Preparing to "Set Sail" for our 2017-18 "Voyage"

There's no "tired" like "August tired" for professional educators. No matter how much we get accomplished in June and July, August always hits us like a vicious Mike Tyson uppercut. We have to manage the chaos, stress, and pressure to ensure that our 2016-17 fiscal year wraps up just as our 2017-18 school year gets going. It's hectic but we wouldn't have it any other way!

The first 10-12 days of August are much like preparing for a long voyage. You have to prepare, double-check, over-plan, ensure proper procedures, communicate, provide tremendous attention to detail, and come up with alternative plans for when adversity strikes.

Now entering my 24th year in education, and 15th as a superintendent, I am more thankful than ever for our STUDENTS.

Working FOR kids is what makes education such a rewarding career. To be completely honest, I couldn't do this job if it was just for adults. Having a small hand in removing obstacles and creating opportunities for our young people is what motivates us to put up with all of the stress that comes with this profession. You navigate the brutal days by remembering "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing" and that is the needs of your students.

The stakes get higher every year. I can't remember the last time anything got dropped off our "to-do list" but things get added all the time. We're doing more than we've ever done; and we're doing it with less funding. Our students deserve our best each and every day and that's what they're going to get. We won't let them down.

As leaders of the school district, we'll need to bring more energy and excitement to work than we ever have before. We have to have "labrador enthusiasm" that is contagious and makes everyone around us excited about York Public Schools. We have to believe that 2017-18 is going to be our best voyage yet. It's about time to set sail!

A Salute to Exceptional STEP-PARENTS

Brenda Lucas is my dad's second wife of almost 40 years. On paper, she is my "step mom." In my heart, she is "mom" just like my biological mom. I love them both very much.

Last July 31st, Brenda had a heart attack in an airport in Arizona and flat-lined twice. She was brought back from death two different times. It was the worst phone call I've ever received in my life. As this July 31st rolls around, we are so fortunate to be able to send her a plant, card, and well wishes. She is doing better than ever and looks and feels amazing.

Brenda is a wonderful mom, mother-in-law, and grandma. She goes by "Oma" as her "grandma name."

I wanted to share this because there are so many outstanding "step-parents" out there that make a positive difference in the lives of kids every day. I salute all step-parents that love and support their step-kids like Brenda took me in.

Below is the message I put in a card for her to receive on Monday, the 1-year "anniversary" of her near fatal episode.

Brenda/Oma:

We love you very much! We are so thankful that you survived the heart attack last July 31st. That was the scariest phone call I've ever received and I just can't put into words how blessed we feel that you made it through.

You know, I've never really felt comfortable with the word "step-mom" because that doesn't do justice to what you mean to me. YOU are a major reason that I've been able to find some success as an adult.

When you came into my life, things could have "zigged" or "zagged" for the better or worse. You never resented the craziness that came along with my side of the family and the wounds from the divorce between my dad and other mom. You always treated me like your biological son. You never made my dad "choose" between time with me or time with you. From my very first memories with you, it's always been kindness, unselfishness, and love.

You helped make my dad into the great man he is today. You helped make our family stronger. I see so many young people today that have horrible situations that pop up through divorced parents, step-parents, etc. and I just can't thank you enough for being my MOM and not a "step-mom."

I just can't thank you enough for what you mean to me, what you mean to Liesl as a mother-in-law, or what you mean to our kids as Oma. You're a very special person.

You're one of the people I admire most in the world. Your calm demeanor, acceptance of others, unselfishness, and kind spirit motivate me each day.

I look forward to sending you a plant or a card on July 31st for decades to come. I love you as my MOM and that is such a special feeling for me to have.

Thank you for being amazing. You've impacted my life in more ways than I can express.

The link below is to a song by Brad Paisley about "step dads" so the words don't align perfectly for you and I but you will get the point...."You didn't have to be" so wonderful to me but you were/are and that makes a positive difference in my life every day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjO1F6oCab8

BE ONE

Our 2017-18 school year begins in 28 days on August 16th. I can't wait. Our theme for the year is "BE ONE." It has a double meaning that we will emphasize with students, staff, and community throughout the year.

