Summary of March 20, 2013 Meeting

LPS Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council: Summary of 3/20 meeting

The 2012-13 Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council met on Wednesday, March 20 – called together by Superintendent Steve Joel – held at Lincoln High School. Here are a few highlights.

Superintendent Update

LPS Superintendent Steve Joel gave Council members a brief update about LPS issues.

Inspiration and mentoring teachers

Joel shared information from a research article about teachers – nationwide, not in Lincoln – who burn out on the job, at least partially due to a lack of solid and ongoing mentoring for educators.

“The hardest job in America is teaching,” Joel said. “I want you to know that I hope we are doing a good job of mentoring, and supporting people…And I also want to challenge you. If you see someone struggling, be the support that they need.”

Upcoming budget forecast

Budgeting at LPS is a year-round process, Joel said. “And I know there is frustration with staffing …I believe we’ll probably never be in a position to accommodate all our growth with staffing points.”

He noted that next year LPS expects an increase of 500 to 700 more students. But Joel said the school district has hopes “that we will do better than in recent years in the Legislature.”

Technology

Joel said he believes the school district took a big step forward recently in the adoption of new materials for the elementary Language Arts curriculum – marking the first major time LPS will use a combination of digital and printed resources and materials for a major curriculum area.

“It’s a blend of text and digital delivery, and I think for a school system this is a good way to wade into technology,” he said.

He cautioned that LPS – and Nebraska schools in general – lags behind the country as far as digital conversion. “We’re very traditional here, and we need to keep moving…or we will be left behind.”

Common core

Joel pointed out that Nebraska is one of few states that have not adopted common core.

“I think Nebraskans have the sense they don’t want the ‘feds’ to tell them what to do,” he said. “But the down side is that we don’t get any Race to the Top money…We’ve left a lot of money on the table for not adopting the common core.”

Leadership and Change

Joel noted significant changes in leadership happening at LPS:

  • Nancy Biggs has retired as associate superintendent for Human Resources at Lincoln Public Schools – and Eric Weber has been hired for that position. Weber is currently the assistant superintendent for Human Resources at Westside Community Schools in Omaha.
  • Mark Shepard, associate superintendent for Business Affairs at LPS, will leave this summer to take a post for Fremont Public Schools. LPS is currently conducting a search for this position.

“These kinds of changes are expected in a school district like LPS that attracts top talent,” Joel said. “Yes, we lose institutional wisdom. But we also manage to continue to attract good people when we have these kinds of changes.”

Update on Career Academy

John Neal, assistant to the superintendent for General Administration and Governmental Relations LPS continues to explore the concept of a career academy high school – and is gathering information for a formal recommendation to the Lincoln Board of Education, Neal said.

View Career Academy slides here

A few points of interest:

  • ** Neal will present an update about the Career Academy specifically for LPS employees, and answer any questions about this project – at an informational meeting set for: 4:15 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at Lux Middle School 7800 High St. The setting is the Teacher Curriculum Council, and any LPS employee is invited to attend – to continue the conversation.
  • In general, a High School Career Academy at LPS: Would be located at Southeast Community College, be open to all LPS high school juniors and seniors, have three sessions (morning, afternoon and evening), and include about 1,200 students.
  • Research indicates that students who attend career academies: score higher on their GPAs, graduate from high school at a higher rate, attend college at a higher rate, and do better in college.
  • Neal emphasized that this is not what was once called a traditional technical high school. “That is not the model we are considering. Career centers encourage our students to focus on career pathways…that lead to careers after high school, but also to associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees and graduate degrees.”
  • The career pathways chosen for the Lincoln school will depend upon: The high-needs jobs in Lincoln and southeast Nebraska, available teachers with the appropriate expertise, the appropriate and necessary materials and equipment, business partnerships and student interest.
  • Why create a career academy now? “Today less than 40 percent of available jobs require only a high school diploma,” Neal explained. “There’s a large gap in our economy. We have high-skill, high-demand jobs – but there is no one qualified to do the work.”

Update on Legislative issues

Neal Neal noted several bills of interest to LPS and ongoing discussion and debate. But bottom line, he urged: “Please be politically active…It’s important that your viewpoints and beliefs be heard. Your voices are important.”

Future Teacher Council meetings

May 15

Updated March 28, 2013