LINCOLN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BOARD OF EDUCATION
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
MINUTES OF MEETING – MARCH 25, 2008
1.
OPENING PROCEDURES
Notice of the time and place of the meeting of the Lincoln Board of Education was given
by mail to the following news media: Television Stations KOLN, KLKN, KETV, KPTM,
WOWT and KMTV; Radio Stations KFOR, KLIN, KRNU, and to the
LINCOLN
JOURNAL STAR
and
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
newspapers. A public notice was
published in the
LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR.
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by the Board President, Mr. Keith Prettyman, at
7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at the Lincoln Public Schools District Offices.
Roll Call
Upon calling the roll, the following Members were:
Present:
Ms. Baier, Mrs. Larsen, Mr. Mayhew,
Mr. Meginnis, Dr. Zimmer, Mr. Prettyman
Absent:
Mrs. Danek (excused)
Staff in Attendance
Also meeting with the Board were:
Dr. E. Susan Gourley, Secretary of the Board and Superintendent of
Lincoln Public Schools
Mr. James Gessford, Attorney for the Board
Dr. Marilyn Moore, Associate Superintendent for Instruction
Dr. Virgil Horne, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent for
Governmental Relations
Dr. David Myers, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent for
General Administration and Communication
A list of other people in attendance is set forth in Report File No. MM-153.
Announce Open Meetings Act Posting
The Lincoln Board of Education makes available at least one current copy of the Open
Meetings Act posted in the meeting room at a location accessible to members of the
public. At the beginning of this meeting, the Board President announced and informed
the public about the location of the posted information.
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OPENING PROCEDURES (continued)
Approval of Minutes
The March 11, 2008, minutes of the Lincoln Board of Education meeting were approved
as distributed.
SPECIAL REPORTS, PRESENTATIONS, AND CELEBRATIONS OF
SUCCESS
There were no special reports, presentations, or celebrations of success at this portion
of the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
There were no speakers at this portion of the meeting.
CONSENT ITEMS
2.
HUMAN RESOURCES MATTERS
Human Resources matters, as set forth in Report File No. MM-154, were presented.
3.
ROUTINE BUSINESS
Claims/Wire Transfers
Claims were previously presented for the periods ending March 4, March 11, March 13,
March 18, and March 25, 2008, and wire transfers were presented of: federal tax ACH
deposit-$28,740.62; state tax ACH deposit-$639,877.04; procurement card ACH
transfer-$72,247.04; Office Depot-$28,887.37; and retirement ACH transfer-
$2,615,574.85. A copy of the claims is set forth in Report File No. MM-155.
Payroll
Payroll was presented for the period ending March 14, 2008, in the amount of
$132,384.80.
Gifts
Gifts were presented of: art supplies from Verla’s Ceramics for Goodrich art classes;
books from Talon Little for the Kahoa media center; and $50 from Schluckebier
Financial Services, Inc. for North Star art projects.
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ROUTINE BUSINESS (continued)
Bids and Contract Discussed at Prior Meeting or Under $500,000
Bids and a contract discussed at the Board’s prior meeting or which are under
$500,000, as set forth in Report File No. MM-156, were presented.
Future Bids
A listing of opening dates for future bids in excess of $25,000 was presented, as set
forth in Report File No. MM-157.
Dr. Zimmer moved, Mr. Meginnis seconded
That the Board approve Consent Items 2 and 3 on this evening’s agenda.
Mr. Prettyman announced that he would be declaring a potential conflict on number 3
on page 38, stating that his vote should not be taken for or against that particular item.
Roll Call:
Ayes:
Mr. Meginnis, Dr. Zimmer, Ms. Baier,
Mrs. Larsen, Mr. Mayhew, Mr. Prettyman
Nays:
None
Motion carried.
FIRST READING, ACTION AT NEXT MEETING
From Board Committees
4.
NEWLY ANNEXED PROPERTY TO THE CITY OF LINCOLN
Dr. Zimmer, Chair of the Board’s Planning Committee, presented information on a
recently annexed parcel of land into the City of Lincoln. He reminded the Board that it
assigns school attendance areas to property newly annexed or newly platted in the city,
so that purchasers will know what schools their children will attend prior to making their
purchase. The Planning Committee recommends that the newly annexed area known
as Waterford Plat be assigned to Meadow Lane Elementary School, Culler Middle
School, and East High School.
The school attendance areas for the Waterford Plat will be returned to the Board for
action at its next meeting.
From the Superintendent
5.