First off, "BE ONE" is about being TOGETHER....we're ALL just a bunch of YORK DUKES. We're all part of the YPS FAMILY. We are ONE. We need to be there to help each other celebrate successes because we will have many this year. We need to be there to help each other overcome adversity because there will be plenty of that too! Whether you work at YES, YMS, YHS, the district office, pre-school, enrichment center or bus barn, we are ONE...we are York Dukes. We serve "The Y" of York Public Schools. Our duty is to make our school district better. We can't operate in silos and only worry about just our classroom or school. We're a total organization that is trying to become and stay elite in every way. Whether you're a teacher, cook, custodian, para, driver, nurse, mechanic, administrator, administrative assistant, coach, sponsor, or anything else, we're ONE as a team and work family. "BE ONE" is about being together and being part of a bigger picture that is more important than any one individual, team, building, program, or group.

Another meaning of our "BE ONE" theme is for each individual York Duke to strive to "BE ONE" that does exemplary things. BE ONE of those teachers that believes in ALL of your students and helps instill hope in everything they do. BE ONE of those teachers that does whatever needs to be done to help each student in your class learn the content they need. BE ONE of those teachers that leads with such a positive energy that others can't help but notice. BE ONE of those school employees that takes pride in everything you do, whether it is washing lunch trays, answering phones, mowing and pulling weeds, emptying trash, driving a bus, or working with small groups of students. BE ONE of those school administrators that is super-organized and willing and able to have difficult conversations as needed. BE ONE of those coaches and sponsors that helps each kid in your program feel worthy and a sense of accomplishment. BE ONE of those students that is kind to all others and won't tolerate bullying or lackluster effort. BE ONE of those students that takes advantage of the amazing opportunities you have in York. BE ONE of those students that lifts others up instead of trying to tear them down. BE ONE that is a leader and is respectful and a tremendous representative of our town, our school system, and your family.

BE ONE that does whatever has to be done, whenever it has to be done, however it has to be done to make YPS better. BE ONE that makes a positive difference every day!

BE ONE!

Trust, Sustainability, and Economic Development

The more and more involved I get with "school funding" and "property tax reform" the more convinced I am that we have a huge lack of trust between school districts and the legislature. Let me explain...for decades, schools have been accused of spending too much money, of "manipulating the system" to earn more equalization aid from the state, etc. You will hear some current and former state senators lament that "schools will spend $10 to earn $1 more in equalization aid." On the other hand, schools will be quick to point out that we've been promised "adequate" and "sustainable" funding many times in the past only to have the carpet pulled out from underneath us on a very routine basis. Trust is broken on both sides and it's not easy trying to build it back up.

School districts aren't able to operate as proactively as we would like because we have no idea what our revenue will be from year to year. Think about it, being able to reasonably project revenue with which you create a budget around for this year, next year, and two years down the road can help you become much more efficient. You can be strategic about large-ticket purchases like school buses, curriculum adoptions, technology upgrades, etc. Being proactive is always better than reactive. School boards get lambasted in the court of public opinion when they deal with a valuation increase but don't drop the levy and local tax request. Perhaps many school boards do that because they are terrified about what the next year will bring on the revenue side. You see, us "school folks" know that TEEOSA, the funding formula used here in Nebraska, has only been fully funded 3 times in the past 16 years. We know the system and how "the game" gets played legislatively and that when the state is short of money, they reduce their support to public education knowing good and well that local property taxes will fill in the gap they've created. Trust is broken on both sides and it's not easy trying to build it back up.

Many of us K-12 leaders are working hard through our local school boards and "Nebraskans United for Property Tax Reform and Education" to come up with viable solutions that will cut down on our over-reliance on local property taxes and allow for more sustainability when it comes to adequately and consistently funding high quality public schools in our state. It's a difficult and landmine filled task. Our state has an addiction to local property taxes to pay for local services. Several powerful people and organizations want to keep it that way while the vast majority of "regular Nebraskans" are literally begging for a new method of funding K-12 education and the bullets below show why!

