Highlights of 1/28 Board of Education regular meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office, 5905 O St. The Board will hold its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

First reading

Family Literacy Grant 
We currently have 12 family literacy programs in LPS that serve more than 180 refugee and immigrant parents. This two-year grant from United Way would allow LPS to continue with those programs in our school district. This application would replace the current United Way grant funding that expires this summer. The Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next Board meeting on Feb. 11. 

Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Grant Program 
Staff propose to apply for a competitive grant to the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the U.S. Department of Justice. These funds would help with threat assessment training. LPS utilizes a four-person district threat assessment team, which responds to potential threats identified in over 60 schools and programs, making it crucial that school personnel clearly understand how to identify and respond to potential threats and how to work collaboratively with the district team. The Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next Board meeting on Feb. 11. 

Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the Data Center at LPSDO
When the district office was first designed and built, there was an area identified through long-range planning in the basement for a data center. This agenda item sets a guaranteed maximum price for the project to finish the data center. In November, the Board approved contract documents and Cheever Construction Company to provide construction manager services. The proposed GMP for the project will be set at approximately $1,146,300. The Board will hold a second reading and vote at the next Board meeting on Feb. 11. 

Second reading

Policy Updates 
Periodically, new circumstances or changes require the school district to make a number of updates to align existing policy without changing the original leadership or organizational intent of the Board. When the Board has a number of such policies to revise, it collects them into a single Board agenda item. 

There were minor changes suggested to six different policies in the 1000 series that cover community relations. The Board voted to approve the revisions.

State 21st Century Community Learning Center Continuation Application
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CLCs) federally funded grant program provides grants to eligible schools for the purpose of creating or expanding CLCs. The primary purpose of 21st Century funds is to provide students with academic enrichment opportunities designed to complement their regular academic program. The Board held a first reading on two grant applications that would continue funding grants for existing CLCs at Calvert, Arnold, McPhee and Norwood Park elementary schools; Park and Dawes middle schools; and North Star High School. The Board voted to approve the application.

Chromebooks for 2020 Distribution
The CLASS technology plan provides budget resources in the 2019-20 fiscal year for the purchase of Chromebooks for each student in the 2020-21 sixth-grade class (3,300) and ninth-grade class (3,100). The Board held first reading on accepting the recommended bid from Dell EMC Inc. to purchase 3,300 Dell Standard Chromebooks at $735,900 and 3,100 Dell 2-in-1 Chromebooks at $923,800. The Board voted to accept the bid.

Annexed Property
The Board of Education assigns school attendance areas to property newly annexed to the City of Lincoln. This establishes school attendance areas prior to the sale of residential lots, allowing purchasers to know what schools their children will attend. Tonight the Board held a first reading to assign attendance areas to a newly annexed area near Interstate 80 and Highway 77. The assigned attendance area will be Norwood Park Elementary School, Dawes Middle School and Northeast High School. The Board voted to approve the assigned school attendance areas.

Board Committee Reports

Wellness, Americanism and Multicultural Education Committee 
Board member Annie Mumgaard reported that this committee met Jan. 22, focusing on wellness. The committee includes staff, parents and community members. It was noted during the presentation that LPS is perceived as a state and national leader in several areas falling under the LPS wellness umbrella, including:

• best practices in assisting students in returning to school after concussion;
• our vaccination participation process;
• and nutrition services programs.

The committee worked in small groups to discuss the recommendations and make suggestions for future work and agenda items.

Staff Celebration

Lincoln Public Schools honored the following employees for 25 years of dedicated service:

• Debra Bateman
• John Black
• Jeffrey Brehm
• Constance Campfield
• Marcela Cantarero
• Susan Cassata
• John Catlett
• Jane Cutshall
• Patty Daberkow
• Lori Devine
• Christine Dlouhy
• Kevin Eckhout
• Krystal Elsberry
• James Elsener
• Jennifer Engle
• Martha Erickson
• Jennifer Feeney
• Angela  Fessler
• Jennifer Fisher
• Barbara Frost
• Garold Furse
• Jana Ghormley
• Carol Goans
• Jarrell Green
• Kay Holt
• Melody Kenney
• Dianna Knight
• Sue Kramer
• Robyn Lade
• Kym Le
• Brenda Leggiadro
• Tracy Liesemeyer
• Beverly Lyman
• Mary McCauley-Long
• Stacey Meier
• Lou Anne Miller
• David Nebel
• Rhonda Neely
• Betty Noell
• Kristin Oakland-Maxwell
• Anita Riehl
• Johnny Salisbury
• Kirsten Smith
• Heidi Smutny
• Jeffrey Soucie
• Nissa Sturgeon
• Shannon Svoboda
• Tracy Timmons-Focht
• Cynthia Tyler
• Dianna Utley
• Stacie Walton
• Teresa Wanser-Ernst
• Chris Warner
• Shirley Wenzel
• Lisa Wieman-Schulz
• Cynthia Wiesen
• Kathleen Wilson
• Catherine Wittstruck
• Aaron Zabawa

 

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights the amazing teaching and learning taking place in our schools. Tonight’s video gave us a peek into a recent visit by more than 20 eighth-grade students to the LPS Air Force Jr. ROTC program, based at Lincoln Northeast High School. 

LPS LIVE: Board Preview

Bond FAQs
Before every Lincoln Board of Education meeting, Board member Don Mayhew sits down with guests to discuss various topics around Lincoln Public Schools. On Tuesday, Mayhew visited with Lincoln Board of Education President Lanny Boswell, and Superintendent Steve Joel. 

---