FULL SERVICE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROGRAM APPLICATION
Dr. Moore presented a request to submit a federally-funded grant application to the
U. S. Department of Education for the development of Full Service Community Schools.
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The total grant amount, over a five-year period, is projected to be $2,500,000. No cost
sharing or matching funds are required. This grant application will be tied to the existing
Community Learning Center initiative and would be utilized to strengthen the capacity of
all 23 CLC sites in the delivery of a coordinated system of care. Key stakeholders will
include: Principals from 23 schools; lead agency partners—Cedars, Family Service,
YMCA, Lincoln Parks & Recreation, Heartland Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Northeast
Family Center, Clyde Malone Center, and Lincoln Housing Authority—and LPS
representatives. Dr. Moore added one change to the initial language. After a meeting
of the CLC Advisory Committee, there was a recommendation that it was best to focus
this grant on the core neighborhoods that are part of the Mayor’s initiative for
strengthening core neighborhoods, and instead of 23 schools, it would be anticipated to
be in four or five schools that would consist of McPhee, Prescott, Elliott, Saratoga and
possibly Everett depending on the final definition.
Mr. Mayhew inquired if the change of scope changed the amount of the grant.
Dr. Moore responded that the number of students may be smaller than the projected
3,000 students and their families that would be impacted by this effort, but the full
amount of the grant is what the District can apply for and so they would be applying for
the full amount which would allow the District to do more intense work in those four to
five schools.
Mr. Mayhew asked if this would be something that should be moved to action. Dr.
Moore said they are always happy to have it moved ahead.
Mrs. Larsen expressed a concern that the whole Board was not in attendance for this
vote. Dr. Gourley reminded the Board that Mrs. Danek attended the CLC Advisory
Committee meeting and that she was very supportive and excited about this grant and
she felt quite confident Mrs. Danek would support moving this forward.
Mr. Mayhew moved, Mrs. Larsen seconded
That this agenda item be moved to action, and that the Board approve
submission of the Full Service Community Schools Program Application to the
Department of Education.
Roll Call:
Ayes:
Dr. Zimmer, Ms. Baier, Mrs. Larsen,
Mr. Mayhew, Mr. Meginnis, Mr. Prettyman
Nays:
None
Motion carried.
SECOND READING, RECOMMENDED FOR ACTION
From Board Committees
There were no items presented from Board Committees for second reading at this
portion of the meeting.
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SECOND READING, RECOMMENDED FOR ACTION (continued)
From the Superintendent
6.
REQUEST FOR CLOSED SESSION
Mr. Prettyman advised that the Board had no need to hold a closed session this
evening.
7.
OPTION ENROLLMENT STUDENTS
Dr. Moore presented the option enrollment resolution to be adopted by the Board, as set
forth in Report File No. MM-158. The resolution would admit as option students any K-
12 student who meets the statutory and legal conditions and whose application is
received by August 15, 2008, and it specifies the circumstances under which late-file
applications would be accepted. The Board discussed the resolution at its previous
meeting.
Dr. Zimmer moved, Mr. Meginnis seconded
That the Board approve the proposed resolution.
Roll Call:
Ayes:
Ms. Baier, Mrs. Larsen, Mr. Mayhew,
Mr. Meginnis, Dr. Zimmer, Mr. Prettyman
Nays:
None
Motion carried.
ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA
There were no items removed from this evening’s Consent agenda.
EXPEDITED/EMERGENCY ACTIONS
There were no emergency items presented at this meeting.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/REPORTS
From Board Committees
8.
GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
Ms. Baier, Chair of the Board’s Legislative Committee, introduced Dr. Virgil Horne to
report on the Legislature.
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Dr. Horne reported that the Education Committee of the Legislature took action on three
different bills. They passed LB 1151 out of Committee, a bill that adds a lid exemption
for distance education learning that will probably not have an impact on LPS. It will be a
bill that will now become an amendment to LB 988, Senator Raikes’ major bill on school
finance. LB 1079 is a bill that was introduced to stop the type of spending on legal
matters that was going on in some parts of the state. It does not restrict the amount of
money a school district can spend on litigation, but it does say that only one percent of
the budget can be counted toward the General Fund Operating Expenses. The
Education Committee took everything out of LB 1153, a bill that was drafted as a result
of a study committee on Special Education. In its place they put in LB 990, a bill that
says a Special Education student can be given an attendance certificate and cross the
stage with other graduating students from their school and yet not give up the right to
still have services from 18-21 years of age.
Dr. Horne added that there are 27 priority bills yet to do in the Legislature, and only 12
days left in the session.
Mr. Prettyman inquired about two bills that dealt with the Qualified Capital Purpose
Undertaking Fund; one to add a penny for security, and one that was a freeze on the
base that you could take QCPUF against. Dr. Horne shared he was not optimistic about
either of the two bills.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/REPORTS (continued)
From the Superintendent
9.
TEAMMATES REPORT
Dr. Myers introduced Mr. Walter Powell, Coordinator of Lincoln Public Schools
TeamMates. Mr. Powell presented a report on TeamMates mission, core values, and
goals for students, as set forth in Report File No. MM-159. The TeamMates program of
LPS is a school-based, one-to-one mentoring program that matches adult mentors with
students who may be at risk of academic failure for one or more reasons, such as poor
academic performance, poor attendance, difficulty with peer relationships, discipline
issues, and personal and/or family issues.