** Nebraska K-12 schools receive 49% of their funding from local property taxes while the national average is 29%.
** YPS receives about 72% of our funding from local property taxes.

** Nebraska K-12 schools receive 33% of their funding from state sources while the national average is 47%.
** YPS receives about 18% of our funding from state sources.

Here in York, we're working towards wrapping up the 2016-17 fiscal year on August 31st. It's a fiscal year that will have us spending less than we spent in 2015-16 or 2014-15. Unfortunately, it's also a year that will see our revenue decrease by $800,000 from 2015-16 and $700,000 from 2014-15.

As we look ahead to 2017-18, the picture gets even worse. Our revenue is projected to "rebound" back up by $100,000; leaving us still way behind what we received in 2014-15 or 2015-16. Our valuation has flat-lined which is great news for our property owners but we aren't receiving any state money to fill in the gap. In fact, our total amount of state equalization aid will be $166,556. We were at $3.7 million in 2009. Keep in mind that in 2017-18, we will educate about 150 more students in 2017-18 than we did in 2009.

Our average annual spending increase will be 1.3% over the past eight years with a 0% increase since 2014-15. Curriculum adoption will be delayed again. We'll try to get another year out of our 28-year old bus.

"Trust" and "sustainability of adequate school funding" are two things I'm working hard on with my colleagues and elected officials. We have to improve both if we're going to make the monumental improvements necessary here in Nebraska.

One parting shot I would like to address is the importance of "economic development" in each community across our state. I know I sound like a "homer" but to me, K-12 education is about as big of an economic development force that any community can have. If a community doesn't have a highly effective K-12 school system, they're not going to make it. They're not going to attract new businesses or retain existing ones. They're not going to attract families to move in or to stay. In many small towns, the school district's activities are THE economic stimulus that they rely on. When I lived in Franklin, there wasn't much that brought folks to town like our awesome concerts, plays, and athletic contests. Those were the best revenue nights for our one restaurant, The Black Powder. Those were the days that our three gas stations were busy and even ol' Rightway Grocery got some extra business.

The Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce continues their negative take on Nebraska's K-12 public schools. They are quick to point out how much property tax revenue we use, how much education costs, etc. They send out one-sided info on our student assessment scores leaving the perception our schools are under-delivering and over-spending. It's a downright shame they're not proud of the fact that Nebraska's public schools have one of the highest graduation rates in the nation. It's sad they're not promoting the fact that Nebraska's public schools have the highest average ACT score in the nation for the 15+ states that have 80% or more of their kids taking the ACT. It's unfortunate the State Chamber doesn't understand the tremendous gains made all across the state on the Nebraska State Assessments since 2010. It's unbelievable they don't celebrate the extremely innovative "career education programming" in place in numerous school districts/communities across the state. Little 'ol York has 14 career academies, internship programming, work certification offerings, multiple business partnerships, and a manufacturing class. There's LOTS to be proud of!

York Public Schools has an amazing relationship with our local Chamber of Commerce. We partner up for numerous events. We appreciate each other. Many other communities and local Chambers enjoy the same level of respect and partnership. It's too bad the State Chamber of Commerce doesn't do the same.

Size Matters but Leadership is Leadership

Leadership is leadership regardless of the size of an organization. The same tenets and principles that we focused on in Franklin, a school district of 350 students, are the same ones we focus on in York, a school district of about 1,400 students. Guess what, they're the same ones I would focus on in a huge district as well if/when that ever happens.

Attention to detail, clarity of purpose, communication, follow-through, reciprocal accountability, high expectations, keeping the main thing (students) the main thing, labrador enthusiasm, insane work ethic, integrity, unselfishness, servant-mindedness, more follow-through, results-driven, action oriented, public relations, instructional leadership, even more follow-through, more communication, and relentless pursuit of improvement are strategies that work in any size organization. The only difference is how many people you have to get to buy in.

