On April 17, we called together close to 90 people from all walks of Lincoln life for the Superintendent’s Facility Advisory Committee.  The purpose was to begin the conversation regarding Lincoln Public Schools facilities and infrastructure planning for the future.  As a district that is rapidly growing and coming to the end of the proceeds of the previous bond issue, it is indeed time to think about the next ten years.  And the group we have convened is dynamic, energetic, passionate and, above all, supportive of our public schools.

By the close of the evening the group had identified five overarching considerations that should drive our planning:

• Technology
• Safety and security
• Facilities/Infrastructure – existing and new
• Career academy and career readiness
• Student Services/Mental Health/Before, During, and After School

Perhaps most impressive about this group is that, despite being busy in their personal and professional lives, very few people declined our invitation to participate.  As I mentioned at the meeting, this is one more illustration of how Lincoln supports its schools – with people willing to volunteer their precious time to help us meet our mission.  I am very thankful to all.

In other business, although there is still more than a month of school left in this year and graduation celebrations to follow, we have been hard at work planning for next year.  Of course, the budget is a year-round process but it is almost time to further articulate and develop the budget for the 2013-14 school year.   Each year we have more needs than resources but, depending on the final resolution of state aid this spring, we should have some wiggle room to address our major areas.

I’ll close by introducing Dr. Eric Weber and Dr. Liz Standish as new members of the LPS District Office executive team. Both come with outstanding experiences as educators and administrators in urban school districts, and an understanding of our mission and vision for the future.  I am excited to introduce them to our great community and our schools.

Until next time,
Steve

Greetings.

Earlier this week at the Lincoln Board of Education meeting, Lincoln Public Schools took a significant step forward on our way to creating the digital classroom.  The approved purchase of the McGraw-Hill reading series ($3+ million for K-6) offers our teachers an opportunity to teach digitally to augment the printed text.  While this adoption is not digital turn-key (complete digital from start to finish), we are taking small steps on our way to the transformation that appears inevitable.

I recently returned from a conference where educational technology was a major theme – and it is impressive to see what some school districts are doing around the country in large and small locations.  Each story I heard had a similar theme: When a school district adopts digital materials they must have the appropriate staff development and plans for implementation – or else they are doomed to fail.  We intend to ensure that we do both solid staff development and implementation planning.

This is the time of year when we begin the arduous task of replacing top talent – and you might have heard that Dr. Nancy Biggs, associate superintendent for Human Resources at LPS, has announced her retirement after 30 + years with LPS. Fortunately we typically have many quality applicants, and finding a replacement for Dr. Biggs is a top priority for me.

Meanwhile, I think we have finally figured out how to increase community engagement and truly establish two-way communication.  We just need predictions of a major snowstorm coming our way, and we’ll receive plenty of community opinions and suggestions. I chuckled when our communications department reported that Tweets and Facebook hits multiplied many fold during the last prediction of a major snowstorm. In fact, I really enjoy reading the emails that come before a storm, asking that I call a snow day – and then after the storm, criticizing snow days because the storm did not meet or exceed expectations.   I wonder how I would do as a weather forecaster or, better yet, how a weather person would do as a superintendent.  We may find out someday.

LPS news continues to be quite positive in virtually all aspects.     I love reading about all of our extra-curricular accomplishments in athletics and the fine arts.  We truly have many opportunities for students to extend their learning in our school district – and great coaches and sponsors who help them realize their potential. I wish the best of luck to all of the LPS state competitors.

Steve

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

It is hard to believe that another year is in the books – but looking back I believe 2012 was another very good year for Lincoln Public Schools in virtually all areas.

Our academic achievement was up as was the graduation rate.  We finished most of the ten-year facility projects that were planned and are rebuilding the LPS District Offices.  Financially, the budget is in good shape and we are working hard to make this a good year in the State Legislature.  Overall, our strategic planning process means that we have greater control of our own destiny.

Looking ahead to a New Year, safety and security could result in state and federal intervention as we have come to recognize that schools and students are targets of disturbed and angry people.  In fact, I think this has the potential to be a big issue for the country.  With several states, Utah and Texas, conducting training for teachers to be able to carry, we can expect this topic to be discussed in Nebraska as well.  We have already begun reviewing our procedures and will be seeking improvements as we go forward.

