Highlights of 6/8 Board of Education Regular Meeting and ESU Regular Meeting

Lincoln Board of Education Regular Meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, June 8, at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office, 5905 O St. 

Staff Celebration

The Board recognized LPS Director of Athletics and Activities Kathi Wieskamp with a formal resolution during the meeting. The Nebraska State Athletic Administrators Association recently honored Wieskamp as the Nebraska District I Athletic Director of the Year.

Athletics Update

LPS Director of Athletics and Activities Kathi Wieskamp presented her department’s annual report to the Board. The core purpose of LPS athletics, she said, is to offer students education-based opportunities to extend the learning experiences outside the classroom. These experiences aid in the overall growth of student-athletes by promoting academic achievement, skill development, life skills and citizenship. The athletic program creates an environment that strives for excellence by encouraging student participation, supporting academic progress and promoting physical, social, emotional and character development while creating a sense of community.

Wieskamp noted that 27 percent of LPS high school students - 22 percent of females, 31 percent of males - participated in athletics during the 2020-21 school year. She also spoke about how LPS athletics adapted and adjusted during the pandemic, as well as how it’s addressing issues of equity and inclusion and what’s offered in the summer to student-athletes.

Sustainability Update

LPS Sustainability Coordinator Brittney Albin gave the Board an update on the school district’s sustainability efforts, which are guided by the following strategies:

  • Stewardship
  • Instruction
  • Green building design
  • Energy and water
  • Purchasing
  • Transportation
  • Measurement
  • Waste management

Albin shared data that clearly illustrate the benefits of the school’s district’s sustainability work, including the following from 2020:

  • Total pounds recycled: 1,239,743, including 286,408 cardboard products and 333,840 pounds of paper
  • Total pounds reused: 39,234
  • Total pounds to landfill: 1,823,003
  • Diversion rate: 54 percent
  • Total pounds compost: 902,860
  • Radon tests: 1,833
  • Air quality data points: 28,252
  • Water samples taken: 1,343

You can read more about LPS Sustainability, including its work with schools and strategies moving forward, in the 2020 Annual Sustainability Report. The report is available online.

First Reading

Policy Updates

Policy 4780 - Professional Boundaries and Staff Relationships with Students

Periodically, the Nebraska Unicameral passes laws that impact school district policies or mandate that local school boards adopt specific language into district policy. When this occurs, staff prepare either new policy language of edited language that complies with these mandates and presents it to the Board for consideration. 

The noted changes to policy 4780 can be found here.

Policy 6000 Series - Instruction

Periodically, a policy series is reviewed in order to address changes in legislation or regulation from the state or federal government, or to bring policy in line with current practice or intent of the Board. During the 2020-21 school year, the 6000 Policy Series was first reviewed by the instructional directors through the lens of equity with an eye both on identifying any policy that potentially disadvantaged any group of students, as well as looking at ways policies could be more inclusive and reflect the school district’s commitment to equity. The Student Learning Committee and Technology Committee then spent significant time reviewing those recommendations and is recommending a number of changes. 

The noted changes to policies in the 6000 series can be found here.

Interlocal Cooperation Act Agreement Between LPS & ESU 18 for Educational Services

LPS and Educational Service Unit 18 participate in an ongoing interlocal cooperation agreement in which ESU 18 provides services also offered by ESUs elsewhere in the state. Those services include instructional media services, technology and staff development, with LPS reimbursing ESU 18. The renewal period for this proposed agreement is Sept. 1, 2021-Aug. 31, 2024.

Under this proposed agreement, LPS would agree to reimburse ESU 18 for the costs of providing services, not to exceed:

  • 2021-22 : $7 million
  • 2022-23: $7.5 million
  • 2023-24: $8 million

The Board will vote on the proposed agreement at its next meeting.

Second Reading

Naming of New High School in Southeast Lincoln

The Board voted to approve that the new high school to be built in southeast Lincoln be named Standing Bear High School.

A committee of 10 community members (Becky Dunder, Halley Kruse, Richard Meginnis, Amanda Morales, Cindy Ryman Yost, Alynn Sampson, Kamryn Sannicks, Deb Schorr, Felecia Welke and Ed Zimmer) and three Board members (Bob Rauner, Lanny Boswell and Don Mayhew) solicited and reviewed suggestions for names of the new high school to be built in south Lincoln near 70th Street and Saltillo Road. Over 200 names were suggested by more than 600 individuals. The committee met over the course of several weeks to discuss the submissions and make a recommendation to the Board.

The committee unanimously recommended that the new school be named Standing Bear High School. Standing Bear (1829-1908) was a chief of the Ponca Tribe when the tribe was forcibly removed from its homeland in Nebraska. When Standing Bear returned to Nebraska to bury his son, he was arrested and held for trial. Standing Bear prevailed and was declared a "person" according to law. He and his followers were free to return to their homeland. However, they had no home to return to, as all of the tribe’s land had been taken from them.

The school will open in fall 2023.

U.S. Department of Justice School Violence Prevention Grant Program

The Board voted to approve the LPS submission of the School Violence Prevention Grant application. This program is through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice. It’s designed to provide funding to improve security at schools and on school grounds through the following strategies: coordination with local law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence against others and themselves; placement and use of deterrent equipment; and acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency.

