Let’s talk about something outside of the classroom for a second: roads.
A seemingly mundane contract amendment on the Lincoln Board of Education’s recent agenda sparked an interesting conversation at the board’s planning committee meeting this week.
The tweak to a construction agreement between Lincoln Public Schools and the city’s transportation department requires LPS to pay an additional $121,000 for new pavement markings as part of the $1.3 million 77th Street and Saltillo Road street project approved in December.
During the pandemic, the city relaxed standards for painting street lines, but that’s no longer the case, resulting in the change order.
About as exciting a development as watching paint dry.
But it does raise an interesting question, which the board’s planning committee pondered Tuesday: Why is LPS involved with street work in the first place?
The district has always built out curb space and associated utilities and infrastructure when it buys or develops a school site, said LPS Director of Operations Scott Wieskamp.
That changed with the two new high schools — Standing Bear and Lincoln Northwest — which were essentially built in two separate, largely undeveloped corners of the city. While purchasing those lots was a good deal moneywise for the district, it did put stress on the city to build out roads to accommodate the schools.
“They weren’t projects we had on the radar and had budgeted for at the time,†said Liz Elliott, director of the Lincoln Transportation and Utilities department.
Because the city couldn’t afford to build the millions of dollars in infrastructure — roads, sidewalks, water mains, etc. — on its own, it negotiated a roughly 50/50 cost-share agreement with LPS. The district essentially became the owner’s representative, coordinating the design and bidding process and the city promised a certain amount of money for each project.
“The partnerships with LPS we’ve always had and done them on a much smaller scale,†Elliott said. “This one was definitely where LPS contributed more. ... I think they planned that knowing that this was a big ask.â€
Residential developers typically help fund improvements to major arterial streets through impact fees the city collects when developers sell lots. LPS doesn’t pay those fees, however, which is part of the calculus in negotiating with the city.
“We have to work as a team to make sure it works, because the last thing we want is no two-lane roads and turn lanes and crosswalks (when a school opens),†Wieskamp said. “It’s in both of our organizations’ best interests to work together ultimately for safety.â€
Currently, 70th Street between Rokeby and Saltillo roads is closed as work continues on a roundabout entrance to Standing Bear at 70th and Carger Lane. Work on a roundabout at 77th and Saltillo won’t begin until 70th is open and the state begins work at 84th Street and Saltillo tied to the South Beltway.
The cost-share agreement allows LPS to better control the logistics of the process, including when to shut down streets, although the city gives final approval to traffic changes.
Both projects are set to be completed by the time Standing Bear opens this fall.
LPS and the city also collaborated on the work to develop West Holdrege and West Vine streets adjacent to Northwest. In that case, some of the cost was covered by impact fees from nearby developers.
Focus program interest growing
LPS has continued to grow its focus program offerings over the years. This year it welcomed three more — Bay High, the Bryan College of Health Sciences program at Lincoln Northwest and the Early College and Career STEM program at Northeast.
Interest in the programs — which enroll nearly 1,500 students — is growing, too.
Nearly 500 parents and incoming freshmen attended a first-ever open house at Lincoln Northeast on Jan. 5 to learn about the district’s eight high schools and 10 focus programs, which also include the 17 career pathways at The Career Academy.
“We thought we’d get 50 families and we filled the auditorium,†said James Blake, LPS director of strategic partnerships and focus programs. “We were just super blown away.â€
Before COVID-19, the district held open houses at middle schools typically centered on one focus program. The most recent fair was a chance for families to check out any that interested them all in one place, Blake said.
Not all focus programs are available to freshmen, but the fair was also a chance for students to consider which high school to choose. Ninth graders can attend any high school in the city, regardless of attendance areas.
Focus program students also must have a home high school even if the program is not embedded in the school, like the Science Focus Program at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.
There are still some upcoming virtual open houses for those who missed the in-person one. Those interested in attending a focus program are asked to submit their application by Feb. 1, which can be found on each program’s respective website.
Those with questions are asked to contact the director of the focus program.
Next year, LPS’ offerings will continue to grow when a business focus program — a partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Business and LPS — opens at Standing Bear.
Scheels Center opens
Lincoln Christian School on Friday will celebrate the opening of the Scheels Center, a 40,000-square-foot addition featuring a gym, locker rooms, strength and conditioning spaces, training areas for various sports and more classrooms.
The $5.6 million center, built on the south side of the existing building, was paid for by private donors and a nearly $500,000 gift from Scheels.
It includes a new wrestling room and dedicated space and equipment for outdoor sports teams, including golf simulators and batting cages.
There are also five classrooms, boys and girls locker rooms, and an athletic training room with treatment tables and whirlpools for student-athletes.
The Scheels Center is also home to a competition gym designed to facilitate junior high, reserve and junior varsity competitions, according to Superintendent Zach Kassebaum.
Standing Bear High School looking east shows 70th Street (bottom) under construction. Because LPS' two newest high schools are being built in largely undeveloped corners of the city, the school district has agreed to help build out roads needed to accommodate the schools.