The six-inch snow surprise last week probably altered my reputation as an anti-snow-day caller. With the snow coming late into the evening and early morning hours, there was little time for the city to get any of the side streets cleared. While I am sure our students appreciate the days off, it is my sincere hope we won’t have to consider any more snow days.
Onto more instructional issues…
The opening of the Educare Early Childhood Center is a real source of pride for me and many other community leaders. This is a partnership (our school district, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the UNL Foundation and the Buffett Early Childhood Foundation) that has come together to change the life trajectory for approximately 200 students – by providing preschool services for infants, toddlers and preschoolers growing up in low-income families. I believe we have attracted excellent professional educators to ensure that this program effectively hits the ground running and sustains the momentum. In the very near future I plan to visit the new facility, located next to Belmont Elementary School in north Lincoln.
Meanwhile, the discussion about a proposed high school career academy continues to move forward – and now includes related proposals in the Nebraska Legislature. Last week we had the opportunity to testify on LB 47 that will provide funding – outside existing lids – for students enrolled in a career academy that is partnered by three or more public entities. Southeast Community College President Jack Huck and I believe we will attract considerable interest in this academy from surrounding school districts, where they will want their students to take advantage of these opportunities. However, state funding will be key, as we want to offer dual credit to all students – even those who cannot afford the cost of tuition.
The topic of school security also continues to be a high priority for school district and governmental officials around the country. In LPS, we have been spending considerable time reviewing our current policies and procedures to determine how we might strengthen our safety. We are also meeting with the Lincoln City Council to see if there are some partnership opportunities going forward. Of course, good ideas are often stalled by lack of resources…and that will continue to be our challenge.
My days continue to be exciting in a professional and personal sense. Most nights I leave the office pretty tired after a day of meetings, visits, calls, etc. I try to balance things out with a decent diet and early morning exercise. However, despite all of my healthy aspirations, there is very little I can do to prepare for the exhaustion of spending a weekend with two granddaughters and a new grandson. Playing with them takes exhaustion to a whole new level. The last two weekends we spent with them, I found myself taking naps and retiring to bed well before 10 p.m. – only to wake up still tired. If this blog seems to ramble – I can blame them.
steve
