I am returning (along with several of our Lincoln Board of Education members) from a national school board conference in Boston.  Sitting in the airport provides a few minutes to reflect on the excellent lessons we have experience here.

I would note:

• Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education members put in an amazing amount of time and work, constantly staying accountable to the public. In Boston, once again, I have observed them working hard as they attended many sessions where they sought out new ideas – even sparks of ideas – that they could bring back to Lincoln.

• Hearing a broad range of other national perspectives is certainly beneficial to us as we plan our progress for the coming years.  However, in many of the sessions – specifically about academic accountability, governance, cyber-bulling, technology and strategic planning – I often felt that our school district was far beyond where the presenters were.

•  The general tone of hope in the conference was summarized by Geoffrey Canada, who has been accomplishing amazing work in a difficult school in Harlem and has become a national spokesperson for public education.   His feel-good talk centered on the importance of taking a stand for children and not accepting the age-old excuse of “no money.”  He offered the powerful choice between the cost of incarceration ($40 K per year) versus the cost of education ($10K) and, pointed to the clear choice of investment with the most potential to help young people lead successful lives. I was quite moved by his passion for the “left-behind” and have a greater resolve to move aggressively into our strategic plan.

Attending a conference represents the opportunity to meet new people, learn new things and reflect on where we are on the leadership continuum.   I feel better than ever that our school district is in a great place with an incredibly bright future.   Thanks for all you do.

steve

I went into the week of spring break thinking I would get all caught up on paperwork and planning.  I failed miserably, as I am inclined to do.   My problem isn’t focus as much as it is pace.   I seem to enjoy spending more time catching up with colleagues than sitting behind the desk.  It is my great hope, however, that all others were able to find some time to enjoy the wonderful outdoor weather.

I am excited to announce that Dr. Jane Stavem is joining the Lincoln Public Schools leadership team in our District Offices.  Dr. Stavem brings a tremendous background of successful experience at all levels of leadership in school districts of various sizes.  She has a profound interest in focusing her skills to help our own school district continue to progress academically.

On the business side of LPS, the agreement for rebuilding our District Office development is getting closer to the finish line. Due to community interest and concern about the sale price for the property at 5901 O St., the school district retained an outside consultant – Kent Seacrest – to respond to allegations that we were selling too cheaply.   His thorough research and data concluded that, given the restrictions we were placing on the property such as shared parking and our aggressive time line, LPS is getting a good deal.   I don’t expect everyone to agree but I am confident the community will be proud of the end result.

The Lincoln Board of Education is hosting a community meeting – to hear feedback from our citizens about this project – at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, at Culler Middle School, 5201 Vine St.  The School Board is expected to take the final vote on the LPSDO project at the regular Board meeting set for Tuesday, March 27.  The time line is aggressive, so look for dirt to begin flying in the next couple weeks. Scott Wieskamp, director of Facilities and Maintenance at LPS, targets the end of July, 2013 for the completion of our offices – and, for those who “can’t wait,” he also believes Whole Foods will be completed in close proximity of that date. We continue to believe this will be a great project for our school district and our community.
This has also been an exhausting Legislative year.   We spent a great deal of time developing a sound strategy to make up for the shortfall in our budget from last year, and have worked hard this session to clarify and represent the challenges of our growing school district. Right now we believe we might be in better shape than we initially feared, however, we will still not fully meet the critical needs of future years. Kudos to our team and to our Legislative delegation for representing the interests of the more than 36,000 children we serve at Lincoln Public Schools.

It is hard to believe that this school year is almost gone.  In between my bouts with procrastination, I have been doing the work of education, interviewing and hiring to fill critical staff positions and – looking ahead – already planning my graduation appearances.  It truly is most enjoyable work.

Until next time,

Steve

I learned a great deal about cyber-bullying this month when a local high school student started a fake “Steve Joel Twitter” account.  My first reaction was feeling personally violated and angry that a student could use my picture and simply make up words – to send out under my name.  My second reaction was seeking to learn more about the how’s and why’s of this type of social media.  I quickly discovered that the Internet is a bastion of our right to free speech, and that the student who started the Fake Steve Joel Twitter account was officially within his rights. I also learned that he was the only one who could disable the site despite the fact that the material in the Tweets was highly inappropriate and potentially disruptive to our school environment.

