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Lincoln Public Schools, Nebraska

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Lincoln Public Schools
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Lincoln, Nebraska
District details
Superintendent: John Skretta (interim)
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Lincoln Public Schools is a school district in Nebraska.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

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 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

John Skretta is the interim superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools. Skretta was appointed interim superintendent in January 2025. His previous career experience includes serving as the Chief Administrator for Educational Service Unit 6 from 2019 to 2024, as an English and reading teacher, instructional coordinator, associate principal, principal, associate superintendent, and superintendent for Norris Public Schools.[1]

Past superintendents

  • Paul Gausman was the superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools. Gausman was appointed superintendent on July 1, 2022, and left the office in December 2024. Gausman's previous career experience included working as superintendent of the Sioux City Community School District in Nebraska and the West Central School District in South Dakota. He has also worked as a coordinator of education, coordinator of fine and performing arts, and marching band director.[2]
  • Steve Joel was the superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools from 2010 until 2022. Joel's previous career experience includes working as the superintendent for Grand Island Public Schools and Beatrice Public Schools in Nebraska.[3]

School board

The Lincoln Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Members are elected by district.[4]

Elections

See also: Lincoln Public Schools, Nebraska, elections

Seats on the Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education are up for election in May every two years.

Four seats on the board were up for general election on May 6, 2025. A primary was scheduled for April 8, 2025. The filing deadline was February 17, 2025 for incumbents and was March 3, 2025 for non-incumbents.

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


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Public participation in board meetings

The Lincoln Public Schools school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[5]

“ Participation by Citizens

Public Comment

Public comment will be scheduled at some Lincoln Board of Education meetings. Except for closed sessions called in accordance with applicable state laws, the Lincoln Board of Educatioin will allow members of the public an opportunity to participate in Public Comment at each of its meetings. In the meeting at which public comment is scheduled, a majority of members present and voting may also choose to allow, terminate or reduce the time for public comment at any time.

The following will help guide the Public Comment agenda item at Board Meetings and Public Hearings:

1. Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose.
2. A time limit of three minutes will be allotted for any speaker unless prior to the beginning of the Public Comment agenda item, the chair sets a different reasonable timeframe to be allotted for speakers in order to accommodate the number of persons who have submitted Record of Appearance cards. The time limit is per speaker, per meeting and may not be transferred or assigned to other speakers.
3. The chair may endeavor to organize public comment by what agenda items or other issues have been identified as topics by public speakers, adjust for the age of speakers, and/or split the Public Comment agenda item to be conducted in different positions within the Board’s Order of Business. At the discretion of the chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.
4. In order to be called forward to address the Board during Public Comment, each person wishing to speak must obtain a “Record of Appearance” card from staff at the meeting in which they wish to speak. Record of Appearance cards are available beginning 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the meeting. Those wishing to speak must accurately complete the required sections of the card and submit it to the appropriate staff member by 15 minutes after the start of the meeting.
5. Individuals will be called forward to speak by name, organization being represented, if applicable, and address. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment by stating their first and last name and, if applicable, any organization they represent.
6. In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.
7. If the number of people wishing to speak under the public comment portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled.
8. Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials (paper no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches) available to the Board but may not use any other form of media. Public speakers are asked to provide 10 copies of any copies of printed materials presented to the Board.

Persons attending Board meetings and/or speaking to the Board during Public Comment or during a public hearing must follow all requirements established by the Board, as well as all Board, chair and staff directions, in order to help maintain the order, proper decorum, safety and security, and the non-disruptive functioning of the Board meeting. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Abiding by time limits;
  • Refraining from applauding, cheering, jeering, or engaging in speech that defames any individual(s), or stymies or blocks meeting progress;
  • Refraining from the use of audio recordings, video recordings, or any digital still images, posters, signs, costumes, other props and/or photographs;
  • Refraining from abusive, disruptive or threatening language or gestures; and
  • Staying in the areas identified by the Board as reserved for the public.

If at any time persons appearing before the Board do not comply with these or any other Board requirements, it shall be the responsibility of the chair to declare that person or persons out of order and require a change in behavior, delay or recess the meeting, or refuse permission to continue to address the Board, and ultimately, may require the person or persons to leave the premises of the Board meeting.