Franklin was a 2-person administrative team....we discussed the above tenets during lunch duty and put plans in place to ensure our school district was moving in the right direction like our hair was on fire. Here in York, we have formal admin team meetings twice a month for about 90-minutes each time and we use the same strategies. I would assume the same strategies are in place in Grand Island, LPS, OPS, and others.

Us small districts deal with the same issues that our colleagues in larger districts encounter; it's just on a different scale. The public relations plan we use in York with one newspaper and one radio station is most likely very similar to what is used in Omaha....they just have more media to deal with. The curriculum and instruction initiatives we have in place here are a lot like what they use in Lincoln....they just have more teachers going through it. The facilities planning in Grand Island or Papillion is a very similar approach to what we use in York....they just have more buildings. The quality processes and strategies are the same; it's just the quantity that changes.

I don't write this to offend anyone...it's just that sometimes too many people look at size to determine a school district's worth, or the value of an individual. It's not necessarily true that leaders of larger organizations are better than leaders of smaller ones. It's not necessarily true that teachers at a Class A school are better than teachers at a Class B school just because of the size of the facility.

Size matters but it is the size of each individual person's drive, heart, and passion....not the square footage of a facility, the number of students in their district, or how many people they try and lead.

Collaboration and Camaraderie within Nebraska's Public Schools

There have certainly been plenty of challenges for public education in Nebraska over the past few years. School funding, an over-reliance on local property taxes, and a politicized approach to push more "school choice" options at the expense of public education are some of the hot topics that continue to spark debate in all corners of our state.

While it's human nature to quite often dwell on the negative, there's been a lot of successes for public education in Nebraska also. Nebraska has one of the three highest graduation rates in the nation. Nebraska has the 2nd highest NAEP scores in the Midwest. Nebraska has had the highest ACT in the nation of the 15+ states with 80% or more of their students taking it and moved to a model this past April where all juniors took it and we're waiting on those scores for comparison purposes. Proficiency scores on NeSA continue to climb. Life is good in the Cornhusker state and it's going to get even better!

It's been great to see a major shift in attitudes of school leaders all across the state. We've been more close-knit. We've become more supportive of each other. We collaborate more. The attack on public education that I've blogged about so many times in recent years is making public education even better. Educators love a good challenge. We like to have a cause. We're more together than I can ever remember in my 24-year career. We realize and appreciate that we need each other to do well so we continue to push the envelope forward together. Making York better not only helps York but puts pressure on others to get better. We want to compete and raise the bar again and again and again not just for ourselves but others. All of us are always a "work in progress." We keep track of the great things going on in Millard, Gothenburg, Milford, and others. We don't want to fall behind. Let's all continue to push each other!

Educators talk more together now than we used to. We text. We email. We google hangout and we even have zoom meetings together. We support each other. We share ideas and resources. We want each other to succeed. We know the challenges that lie ahead for each of us. We not only want our school districts to do great things for kids but we want all others to do the same as well.

"Nebraska Loves Public Schools" deserves a lot of credit for this expanded camaraderie and collaboration. They've helped unite public educators all across the state. They've helped share our stories. They've shown that they appreciate the work that we do every day for every student.

York and Seward are big-time rivals. Always have been and always will be. However, in January 2015 when we needed help with a crisis, they were the first people we called and they came running to help. We would do the same. You see, all of us public educators are in this thing together. You might be a Duke, a Bluejay, a Wildcat, Cardinal, Tiger, Titan, Duster, Viking, Bronco, or a Ram but we're all in the kid business. We all have to do whatever we can to make our schools the best they can be for our students.