Working with the school principal, I prepared for a meeting with the young man and his mom, knowing that I wanted to make the encounter a teaching and learning experience.  Without question, I found that he was remorseful and willing to do anything to make it right.  We agreed that he would spend much of his adult life crusading against cyber attacks that were hurtful to others by intervening on the side of decency.  I felt good about the meeting, the consequences and the young man’s resulting attitude.  These were valuable lessons learned: for the student, and for me.

Meanwhile, our school district continues to see the budget and state funding as a high priority in our work with the State Legislature. We feel we have made the case in Legislative hearings that funds for education should not be inequitably reduced for school districts that are growing – in both total student enrollment and changing demographics – as well as not inequitably reduced for school districts whose students perform on the high end of state and national assessments.   We have our fingers crossed.

Another interesting recent debate in the State Legislature involved a proposal that would require students to stay in school until age 18 – and not be allowed to drop out of school at 16, even with parental permission.   While I know that many educators are worried about having students in school who don’t want to be there, I think this bill has many positives as long as we can develop alternative pathways to a diploma.  Forcing kids to continue attending school where they are unsuccessful won’t work.  But what if we had expanded alternative schools or technical career centers with job internships?   If we could develop some of these concepts, I believe we would engage more students in their learning thus making it more likely they will connect to their class work – and graduate.

Finally, we continue to progress toward developing a plan for replacing our Lincoln Public Schools District Office building as a result of the Memorial Day fire.  We have continued to address community interest and answer community concerns, and are prepared to present the Lincoln Board of Education a proposed plan for 5901 O St. (for first reading) at the Board meeting scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday, March 9.  Personally, I am ready to get this project moving so that I (and a host of others) can focus on the critical work ahead: hiring quality school district leaders, continuing to improve our teaching and learning, and developing broader and richer initiatives to improve our high school graduation rate.

I wrote this guest column for the Lincoln Journal Star and it was published in the newspaper on Friday, Feb. 24. The article concerns rebuilding Lincoln Public Schools District Offices, and I would encourage you to help us spread accurate information about this development. 

Thanks,  Steve

LPS: Living up to community trust as we rebuild

Nine months ago we watched the Lincoln Public Schools District Office building disappear in flames, but we took little time to grieve. Thanks to incredible community support we have accomplished miracles since that fateful Memorial Day weekend, moving forward with a serious commitment to fiscal responsibility, public discussion, and living up to the trust you have placed in us.

Today we are well on the way to providing an energy-efficient, purpose-designed structure that better serves our school district and community.  We will add new money to the sales and property tax rolls. And we are close to sealing the deal with a great new neighbor that will add flavor and energy to our community.

We are grateful to our citizens and their understanding that – as we consider this crucial investment in our future – we remain steadfast to our basic guiding principles:

• We must honor the people who work at LPS District Offices: These are the people who care for the people who care for and educate our children.

• We must honor our taxpayers. The Lincoln Board of Education is committed to maximizing the insurance settlement to pay for rebuilding and, as good stewards of tax dollars, to selling off a portion of our real estate.

• We must honor the timeline. Our school district has moved ahead thoughtfully but in a timely, deliberate manner, recognizing that insurance costs will only pay rental on our temporary office space for a limited time.

We appreciate the community interest in this project, because we know it means Lincoln deeply cares about public education.  We have remained resolute in our dedication to open public discussion as well as public scrutiny, making sure we use a visible process throughout.

In this spirit, we would like to take a moment and review the prudent step-by-step process implemented in our nine-month journey.

1. Our building was still smoldering when early offers to purchase the O Street site began to arrive – offers that included bids far below what some are now saying we should demand.
2. Instead, we looked to an open process to select the location for rebuilding our District Offices, carefully analyzing the 30 some suggested sites.  Our Board of Education made a decision to return to 5901 O St. while offering part of the site for private, taxable development.
3. We continued the open process in exploring the four major proposals we received for developing our O Street site, financial offers that were all in the same ballpark – and not anywhere near some of the amounts currently suggested by a few critics. Of course, we must be wise and vigilant in remembering that land is worth what a buyer will pay, not what a few bystanders might suggest.
4. The Board of Education voted to open negotiations with Continuum Partners, a choice based on its overall, quality proposal – and for the lead business it brought to the table. We anticipate the Board of Education will begin discussion of a final agreement with Continuum in March.

