Like many of you, I also have a tough and stressful job. There are days that I definitely wish I had a different career. There are times that I want to go home and never come back to the office. I think that is probably pretty normal for any of us in any profession.
However, let me be very clear, 96.33% of the time, I absolutely love what I do and who I do it for. Being able to go to “school” every day of my career is something I am very proud of. My almost nine years in York have been some of the most challenging and rewarding of my career. I don’t know that I would change too many things that have led up to this point.
Below are just some of the reasons I love my job in beautiful York, Nebraska as a proud member of the York Dukes Family.
• I get to learn about amazingly talented students like Alyssa Gilliland, a sophomore at YHS, that already has an ACT score of 33 to her name and a full-ride academic scholarship to UNL. She’s in 10th grade! (Her ACT score already beats mine by a couple of touchdowns! No extra points but still….)
• I get to see awesome young people like Scott Fulsos mature right in front of my eyes. I got to see how his strong work ethic and determination led him to a gold medal at this year’s state wrestling meet.
• I get to see tremendously dedicated teachers and support staff that work hard for every student every day. I see them in our buildings at night, early in the morning, and on the weekends. Our teachers and staff members are top-notch. I will put them up against anyone.
• I get to do a wide variety of “stuff.” Just yesterday, I woke up at 4:10 AM to drive roads to check for ice. I then was able to tamper with a little weather forecasting. After that, I worked on YPS social media, attended a meeting at the bus barn, worked on a grant, wrote three positive notes to mail home, recruited for a potential staff vacancy, worked on two different budget reports, reviewed our NeSA scores, began preparations for 5th Grade Fitness Fun Day later this spring, made last minute tweaks for our Community Coffee and Lunch & Learn presentations on Wednesday, began to put the wheels in motion for some high ability learner programming this summer, prepared a board meeting agenda, worked on our Senior Class Real World Boot Camp coming up on April 3rd, sent out reminders to the YPS Foundation, studied some of our curriculum maps, reached out to a new hire, checked up on some legislative updates, emailed a state senator, texted another state senator, studied some bus bids, reviewed long-range facility plans/projects, and made notes for different improvements we want to make in 2018-19. Later on, I met with a staff member about health insurance benefits and then went to a basketball game. This is a typical kind of day and it fits my personality well because about every 15-20 minutes, I’m on to something else. I guess I’m like a 1st grader in that regard. Keep me on my toes and keep me moving!
• I get to know amazing parents and families of our students along the way. I have celebrated with them in times of joy and cried with them in times of pain. This job allows you to meet so many wonderful people.
• I get to work with amazing community leaders from our business and industry sector. I am lucky to serve on various boards and councils that get to help promote our town and community. These are connections and friendships that I cherish. York, Nebraska is a special place.
• I see HOPE in our younger generation. I see the great things they do in the classroom and within school activities. I know that today’s young people deal with more stress and distractions than any generation before them and most of them do it better than adults. Our students will always be my “main thing.”
• I get to be a TeamMate mentor that works with an awesome 8th grader each week. I get to listen to things through his eyes.
• I get to be involved with Special Olympics Nebraska, which is one of the most rewarding things I’ve been lucky enough to do.
• I see the uncharted enthusiasm and excitement in Kindergarten students. Every day is a great day for them. I wish we all had their energy and passion for learning.
• I have been able to meet unbelievably talented professionals like Greg Barnes at ESU 11, Jim Sutfin in Millard, Aaron Plas at Lakeview, Teresa Schnoor in Kearney, and John Skretta at Norris.
• I’ve worked with phenomenal leaders like Mark Adler, Mike Teahon, Melissa Wheelock, and Caroline Winchester.
• I’ve gotten to know young bloods like Lance Smith that keep me energized and ready to do more.
• I’ve been able to learn from great leaders at NCSA like Mike Dulaney and Dan Ernst and from NASB leaders like John Spatz.
• I get to have meaningful one-on-one conversations with our state’s Commissioner of Education, Dr. Matt Blomstedt, a guy I really admire. Wow, life is good!
• I get to go to Speech Meets, One-Act plays, concerts, and Fine Arts Banquets. For FREE!
• I get to learn about aquaponics from our FFA.
• I get to go to all kinds of sporting events and spelling bees and Flag Appreciation Days and enjoy every single one of them!
• I get to learn about robotics and entrepreneurship from middle schoolers!
• I work with an awesome board of education that is truly a team. They study issues, discuss them, and do what is best for our students. I enjoy each and every one of them.
• Social media has allowed me to connect with former students and staff from Fort Leavenworth, Labette County, West Point, and Franklin. I cherish each of those stops throughout my career and the many impactful relationships I was lucky enough to have along the way.