The opening of LPS District Offices in the summer of 2013 will be a major community event and represent the commitment, considerable planning and dedication of so many of our staff. We all will admit now that the challenge did seem daunting at first, but so many people rose to the occasion including the Lincoln Board of Education.  The Grand Opening of the building will be a commemoration for all who were impacted and contributed.

The New Year is also time to initiate the next ten-year LPS facility plan discussion.  The growth of the school district is almost scary, as we have annually averaged more than 600 new students (a Wahoo Public Schools) for a number of years. The proposed city housing developments are pointing to many more families moving into our area in the next few years as Lincoln continues to expand.

Key leadership and other school district retirements will be a multi-year challenge as many more boomers get ready to transition to other life directions.  While probably not as severe as last year, I think we will be seeking replacements for several important school district leadership positions before this year ends.

The Career Academy discussion will also continue in the near future with a Board of Education work session scheduled to begin creating consensus for structure and curriculum.

We are mindful that, due to the nature of our work in public education, there will be times when unexpected events occur and we are temporarily blown off course.  But as we head into 2013 we continue to focus on our strategic priorities – and on creating the best environment possible for teaching and learning.

Happy new year,

Steve

Happy holidays – wishing everyone a great new year.

I wrote the following article as a guest editorial that ran in the Lincoln Journal Star on Sunday, Dec. 23 – and I thought others might enjoy reading it.

Steve

Elementary age children from one of our schools in Lincoln sent me hand-written letters this week in appreciation for keeping them safe.  I know they are addressing all of our staff when they write:

• Emily: “You make me not afraid to go to school. You make me feel safe when I’m in school.”
• Lexie:  “You really have an important job to protect our schools…You are here to protect us.”

As we move forward after the horror and tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut I hold the tender, trusting words of those children – and carry the responsibility for their safety – close to my heart. While our kids cut, paste and create homemade gifts for the citizens of Newtown – we ache from the photographs of sweet, young faces, and feel a rush of sympathy for grieving parents whispering wrenching eulogies.
But sleepless nights accompany our condolences. While we continue to reassure our children that all is well, our sense of well-being is shaken.  This month, every single Lincoln parent, every single Lincoln Public Schools employee is asking: Can it happen to us?  Can it happen here?

Our family of educators at LPS took this attack very personally: We are vigilant about protecting our community’s children while they are in our care. I know our teachers, staff and principals would do everything in their power to guard our students from harm, just as the educators did in Newtown.

Each time one of these sad events occur, like school administrators across the country, I immediately think of our 36,900 students as my own children – and am grateful for the commitment of 7,000 LPS employees who feel exactly the same.  In fact, immediately after news of the shooting reached Lincoln we began reaching out to our own families, students and staff. With good advice from school counselors, social workers and crisis team members, we offered guidance and support in talking to children about this emotional ordeal.

At the same time we promptly began reviewing school district security measures, a protocol that is a daily duty at LPS. We assessed our extensive list of precautions and procedures in collaboration with our fine, local law enforcement.  LPS has established secured entrance monitors, security drills and stringent rules about locked doors. We conduct extensive background checks for new hires, while each of our six high schools is assigned a school resource officer from the Lincoln Police Department. We are now undergoing a review of all security measures and investigating expanded officer presence in our schools as well as preventative strategies such as threat assessment teams

Of course it is inevitable that we question whether we are doing enough.  I believe we are doing everything we can to keep our children safe.

However, I need to be honest.  In today’s world there are no guarantees of safety for anyone – anywhere – as the potential of violence looms large.  I do not believe evil will be stopped by a locked door.  I believe evil is stopped with constant vigilance, watching out for one another, and perhaps in dramatically changing the conversation.

A Lincoln pastor – speaking last Sunday – urged our community to regard this tragedy as an opportunity to renew a commitment to our children.  Our students are in danger every single day, but most often they are not stalked by a man with a gun.  They are stalked by hunger and neglect – mental health issues and addiction – the loss of opportunity and hope in their lives.

I am making a renewed commitment – as a superintendent, father and grandfather, actually the grandfather of a brand-new grandson born just last week.  As I hold that tiny new life in my arms, I know I cannot explain all the craziness of the world to little Jackson. But I can and will make him a promise.