We continue our important work remaining sensitive to the needs and concerns of our taxpayers.

Our community expects us to be good stewards of all the resources they entrust to us, but they also expect us to make sound judgments that consider more than just dollar signs.  We believe an effective school district makes decisions that are not just about money, but are about how we best serve our children, our schools and our community.  We have looked at factors that included a central location, land that was ready for development – without any immediate strings or hurdles – mixed-use development and long-term tenants that are compatible with the needs of our community.

Our goal is to break ground this spring and move into our new building in the summer of 2013.  Ultimately, we must ask our community to judge the quality and value of the finished development.  We believe in this project – and we believe in you.

We encourage you to help us spread the word about this project – accurately – and contact us if you have any questions, 402-436-1601.

In the past several weeks our work has continued in the school district.

We are hoping to settle the contracts for the Lincoln Public Schools District Office project in the next few weeks so that the developers can begin this exciting initiative at 5901 O st.

I also am looking forward to immersing myself in our strategic plan, though I know and recognize that we have a number of challenges facing us. One significant and immediate challenge is the sustainability of our Community Learning Centers. As we look at our achievement and graduation data, we are reminded of the importance of these centers as safe places for kids to study, connect and find recreational opportunities. In fact, we view CLC’s – now operating at 25 of our schools – as mission critical if we are to achieve our bold goals However, grant funds are expiring while the needs for our centers are increasing. We have been working with our CLC coordinators, city politicians, funders and community stakeholders to develop options for the future. We know that any plan will have to be original and include a different way of thinking about the programs. Stay tuned.

We are also beginning a discussion centered on additional ways to offer vocational/technical/career education. We now have five Focus Programs that offer exemplary educational opportunities – and I have I just learned that our Focus Programs are projecting record enrollments for next fall. However, we have several community requests for programs that focus on even more career pursuits. We believe we have the ability to connect a larger number of students to curriculum that will prepare them for the variety of excellent careers offered in our community – and we are exploring the possibilities.

Meanwhile, I have been perplexed by several new billboards located throughout Lincoln – advertising a profit service – that proclaim dropout rates of 30 percent. Let me make this clear: Those are likely national numbers. The dropout rate at Lincoln Public Schools for the class of 2011 was 8.8 percent, the lowest in the history of our school district. I am convinced that, in the next few years, we will lower that number even further as our school district continues to develop and implement ways to help ALL kids succeed.

Finally, believe it or not, the temperature reached 66 degrees today. A few of the folks I work with had to force themselves to come back from lunch. I did notice that a large number of vehicles in our parking lot had been freshly washed and waxed. This makes me nervous as a contrarian weather indicator – for what is to come.

I’ll hope for the best, as always.

steve

I have always been one to enjoy the solitude of working during the holidays. I seem to get a great deal accomplished, and at least I begin the new year with a clean desk. Of course, that lasts until noon of my first day back after break. But, hey, it feels good to be organized for at least a few hours.

I think 2012 will be an exciting and interesting year for Lincoln Public Schools. I am personally hoping the year is a little “less” exciting than 2011, but who knows how things will develop.

Here are the major issues I see for our school district in the coming year.

1. The rebuilding of LPS District Offices. With a target of opening the facility in October, 2013, work is underway to identify a developer to plan the joint use of the site on 59th and “O” streets.

2. The implementation of the strategic plan. We intend to ensure that the new strategic plan for LPS is monitored, updated and utilized to enable us to maintain pace for success.

3. Continued planning for district growth and the potential need for additional infrastructure to accommodate student growth.

4. Identifying a leadership succession plan for announced and potential retirements. We need to identify a leadership succession plan, because much of the credit for the success of LPS is due – in no small part – to the quality of individuals who have provided outstanding leadership.