• Every single day, I get to see so many young people with bright futures. It truly is a blessing! Working in education is the perfect career for me. It is so rewarding, challenging, and always changing.
Yes, I have to deal with upset people. Yes, some people hate my guts. Yes, it can get tiring to hear 548 complaints about YPS for every positive we hear. Yes, dealing with energy suckers like the foot stomper and the back stabber gets old.
However, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives. When all is said and done, I love my job. I love York Public Schools. I love who I work with, and like my voicemail says, “every day is a great day to be a York Duke!”
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Numbers and Random Things
This week's blog is just going to be a compilation of miscellaneous numbers and random things rattling around in my head. Read at your own risk.
Let's start off with some pretty cool information we're proud of regarding our Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Partnership (SENCAP) with Southeast Community College!
SENCAP was designed to provide YHS students opportunities to explore career and educational opportunities while still in high school. Through rigorous college coursework and career exploration, SENCAP and SCC have helped our students focus on a career pathway while saving our students time and money toward the completion of a degree.
Between 2011-2017, we’ve had 257 of our students participate in the Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Partnership (SENCAP). Since 2011, YHS has had 257 students participate in SENCAP and they have completed 488 courses! From 2011-2017, YHS students have earned 1,612 dual credit hours with an average GPA of 3.52 in those courses, which is the highest average of all SENCAP member schools!
YHS students and their families have saved $54,652 in tuition costs for those 1,612 credits earned due to our agreement with SENCAP!
Now, let's move on to our chemical application work certificate program we are so proud of at YHS. This is another exciting opportunity for our students that began just a few years ago thanks to a newly formed partnership with the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA), Reinke Irrigation, and Central Valley Ag. In May 2017, we had our first two YHS graduates walk across the state with a high school diploma AND a work certificate in the area of chemical application. This May, we expect to have 5 more graduates do the same.
Our students are able to take the following courses listed below within the friendly confines of YHS, which earns the work certificate that is halfway towards an associates degree. By the way, this comes at ZERO cost to our students thanks to the phenomenal support we receive from NCTA.
* Pest Management
* Ag Chemical Application
* Precision Farming
* Commercial Ag Carrier/CDL
* Crop Science
* Natural Resource Mgmt
* Welding
Next, here are just some random facts and figures that might be of interest.
* There are 1,628 middle school teams in the Vex Robotics Global League. YMS teams are currently raked 270th and 326th in the nation!
* Unfortunately, over 68% of our school district revenue comes from local property taxes. The national average is 29%. Ouch.
* The York TeamMates Chapter has over 160 mentor/mentee matches! We're always on the look-out for more mentors. Contact gayla.knight@yorkdukes.org if you're interested being a mentor.
* Did you know that most states do not allow "option enrollment" like we do here in Nebraska? In most states, you are isolated to the public school within the district that you live but that is not the case here. In fact, over 22,000 students across the state use their "option enrollment choice." YPS has about 32 more students that option in as opposed to optioning out. Our option in/out students come from/go to seven different school districts.
* Did you know that the number of hours a typical K-12 school is in session each year (regular school day, not counting activities) only comes to about 13% of the hours in a given year? That's why parents, families, and guardians should always be the most influential adults in their childrens' lives.
* Did you know that Nebraska public schools have the lowest administrative cost as a percentage of total spending per student of all neighboring states that includes South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming? Nebraska is at less than 5% while all others in this array are between 5.5 to 7%.
* As a direct result, the percentage of public school budgets spent on direct classroom instruction in Nebraska is right at 66% and higher than South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, who all range between 57-61%.
Have a great week!
GO DUKES!
Let's start off with some pretty cool information we're proud of regarding our Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Partnership (SENCAP) with Southeast Community College!
SENCAP was designed to provide YHS students opportunities to explore career and educational opportunities while still in high school. Through rigorous college coursework and career exploration, SENCAP and SCC have helped our students focus on a career pathway while saving our students time and money toward the completion of a degree.
Between 2011-2017, we’ve had 257 of our students participate in the Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Partnership (SENCAP). Since 2011, YHS has had 257 students participate in SENCAP and they have completed 488 courses! From 2011-2017, YHS students have earned 1,612 dual credit hours with an average GPA of 3.52 in those courses, which is the highest average of all SENCAP member schools!
YHS students and their families have saved $54,652 in tuition costs for those 1,612 credits earned due to our agreement with SENCAP!
Now, let's move on to our chemical application work certificate program we are so proud of at YHS. This is another exciting opportunity for our students that began just a few years ago thanks to a newly formed partnership with the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA), Reinke Irrigation, and Central Valley Ag. In May 2017, we had our first two YHS graduates walk across the state with a high school diploma AND a work certificate in the area of chemical application. This May, we expect to have 5 more graduates do the same.