I will make the choice not to live in fear.

I ask that you join me.  Let’s unite together to create a community where no one feels left out, and where everyone feels respected, accepted and supported.  Let’s pledge to go beyond the lip service and back up our promise with intention, money and momentum.

I urge you to embrace the holiday season with grace and healing. Hug your children and hold them close.  But let’s also wrap our arms around all the children of Lincoln.

This is my favorite time of year and I want to wish each of you a happy and joyous holiday with family and friends.

Each year at this time I look forward to a little slower pace and time with family (we are expecting our first grandson any day now) – and time to reflect upon the past year while also looking forward to 2013.

I feel blessed to serve in a high-performing school district with colleagues who view our work as a mission.  I also feel incredibly fortunate to be living in a community that prioritizes education, steps up to help – time and again – and takes advantage of opportunities to help those in need.  What a tremendous gift that is for our many students: those who have plenty, and those who are experiencing hardship.

Thank you for the great work of the first semester and I look forward to what lies ahead.

steve

ConnectLPS Q&As

Last week I participated in a new program called, ConnectLPS, a live, online program where I answered questions from our community.  I did not have time to answer all the questions received, so I am running those questions and answers in today’s blog.  I asked for assistance from people at Lincoln Public Schools with expertise in the various subject areas. I thank everyone for their help.

Justin: What is the philosophy at LPS about “holding kids back” – or deciding they will continue to the next grade level? Are we setting up kids for failure?

“Holding kids back” is called retention by educators.  Retention means that a student does not advance to the next grade level. This practice applies to kindergarten through 8th grade.  In high school, a student’s grade is determined by the number of credits earned. Thus retention does not apply.

Lincoln Public School’s philosophy is that retention should only occur when the parent, teachers and administration believe and have evidence that retention is in the best interest and welfare of the student. Lincoln Public Schools’ Student Services provides guidelines to be considered for retention. These guidelines include the student’s age, attendance, academic performance, physical development, emotional development, and social development. Educational research for the last 25 years consistently has found that students who have been retained have increased odds to drop out of school. Lincoln Public School’s wants every student to graduate from high school. We do everything we can to prevent retention from being in the best interest and welfare of the student.

“Everything we can” means elementary schools providing Reading Recovery for first grade students who are struggling readers.  Everything we can” means elementary schools continuously provide other short term and long-term interventions in math, reading, and writing. “Everything we can” means providing reading classes and fluid math intervention in middle schools.  ”Everything we can” means identifying what special needs a student might have and providing Special Education services if warranted. “Everything we can” means providing, English Language Learner instruction to students who are learning English as a new language.  ”Everything we can” means constantly improving our curriculum, our instruction and use of student learning data to meet the needs of every student. We do everything we can to prevent retention from being in the best interest and welfare of the student.

Julie: I am a parent and a teacher in Lincoln Public Schools.  I have a concern for the growing number of students with behavior concerns and disorders in our schools….  As this becomes a bigger concern are there any programs that you are planning to implement to deal with this issue?

Each building has a behavior management plan in place that they use.  As a school district we continue to improve how we work to provide behavior interventions, strategies and supports that work for all students.  The special education and student services departments assist building principals and coordinators to address behavioral concerns as needed through building training, strengthening schools’ Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, and by providing school district resources such as support team members and behavioral specialists to work with staff within buildings.

Manuel: Why is summer school routinely at North Star High School? Why isn’t it more centrally located?

Summer school was previously held at Lincoln High School, and was moved for one year because of construction. The new location, Lincoln North Star High School, showed many positives, including an increase of enrollment despite its northern location. Another positive is more parking. In addition, while all schools have some summer activities, the layout of North Star allows limited distractions to summer school students. Thus it’s been decided for now North Star offers the best opportunities for the most students.

I worry about the allotted time for children to eat lunch. What’s your opinion?  Do all children have access to drinking water throughout the school day?

Time to eat lunch in schools varies from 15 to 35 minutes depending on whether the school is elementary, middle or high school.  Some variance also occurs because of the number of students or size of the cafeteria.  In elementary schools, a lunchtime recess is often added to the time allotted for lunch.  This allows adequate time for students to eat.