5. Ditto for new staff. The hallmark of LPS is our people and it is incumbent on us to continue to attract, develop and retain the very best talent possible. One great advantage we have in recruiting is the high quality of life that Lincoln represents.

I am sure we will be working on much more as the new year progresses. In education we have a tendency to take on more than we can handle, but I believe our strategic plan will keep us focused on our most important and crucial priorities.

Have a great year,

steve

The small taste of winter aside, this has been another great week for Lincoln Public Schools.
* The previously mentioned decision to move LPS District Offices back to 59th and O streets – has yielded exciting discussions regarding possibilities for the sale of the frontage corner of the property.
* Today, we were able to announce incredible gains in the school district’s high school graduation rate. With 2 percent gains in on-time graduation and major gains in our sub-population groups, we can be mighty proud of our success.

As I have stated publicly, our school district is a top performer in our community, state and country. With a poverty rate of 42 percent (measured by free and reduced lunches) and a minority rate of 30 percent, I believe we would rank near the top in achievement when compared to school districts with similar demographics. When I think about the many academic accomplishments in light of significant student growth this year, I am even more impressed.

The teaching and learning formula works in Lincoln. One of our primary arguments for changes in the state aid distribution formula – for state financial aid – is that our gains definitely come at a cost. When our state aid decreases, like it did last year, school districts like LPS have to make painful decisions that could disrupt that momentum. This will be one of my priorities going forward.

Last Friday night, I attended the Teammates Gala Event as a guest speaker along with my former Teammate from Grand Island, Juan. There were approximately 1,500 in attendance from around the state who shared a belief that mentoring is a great way to change lives. I know it has changed my life, as I had the pleasure of mentoring a young man who came to the United States at the age of 6 – unable to speak English. Today, he is a sophomore at UNL with a job offer from the CEO of Kiewit based on his amazing ability to speak from the heart in front of all those people. Did I mention how proud I am of him?

Other good news of the week was an announcement that our United Way giving increased by 9 percent this year. I can’t tell you how proud that makes me feel when I see our business community ‘s appreciation for that kind of generosity. The Foundation for LPS is currently in the midst of a campaign that I hope will yield a similar result. I have been told that the incentive of a district-wide jeans day should help.

Have a great weekend…
Steve

When the Lincoln Board of Education voted last week to select the current site at 5901 O st. for rebuilding Lincoln Public Schools District Offices, I had a great sense of relief. After many months of planning and deliberating, the School Board came to a thoughtful, reasoned decision. But it was a decision that didn’t come easily. I believe the final vote was a vote for familiarity and convenience – over a vote that was more about dollars. While proceeds from the possible sale of the existing site would have gone a long way toward helping us address facility needs, the School Board decided on the reasonable compromise of rebuilding at the original site – while also selling a portion of that site’s corner property. Plans are aggressively underway so that we can meet the targeted opening for a new District Office building by the summer of 2013.

The surprise “NOREASTER” that recently hit the east coast has prompted snow day conversation. I have jokingly told people that I don’t intend to call school off this year. In reality, we may be facing a tough winter so it is best to be prepared. We will again strive to make the decision as early as we can – if possible, before the 10 p.m. news. However, in the event we don’t have enough information by then, we will send out the announcement before 6 a.m. that morning. We understand that parents and staff have to make plans for a possible snow day, but we also want to ensure that any days of instruction that we miss are justified.

Ideally, we would never take a day for snow. But in the event we do, our employees at LPS are urged to understand the difference between a school closure (students and teachers are off but all other employees report), and a district closure (all buildings are closed and only maintenance personnel report).

Finally, I would note that the State Board of Education meets next week and will disclose the dreaded “Persistently Low Achieving” lists. While we know that several of our schools will be in that category, we also know that there is great, ongoing work taking place in our schools to improve our teaching and learning. I am encouraged by the aggressive responses taken by our leaders and staff as they seek ways to provide effective learning opportunities for populations of children with high needs.

Looking forward, the holiday season is fast approaching and with it comes the colder weather that impacts so many of our lower income families. I am incredibly proud of our LPS employees for their generosity in giving to the United Way, the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools, the Lincoln Food Bank’s BackPack Program, and many other worthy organizations. We are making a significant difference in the lives of many.

Steve