Our students are able to take the following courses listed below within the friendly confines of YHS, which earns the work certificate that is halfway towards an associates degree. By the way, this comes at ZERO cost to our students thanks to the phenomenal support we receive from NCTA.
* Pest Management
* Ag Chemical Application
* Precision Farming
* Commercial Ag Carrier/CDL
* Crop Science
* Natural Resource Mgmt
* Welding
Next, here are just some random facts and figures that might be of interest.
* There are 1,628 middle school teams in the Vex Robotics Global League. YMS teams are currently raked 270th and 326th in the nation!
* Unfortunately, over 68% of our school district revenue comes from local property taxes. The national average is 29%. Ouch.
* The York TeamMates Chapter has over 160 mentor/mentee matches! We're always on the look-out for more mentors. Contact gayla.knight@yorkdukes.org if you're interested being a mentor.
* Did you know that most states do not allow "option enrollment" like we do here in Nebraska? In most states, you are isolated to the public school within the district that you live but that is not the case here. In fact, over 22,000 students across the state use their "option enrollment choice." YPS has about 32 more students that option in as opposed to optioning out. Our option in/out students come from/go to seven different school districts.
* Did you know that the number of hours a typical K-12 school is in session each year (regular school day, not counting activities) only comes to about 13% of the hours in a given year? That's why parents, families, and guardians should always be the most influential adults in their childrens' lives.
* Did you know that Nebraska public schools have the lowest administrative cost as a percentage of total spending per student of all neighboring states that includes South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming? Nebraska is at less than 5% while all others in this array are between 5.5 to 7%.
* As a direct result, the percentage of public school budgets spent on direct classroom instruction in Nebraska is right at 66% and higher than South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, who all range between 57-61%.
Have a great week!
GO DUKES!
Friday, February 9, 2018
News Release from Nebraskans United for Property Tax Reform & Education
Nebraskans United for Property Tax Reform and Education is proud to support Senator Tom Briese’s LB1084. Coalition members, representing numerous agricultural and educational organizations, showed up in force to provide proponent testimony at the Feb. 8th public hearing on the proposal.
We have a property tax problem in Nebraska, and LB1084 is the only responsible and workable solution on the table that provides real reform while protecting essential public services such as health care, K-12 education, services for the elderly, mental health treatment resources, highways and roads. LB1084 recognizes the importance of both agriculture and education to the state’s economy.
LB1084 would close a number of tax exemptions, bringing Nebraska more in line with neighboring states, and would generate state tax revenue. A good portion of this revenue would be used to support K-12 education in Nebraska and reduce the current over-reliance on property taxes. It will also direct hundreds of millions of much-needed funds into the Property Tax Credit Fund.
Finally, this bill provides for a much-needed study to review the current system of funding K-12 education in Nebraska, and begins the conversation on how to ensure lasting reform that will deliver property tax relief while still providing the children of Nebraska the high-quality education which will allow them to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Nebraska Farm Bureau
Nebraska GRANGE
Nebraska Council of School Administrators
Nebraska Corn Growers Association
Nebraska State Education Association
Reform for Nebraska’s Future
Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association
Nebraska Farmers Union
Women Involved in Farm Economics
Nebraska Soybean Association
Gage County Property Tax Group
Nebraska Pork Producers
Nebraska Wheat Growers
Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska
Schools Taking Action for Nebraska Children’s Education
Greater Nebraska Schools Association
We have a property tax problem in Nebraska, and LB1084 is the only responsible and workable solution on the table that provides real reform while protecting essential public services such as health care, K-12 education, services for the elderly, mental health treatment resources, highways and roads. LB1084 recognizes the importance of both agriculture and education to the state’s economy.
LB1084 would close a number of tax exemptions, bringing Nebraska more in line with neighboring states, and would generate state tax revenue. A good portion of this revenue would be used to support K-12 education in Nebraska and reduce the current over-reliance on property taxes. It will also direct hundreds of millions of much-needed funds into the Property Tax Credit Fund.
Finally, this bill provides for a much-needed study to review the current system of funding K-12 education in Nebraska, and begins the conversation on how to ensure lasting reform that will deliver property tax relief while still providing the children of Nebraska the high-quality education which will allow them to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Nebraska Farm Bureau
Nebraska GRANGE
Nebraska Council of School Administrators
Nebraska Corn Growers Association
Nebraska State Education Association
Reform for Nebraska’s Future
Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association
Nebraska Farmers Union
Women Involved in Farm Economics
Nebraska Soybean Association
Gage County Property Tax Group
Nebraska Pork Producers
Nebraska Wheat Growers
Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska
Schools Taking Action for Nebraska Children’s Education
Greater Nebraska Schools Association
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