Water fountains in hallways and cafeterias provide all students access to water.  Some classrooms, often in elementary, also have water available in their classrooms.  Some cafeterias sell bottled water to students.

Jeanette: Do we plan to have literacy support positions at all schools?

All of the elementary schools have Reading Recovery teachers who work as literacy support teachers with first grade students. In addition, some schools have additional literacy support teachers who work with students at other grade levels. The number of literacy support teachers was significantly reduced last year with budget cuts.

How are you paying for the new District Office building?

The new LPS District Office building at 5905 O St. is being built with funds from two sources: 1) the insurance settlement from the building destroyed by the fire; 2) payment for use of the land previously occupied by LPSDO.  The LPS Board of Education voted to build a District Office structure that will be three floors – instead of one floor – making room to develop other uses for the property at 59and O streets.

The recent release of the student enrollment numbers at Lincoln Public Schools is a great sign of a vibrant and progressive community.  While our increase was less than last year, it was greater than we projected.  The change in kindergarten eligibility – from children born before Oct. 15 to those born before July 31 – eased our numbers this year.  But we are already bracing for a much larger increase next year as our Lincoln Board of Education and administrative team plan for much needed space to accommodate the growth. This was driven home to me a couple weeks ago when we were driving around the southern and eastern part of the city (Pine Lake Road, and south from 48th to 84^th streets) where there are plans for more than 10,000 new rooftops in the next decade or so.

Wow.
Meanwhile, as our numbers soar, we also must keep up with technology. Last week I attended another excellent meeting of the League of Innovative Schools where we were able to tour a couple schools that had converted to digital delivery of instruction. With Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently challenging schools across the country to be rid of textbooks in the next few years, our League (made up of 28 superintendents along with numerous researchers and providers) gained a greater sense of urgency.   Locally, our decision to purchase several thousand laptops for student use is one small step forward that will give LPS the ability to take all state assessments online.  But there is much more to come as we continue to work to define the classroom of the 21st century – making me excited for the future of education.

On a more personal level, I continue to be bothered by the emphasis on politics driving education reform.  While we can feel good about gains in student achievement, I believe the increased emphasis on a narrow version of assessment threatens to limit the ability of schools to offer a high-quality and well-rounded education.   As we brace for another round of AYP designations, we must remember our school district emphasizes that our students should not be measured or defined by one single test.  I expect that this cycle of teach and test, with little time for anything else, will be re-examined when our businesses begin to wonder why students lack important skills such as communication and collaboration.

I’ll close by citing the work of noted author Jamie Vollmer who, in his recent book Schools Cannot Do It Alone, compellingly argues that society has continued to rely more and more on public schools to fix students – yet has not provided resources to add one minute or one extra day to the school calendar.   Something has to give….

Steve

Hard to believe it is already September – whatever happened to June, July and August? In the old days those were the top three mythical reasons that some folks went into education, but today educators work straight through the summer months.

And right now we’re already almost four weeks into the new school year.

I just returned from a presentation at the “Pathways To Prosperity” symposium in Lincoln – hosted by the Nebraska Departments of Economic Development, Education and Labor – featuring key Nebraska leaders who presented a thought-provoking vision for how we can regain educational leadership by developing multiple pathways to educational and economic success. I came away motivated by the positive energy from across the state (K-12, higher education, business) and inspired to continue our journey toward a new offering of career and technical education.

I like where our school district is positioned right now with teams from Southeast Community College and Lincoln Public Schools researching and visiting national, contemporary models for vocational technical schools. We intend to have a recommendation shortly after the first of year, and though it would be nice to have something for our students in 2014 – that is probably a bit aggressive.

The new LPS District Office building is looking great.  The weather has been a real positive for construction even though it hasn’t been so great for local gardeners.  Rather than worry about setting my sprinkler on the right dates, I just shut it off.   I know many others did as well.

Meanwhile, once again enrollment is up as we rapidly approach 37,000 students.  Our growth is indicative of the progress in the city.  Our principals report new families arriving from all over the country as well as from some new places all over the world.

Looking ahead, we continue to work on developing a technology plan for our school district, creating a definition for the most effective 21st century classroom.  Finding sustainability for Community Learning Centers continues to be one of our high priorities as I work with the mayor and Lea Ann Johnson (director of Lincoln’s CLCs) to continue making progress.