The TeamMates program was founded in 1991 through a partnership between Dr. Tom
and Nancy Osborne and LPS. The LPS program now has over 500 mentor/mentee
matches. These community adult mentors meet at school with the students each week
for approximately one hour and provide academic and mentoring support.
The Gallup Organization annually evaluates the effectiveness of the TeamMates
program. Some highlights of the latest evaluation are:
Eighty-four percent of students served by a TeamMates mentor decreased the
overall number of unexcused absences.
Forty percent of students served by a TeamMates mentor improved their
academic achievement.
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Fifty-nine percent of students served by a TeamMates mentor had less discipline
referrals than the previous year.
TeamMates of LPS are funded through local community fundraising efforts and federal
and local grants. LPS provides in-kind assistance to the program. Presently, several
grants through the LPS Federal Programs Department have been obtained to assist
students and schools.
Larry Keiter spoke to the Board about his experiences as a TeamMates mentor. He is a
Lincoln business owner. He previously worked for WalMart and that company had been
asked to get involved with mentoring, in which he participated as a mentor. Two years
ago when he opened his own business, Leadership Resources, he continued to be a
mentor to the same individual. He shared that a lot of the times the heroes in our life
are the ones who care enough to come back again and again. Mentors don’t have to be
extraordinary except with their commitment to show up. The best and brightest don’t
always succeed, but it is those that have the will to succeed. There are a lot of kids
today that are put up against a lot of challenges and hurdles. Tonight provided him an
opportunity for him to tell the Board about his mentee, how he regularly meets with him,
and has been a very good situation for him and his children. There’s a whole lot of
opportunity for community members to become mentors. He could not express to the
Board how much the slight edge means to the students. A little bit of that edge can help
a business, but can definitely help a sixth, seventh, or eighth grader, and that is
sometimes just showing up.
Mrs. Larsen inquired if it was a common occurrence to be with his student outside of the
school setting. Mr. Keiter shared that TeamMates does not claim to be Big Brothers/Big
Sisters, and TeamMates takes advantage of the things that are already set up; because
if too much is done, it makes it unrealistic for others to be involved. He needs to let
everyone know that what is supposed to happen is done in the schools.
Mrs. Larsen asked if TeamMates has been introduced and established in any other
states. Mr. Powell responded that they are looking at doing some things in Iowa, and
there are other states that have been inquiring.
Dr. Myers added there are several state and federal grants that TeamMates works with
that are assigned to Lincoln Public Schools. Mr. Powell shared there was a Department
of Education grant that was received in October. It has a specific emphasis on bullying.
There is no research currently on the impact of mentoring on bullying. They are working
very closely with the University of Nebraska with a research project to impact bullying.
There will be advanced training of mentors to address this. A Juvenile Justice Grant
has been awarded to provide mentoring service to approximately 500 young people that
are currently on probation.
Ms. Baier commended TeamMates for starting to work on bullying, and bringing such a
unique approach to this issue. For such a small staff, TeamMates has a huge impact
on the community and children’s lives, and she wanted to thank them all.
Dr. Gourley asked Mr. Powell to spend a few moments on the connections he is making
with the Learn to Dream Scholarship Program and TeamMates. Mr. Powell explained
the Learn to Dream scholarship benefactors are NelNet and Union Bank. They are
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providing scholarships for some students that are eligible for free and reduced lunch.
These scholarships are for up to 45 credit hours at Southeast Community College. One
of the ultimate goals of TeamMates is to have young people pursue a post secondary
education, and it seems to be a very natural fit that TeamMates and the Learn to Dream
piece will tie together. They hope to pair up some of the students that may be eligible
for this scholarship with individuals in the community to help encourage these young
persons to increase that self efficacy and believe they can achieve and think about
college early on in their education.
Ms. Baier asked for a brief update on Mr. Tim Kemper. Dr. Gourley reported he
continues to make good progress; doctors are very pleased with his progress, and the
District is looking forward to his returning to work at LPSDO, and to his horses at his
home. She shared the family appreciates the support and the best wishes of the Board
of Education, and by so many of his colleagues in the community and throughout
Nebraska.
10.
MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT
The financial report for the month ending February 29, 2008, was presented, as set
forth in Report File No. MM-160.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THE BOARD
Mr. Prettyman reviewed the calendar of upcoming meetings and events for the Board,
as follows:
Monday-Friday, March 24-28 – Spring Break
Saturday-Tuesday, March 29-April 1 – NSBA Annual Conference
Tuesday, April 1, 5:00-8:00 p.m., Pershing Center – Pfizer/LPS Science Fair
Wednesday, April 2, 7:30 a.m., Health Department – School Board/City/County
Joint Meeting
Tuesday, April 1, 7:00 p.m., LPSDO – Board Meeting
SCHEDULED
COMMUNICATIONS
FROM
THE
PUBLIC
OR
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
There were no speakers at this portion of the meeting.
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ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the Lincoln Board of Education adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
______________________________
______________________________
Keith A. Prettyman
E. Susan Gourley
President of the Board
Secretary of the Board
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