LPS utilizes many procedures and systems to ensure the safety of students and staff, including the use of two-way radios for communication within schools. However, replacing this equipment in elementary and middle schools is not currently within budgetary options. The recommended life of these devices is 10-12 years; current projections for their replacement is 20 years.

Also, current equipment used in LPS schools use an analog signal, while a digital signal is much stronger and offers greater communication options and flexibility for staff. This grant provides an opportunity to replace current analog, two-way radios in elementary and middle schools with digital devices over the next three years. A plan is already in place to replace all high school radios.

This $500,000 grant is for 36 months. There is a 25% match requirement, which will be provided through existing district security staff time as in-kind contribution. The grant application is due June 22, 2021.

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is the primary piece of federal legislation dealing with the education of homeless children. This program addresses the problems that homeless children face in enrolling, attending and succeeding in school. Under this program, state and local educational agencies ensure that homeless children have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education - including a public preschool education - as other children. States and school districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance or success in school.

The LPS homeless outreach coordinator position works with families experiencing homelessness to arrange transportation services for children to attend school. They also work with families to provide other supports that create a more stable environment for children experiencing homelessness. LPS will use funds received through the McKinney-Vento Act to continue to support the salary of the homeless outreach coordinator and to pay transportation costs for homeless children to attend school.  

The Board discussed the submission of the McKinney-Vento Grant application for approximately $53,000, with the final allocation to be determined by the State of Nebraska after submission and dependent upon grants awarded to other applicants. This grant requires a 100 percent match from Title I allocated to LPS. Title I funds have been used in past years to cover the required match.

The Board voted to approve the application. The application is due June 16, 2021.

Proposed 2021-2022 Pay Rates for Substitute and Miscellaneous Employees

The Board approved the 2020-21 pay rates for substitute and miscellaneous employees. The recommended salary increases range from no increase to a 1.00 percent increase, depending on the employee group.  The determination of what salary to recommend is made in conjunction with the supervisor of that employee group and an assessment of the availability of candidates for the positions. You can view the approved pay rates here

Public Comment

Seven citizens addressed the Board during the public comment period. You can view their comments as part of the full meeting video here.

Glimpses of LPS

We open every Board meeting with a video that highlights the amazing things taking place in our schools. Tuesday’s video featured the first LPS unified track meet, which was held this spring. Unified sports pairs special education students with intellectual disabilities with their general education classmates in competition together. This was the first year for unified track, which is sanctioned by the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA). It joins bowling as NSAA-sanctioned unified sports.


ESU Regular Meeting

The Educational Service Unit 18 Board met after the Lincoln Board of Education meeting.

First Reading

Interlocal Agreement with Lancaster County for Educational Services to the Youth Services Center

ESU 18 and Lancaster County partner to provide educational services to youth detained at the Lancaster County Youth Services Center. Through this agreement, the county agrees that the Youth Services Center will provide appropriate space, time and staff support to assist ESU 18 in providing these services. The county will reimburse ESU 18 for all expenses incurred in providing such services, not to exceed $875,460. The term of the proposed agreement would be Aug. 1, 2021-July 31, 2022.

The ESU 18 Board will vote on the agreement at its next meeting.

Agreement with the Nebraska Department of Education for the Southeast Nebraska Regional Program for Hearing Impaired Students

For more than 20 years, ESU 18 has partnered with the Nebraska Department of Education to plan, coordinate and provide enrichment activities for children who are deaf and hard of hearing in the ESU 4, ESU 5, ESU 6 and ESU 18 geographical areas in southeast Nebraska. It’s recommended this agreement be continued from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023. As part of this agreement, the Nebraska Department of Education agrees to pay ESU 18 up to $634,442 each year for providing these services.

The ESU Board waived the second reading in order to meet the deadline and voted to approve the agreement. 

Interlocal Cooperation Act Agreement Between LPS and ESU 18 for Educational Services

LPS and ESU 18 participate in an ongoing interlocal cooperation agreement in which ESU 18 provides services also offered by ESUs elsewhere in the state. Those services include instructional media services, technology and staff development, with LPS reimbursing ESU 18. The renewal period for this proposed agreement is Sept. 1, 2021-Aug. 31, 2024.
 
Under this proposed agreement, LPS would agree to reimburse ESU 18 for the costs of providing these services, but not to exceed:

  • 2021-22 : $7 million
  • 2022-23: $7.5 million
  • 2023-24: $8 million

The ESU 18 Board will vote on the proposed agreement at its next meeting.

Interlocal Cooperation Act Agreement Between LPS and ESU 18 for Core Services

Lincoln and ESU 18 participate in an ongoing interlocal cooperation agreement in which LPS provides "core services" in the areas of staff development, technology and instructional materials, with ESU 18 reimbursing LPS for those services. The term of the proposed renewal period for this agreement will be Sept. 1, 2021-Aug. 31, 2024.

Under this proposed agreement, ESU 18 would agree to reimburse LPS for the costs of providing services, but not to exceed:

  • 2021-22: $4.75 million
  • 2022-23: $5 million
  • 2023-24: $5.25 million

The ESU 18 Board will vote on the proposed agreement at its next meeting.


Published: June 8, 2021, Updated: June 9, 2021