Date of Adoption 2024-06-25
Reviewed and Affirmed by the Board: 2024-05-20
Latest Revision: 2022-05-16
Original Adoption or Oldest Version: 2008-09-23
Related Policies and Regulations: 8420, 8470
Legal Reference: Legal Reference: 79-560; 79-570; 84-1407 to 84-1414[6]

”

District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $55,145,000 $1,323 10%
Local: $329,041,000 $7,896 58%
State: $179,146,000 $4,299 32%
Total: $563,332,000 $13,518
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $747,653,000 $17,940
Total Current Expenditures: $516,939,000 $12,404
Instructional Expenditures: $334,846,000 $8,034 45%
Student and Staff Support: $41,963,000 $1,006 6%
Administration: $59,151,000 $1,419 8%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $80,979,000 $1,943 11%
Total Capital Outlay: $209,706,000 $5,032
Construction: $198,309,000 $4,758
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $0 $0
Interest on Debt: $20,968,000 $503


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2024-2025[8] $48,556 $89,426
2023-2024[9] $47,355 $96,705
2022-2023[10] $47,056 $92,567
2020-2021[11] $46,756 $88,601

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[12]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 50 61 25 33 20-24 40 57
2018-2019 56 68 31 40 30-34 45 63
2017-2018 57 69 28 40 30-34 48 63
2016-2017 73 79 49 59 40-44 66 78
2015-2016 77 81 54 64 50-54 71 82
2014-2015 77 79 52 64 50-54 70 82
2013-2014 76 80 52 64 45-49 70 82
2012-2013 74 77 51 59 45-49 68 79
2011-2012 72 75 45 58 40-44 66 78
2010-2011 73 78 52 60 50-54 78

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 53 55 30 36 25-29 45 60
2018-2019 56 62 34 43 25-29 49 62
2017-2018 58 63 34 44 30-34 52 64
2016-2017 58 63 34 43 25-29 48 64
2015-2016 85 83 72 76 70-74 82 88
2014-2015 83 81 65 73 75-79 78 87
2013-2014 81 81 61 69 55-59 75 86
2012-2013 80 78 62 69 60-64 76 85
2011-2012 78 73 58 66 55-59 74 83
2010-2011 78 74 62 66 55-59 82

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 81 85-89 60-64 65 40-59 70-74 86
2018-2019 82 85-89 70-74 74 60-79 70-74 86
2017-2018 82 80-84 65-69 71 21-39 80-84 86
2016-2017 83 85-89 70-74 73 40-59 80-84 86
2015-2016 83 80-84 75-79 70-74 40-59 75-79 86
2014-2015 82 70-74 65-69 70-74 40-59 75-79 87
2013-2014 84 70-74 75-79 70-74 40-59 80-84 87
2012-2013 84 65-69 75-79 70-74 60-79 80-84 87
2011-2012 83 80-84 75-79 70-74 40-59 80-84 86
2010-2011 80 80-84 65-69 60-64 60-69 84


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 41,850 0.2
2021-2022 41,747 0.2
2020-2021 41,674 -1.4
2019-2020 42,258 0.6
2018-2019 42,020 0.7
2017-2018 41,737 3.9
2016-2017 40,109 0.7
2015-2016 39,842 2.0
2014-2015 39,034 3.0
2013-2014 37,879 2.5
2012-2013 36,943 1.1
2011-2012 36,528 1.7
2010-2011 35,896 2.7
2009-2010 34,915 2.4
2008-2009 34,061 1.7
2007-2008 33,466 1.6
2006-2007 32,934 1.3
2005-2006 32,505 0.7
2004-2005 32,270 0.5
2003-2004 32,120 0.8
2002-2003 31,867 0.9
2001-2002 31,581 0.7
2000-2001 31,354 1.0
1999-2000 31,052 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Lincoln Public Schools (%) Nebraska K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.6 1.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 4.8 3.0
Black 7.3 6.6
Hispanic 15.8 21.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.2
Two or More Races 9.2 4.6
White 62.2 63.3

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Lincoln Public Schools had 3,023.83 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 13.84.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 130.90
Kindergarten: 0.00
Elementary: 2,058.29
Secondary: 834.64
Total: 3,023.83

