of the needs of our LPS students and staff, and the incredible return on investment that is public education,” commented Skretta.

Public comment

There was one individual that addressed the Board during the public comment period. 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 LPS. Tuesday’s Glimpses featured the spring break sports camp organized by Lincoln Community Learning Centers. You can watch the Glimpses here.

 

Published: March 25, 2025, Updated: March 25, 2025