Dr. Joel – bring on the stethoscope!

I had a great experience the other day when the 4-year-old daughter of a colleague was introduced to me.  When she heard me referred to as “Dr.” – she immediately had a look of horror and emphatically told me that she wasn’t sick and didn’t need shots.  I tried to tell her that I had the Dr. degree in education and was a former teacher, not a physician. But she wouldn’t believe me. It was hilarious.

Meanwhile, business at Lincoln Public Schools goes on. With the Lincoln Board of Education approving the property known as the “Jensen Park site” for our new middle school (that will open in the fall of 2017), all bond projects are now officially in the planning phase.   As we strive to meet our schedules for technology, security and maintenance updates, we will see a great deal of activity around the school district. This is “Progress as Promised.”  Be sure to thank our maintenance and operations team members as they have done tremendous work and been very busy all summer.

The first part of the summer has been great for conversations and planning retreats.   The Board of Education will soon meet to discuss 2014-15 goals after celebrating the accomplishments of 2013-14.  In a few short weeks we will greet new administrators and more than 350 new teachers.   That has to be a new record.

And, although it is still summer, it is always interesting to see how education is addressed in our state and nation – especially in light of November elections looming. For instance, the National Education Association is now calling for the resignation of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.  At the same time, Duncan is calling for states to create plans that will place the best teachers in the most struggling schools. The result: We can be assured there will be rich dialogue.

Personally, I believe our state and our local schools are performing well.  And we intend to continue improving.

Enjoy the remainder of the summer.

Steve