Summary of November 30, 2011 meeting

The second meeting of the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council – called together by Superintendent Steve Joel – was held at Goodrich Middle School on Wednesday, Nov. 30.  Here is a summary of the highlights.

Superintendent Update

Strategic Planning
LPS Superintendent Steve Joel explained that the school district has been involved in a strategic planning process since last spring, and that a proposed final strategic plan was presented to the Lincoln Board of Education last month. The Board will take a final vote on the plan at the Dec. 13 meeting.

He gave the group a summary of the major objectives:

  • Increase graduation rate by three percentage points for on-time graduation rate by 2016 – with focus on subgroups graduating below average.
  • Develop a comprehensive public engagement and partnership plan by Sept. 1, 2012.
  • Continually expand efforts to recruit staff reflective of the diverse demographics of our students.
  • Continue 10-year facilities plan and expand the scope of annual facilities update.

Joel emphasized that this document will not sit on the shelves, but will serve as a living plan that will change and evolve – with annual updates and renewed goals.

To find out more about the proposed LPS Strategic Plan and the action steps that go with each objective, please visit http://www.lps.org/about/superintendent/stratplan.html

Legislative strategy
Joel told the group that LPS is ramping up participation in the 2012 Nebraska Legislative session to advocate for a state aid formula that provides equal and fair funding for our school district.

The school district has joined with a coalition of like-minded school districts in Nebraska to begin a new conversation with state senators, he said, but stressed that the current political climate is difficult.

“We’re going to be more vocal about asking whether it’s the right decision to hurt school districts that are showing positive achievement results despite significant growth in student enrollment.”

Questions and comments from Teacher Advisory Council members

COMMENTS

Comments about public engagement efforts at schools:

  • “We have parents now serving on our schools committees, and I believe they bring something new and valuable to the table.”
  • “We are trying to include neighborhood businesses in our engagement efforts, having our students visit them – and inviting them into our schools.”
  • “I think public engagement has to start at the school level, and then you expand it out into the community.”
  • “We often work on activities with our CLCs (Community Learning Centers).”
Comments about increasing diversity in LPS staff:
  • “I hope you consider future teacher groups in all thee high schools.”
  • “Multicultural should be about more than race, and I hope we start to include other groups: two moms, two dads, mental health issues. It’s not just about color.”
Comments about rewards from the job:
  • “LPS provides teachers with great opportunities for professional development.”
  • “I think the PLCs (professional learning communities) are valuable.”
  • “I believe we have teachers who view this as a mission, not just a job.”
  • “It’s great having the university in town; I think that opens up new opportunities.”
  • “People who work here really want to grow, and that benefits our students, school district and community.”

QUESTIONS

Q: What do you tell someone who wants to be a teacher, knowing how few jobs are available at LPS?

Joel answer:  “I know that it is a difficult market right now.  We hired fewer teachers last year than in many, many previous years.  And we had more than 2,000 applications.  These are tough times and our budget is tight….The good news is – since this is a competitive market, our school district definitely hires the cream of the crop.”

Q: What is the school district’s position on class size?

Joel answer:  “We are very committed to small class sizes, but budget constraints have meant that our numbers have crept up slightly.”

Future Teacher Council meetings:

  • Feb. 8
  • March 28
  • May 9

Updated December 1, 2011