Lincoln Public Schools employed 135.90 district administrators and 130.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 135.90
District Administrative Support: 63.88
School Administrators: 130.00
School Administrative Support: 225.34
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 518.03
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 38.50
Total Guidance Counselors: 111.40
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 67.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 44.40
Librarians/Media Specialists: 54.30
Library/Media Support: 10.00
Student Support Services: 281.59
Other Support Services: 1,485.06


Schools

Lincoln Public Schools operates 76 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Adams Elementary School762PK-5
Arnold Elementary School739PK-5
Arts & Humanities Focus Prgm09-12
Bay High Focus Program09-12
Beattie Elementary School360PK-5
Belmont Elementary School814PK-5
Brownell Elementary School337PK-5
Bryan Community School09-12
Calvert Elementary School312PK-5
Campbell Elementary School615PK-5
Cavett Elementary School564PK-5
Clinton Elementary School407PK-5
Culler Middle School7036-8
Dawes Middle School4056-8
Donald D Sherrill Education Cntr - Elem0PK-5
Early Childhood At Northwest High School21PK-PK
Eastridge Elementary School282PK-5
Ecse - Homebased474PK-PK
Educare Of Lincoln146PK-PK
Elliott Elementary School370PK-5
Everett Elementary School384PK-5
Fredstrom Elementary School443PK-5
Goodrich Middle School8776-8
Hartley Elementary School344PK-5
High School Student Support Program09-12
Hill Elementary School421PK-5
Holmes Elementary School409PK-5
Humann Elementary School525PK-5
Huntington Elementary School372PK-5
Infant Toddler At Bryan Community School12PK-PK
Infant Toddler At Lincoln High School9PK-PK
Infant Toddler At Lincoln Northeast High School7PK-PK
Irving Middle School8906-8
Kahoa Elementary School488PK-5
Kloefkorn Elementary486PK-5
Kooser Elementary School889PK-5
Lakeview Elementary School388PK-5
Lefler Middle School6136-8
Lincoln East High School2,2689-12
Lincoln High School2,1969-12
Lincoln Northeast High School1,8129-12
Lincoln Southeast High School1,9299-12
Lps Career Academy011-12
Lps Graduation Pathways Program010-12
Lux Middle School7916-8
Maxey Elementary School688PK-5
Mcphee Elementary School282PK-5
Meadow Lane Elementary School509PK-5
Mickle Middle School6946-8
Middle School Student Support Program06-8
Moore Middle School7386-8
Morley Elementary School376PK-5
North Star High School2,0729-12
Northwest High School4999-12
Norwood Park Elementary School253PK-5
Nuernberger Education Center06-8
Park Middle School8346-8
Pershing Elementary School443PK-5
Pound Middle School7276-8
Prescott Elementary School505PK-5
Pyrtle Elementary School466PK-5
Randolph Elementary School459PK-5
Riley Elementary School280PK-5
Robinson Elementary School264PK-5
Roper Elementary School863PK-5
Rousseau Elementary School566PK-5
Saratoga Elementary School240PK-5
Schoo Middle School9176-8
Science Focus Program09-12
Scott Middle School1,1366-8
Sheridan Elementary School378PK-5
Southwest High School2,1719-12
Special Ed Yankee Hill Program09-12
West Lincoln Elementary School487PK-5
Wysong Elementary697PK-5
Zeman Elementary School442PK-5

Contact information

Lincoln Public Schools.jpg

Lincoln Public Schools
5905 O St.
Lincoln, NE 68510
Phone: 402-436-1000


About school boards

Education legislation in Nebraska

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Nebraska School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools, "Interim Superintendent John Skretta, Ed.D.," accessed April 17, 2025
  2. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools, "Superintendent Dr. Paul Gausman," accessed December 6, 2023
  3. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools, "Superintendent Dr. Steve Joel," accessed May 4, 2021
  4. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools, "Lincoln Board of Education," accessed May 4, 2021
  5. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools, "ARTICLE 8 BOARD OPERATING PROCEDURES," accessed December 6, 2023
  6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
  8. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools ,"2024-2025 SALARY SCHEDULE," accessed April 17, 2025
  9. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools ,"2023-2024 SALARY SCHEDULE," accessed February 5, 2024
  10. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools ,"2022-2023 Certified Employee Salary Schedule," accessed February 5, 2024
  11. ↑ Lincoln Public Schools ,"2020-2021 SALARY SCHEDULE," accessed May 4, 2021
  12. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
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