Finally, if you have a chance, please check out the most recent videos and interviews on our website.  Kudos to our communications team for a great start to the 2012-13 school year.

Steve

For me, today is the best day of the school year.  This morning I was able to visit four schools (Adams, Hill, Zeman and Humann elementary schools) and capture the excitement of kids and teachers as they greeted each other.   The moments were precious, whether it was watching kindergarten dad consoling his kindergarten wife, or listening to a teacher explain to new students the rules of the cafeteria.  While I know there is some community concern with the earlier start date, I sure didn’t see any evidence of that today.

Our work for the school year ahead is clear.  While I am sure that the first few days will be filled with orientation and basics, I already saw new lessons and instruction occurring in all the classrooms I visited.   Our country continues to move the academic stakes higher and our school district is poised and prepared to take the next step.

Meanwhile, we are also preparing for the state assessment data that will be released in the next few weeks.  I urge you all to remember that this report card of our schools – which details our proficiencies and shortages – is reflective of last year’s achievement.   We are definitely concerned with the message that comes with the annual release, but we are also heartened that all of our schools and teachers have been monitoring and adjusting their instruction throughout the year.  Our response to these announcements is simple: We briefly celebrate the good news, work hard to develop strategies to address the weaknesses and move on.  That is what makes us a high performing educational system.

I certainly would have visited more schools today, but this evening’s Lincoln Board of Education meeting calls.  Tonight we hope to resolve the discussion with the city regarding the remodeling (and Lincoln Public Schools use) of Sherman Field, and to hear first reading of the proposed 2012-13 LPS budget. We are also introducing each of our new-to-LPS administrators to our School Board and our community.

Looking further down the road, we are developing and creating a Technology Committee and providing guidance in their work – targeting a March 1 deadline to develop a vision for the most effective 21st century classroom.  We are also beginning the visitation phase in studying national models to start planning a potential high school career academy for Lincoln.

There is plenty of exciting work on the horizon and I am energized to get into the middle of the action for the 2012-13 school year.

steve

Despite the heat of mid-July in Nebraska, educators can already sense that the opening of the 2012-13 school year is getting closer with everyone at Lincoln Public Schools preparing to start once again. As superintendent, I know that the end of summer has arrived each year when we hold our planning retreats and get ready to attend Administrator Days in Kearney.

Last summer was incredibly demanding as we dealt with all the challenges of fire recovery, while also preparing to start a new school year.  This summer is just as busy because it involves the million necessary pieces of starting school, but also feels as if we are attempting to squeeze two summers into one. This year is also particularly fascinating as we envision an exciting future for our school district that includes the potential advent of several important initiatives – programs I believe will lead to greater success for both students and staff.  In the coming months you will be reading more about these proposals, focusing on technology planning, career high schools, Community Learning Centers, stakeholder engagement and anticipating ways to handle student growth.

This work all takes enormous planning. I still get a kick out of people who ask me what LPS employees do in June, July and August – people who often mistakenly believe we probably close down over the summer.

I admit that some of our summer workdays are not as intense as during the school year, allowing critical time for planning, staff development and tackling new experiences.  However, the truth is that the people who work for LPS District Offices – as well as principals and staff in all our schools – are as busy during the summer as we are when school is in session.  This is valuable time when we take a quick breath to catch up from the previous year, then immediately turn around to undertake an incredible amount of annual preparation: Renovation and maintenance and cleaning our facilities, upgrading computer and software systems, implementing new systems, developing our annual budget, talking about strategic goals, hiring new staff, providing orientation for about 200 new teachers, training all our staff in new curriculum and instructional practices, this summer moving into the new Kloefkorn Elementary School – and, believe it or not, much much more.

The Lincoln Board of Education does not escape summer work.  Kudos to the members of our School Board who recently dedicated four hours of their time to developing our major strategic priorities for 2012-13.  As a goal oriented person, I love knowing that we have great purpose in our work and that we can measure our progress against benchmarks.  The School Board has been diligent in making sure we connect our major priorities to the school district’s strategic plan, giving us steady and reliable consistency.

Please know that I truly appreciate your input and interest in our schools.

Steve