I'm proud to be a public educator in Nebraska with the likes of Mike Teahon in Gothenburg, John Skretta at Norris, Greg Barnes at ESU 11, Jennifer Stengel at Fillmore Central, Mark Adler in Ralston, Jim Sutfin in Millard, Holly Herzberg in Hampton, Mike Herzberg in Grand Island, Craig Badura in Aurora, Brent Hollinger at Cross County, Clark Vetter in Franklin, Melissa Wheelock in Minden, Pat Nauroth in Beatrice, Brandon Mowinkel and Kevin Wingard in Milford, Garrett Borcher in Crete, Vern Fisher at Gibbon, Caroline Winchester in Chadron, Brandon Lavely in Wahoo, Stephen Grizzle in Fairbury, Jeff Edwards in Nebraska City, Darren Tobey at Southern Valley, Kevin Riley in Gretna, Blane McCann at Omaha Westside, and hundreds of others that I am lucky to be able to call, tweet, or text whenever I need support or advice or just someone that understands the world we live in.

Nebraska's public schools are worth celebrating. They're worth protecting. We're all in this thing together and the turbulence will continue.

An Entire Week of Reflection

My third child and oldest son, Jeb, will turn 17 this Friday, June 23rd. His is a story worth telling.

On Sunday, June 18, 2000 my wife and I traveled back to our home in Parsons, Kansas from attending some College World Series games in Omaha. We were going to get some sleep, wake up on Monday, June 19th, and pack up our house as we were getting ready to move to West Point, Nebraska to serve as their elementary principal. That's when all hell broke loose.

Around 7:00 AM that Monday, Liesl woke up and told me she thought she was going into labor, that her water broke, etc. Her initial reaction was excitement. Mine was fear. This was just over 7-weeks before Jeb's due date. This was too early. Having had an adopted brother die when I was in 5th grade from under-developed heart issues when he was just 21-days old, I knew all too well about premature birth concerns.

I rushed Liesl to the hospital in Parsons and they said they weren't equipped to meet her needs. She was transported by ambulance to Joplin, Missouri (about an hour away) while I followed behind in our mini-van. The rest of the day was kind of a blur but I remember the doctor telling us that he was able to delay Liesl's contractions and was confident he could buy us another week to ten days before Jeb would be born. They began to give steroid shots to enhance his development, etc. By the time we went to sleep Monday night in the hospital, we were feeling a little better about things but still scared.

On Tuesday, the doctor came back in for an evaluation and said that Liesl would definitely hold off for at least a week. He told me to go ahead and get our house in Parsons cleaned out (we were closing the sale that week) and get our stuff up to West Point and then come back. He was thinking Monday, June 26th at the earliest. He said we had plenty of time.

With Liesl's permission, I left on Wednesday morning to go back to Parsons to get us moved. I was going to pack up our house on Wednesday and unload it on Thursday and get back to Joplin on Friday. The plan was put into place.

Wednesday, June 21st was horrible....it rained all day....my dad had flown out from Florida to help me and we had one of my buddies and three adults with intellectual disabilities that he supervised help us load up everything. I really stunk at driving a UHAUL truck and a trailer. I couldn't back up....I couldn't see anything....it was a long day.

Thursday, June 22nd was a long day in West Point unloading all of our belongings. It took all day and I remember getting back to Omaha around 10:00 PM to sleep a little and leave for Joplin at 8:00 AM on Friday.

Around 5:00 AM on Friday, Liesl called me and told me she was going into labor. She said she knew she was going to have Jeb that morning even though the nurses kept telling her she wouldn't. I was terrified....I was 5.5 hours away and wanted to be there for her and Jeb. I took off and literally drove 100 mph the whole way...I really did....never saw a police officer either....I was driving a 1995 F-150 that luckily had two gas tanks....I can't explain the fear and helplessness I felt...I pulled over about 8:30 AM and called the hospital from a pay phone and was told that Jeb Jarrod Lucas was born at 7:49 AM and that he wasn't doing very well....they didn't provide lots of info....

I got back in the truck and drove faster and got to the hospital around 9:50 AM, right as the "low fuel" light came on in my second gas tank. I ran faster than I'd ever run before to see Liesl. Jeb had been taken to Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) and I couldn't see him yet. Liesl was a champ...so strong...so brave...so amazing.

Around 10:30 AM, I washed up, put on sterilized gloves, etc. and got to go in and see Jeb for the first time. He was little...less than 5 pounds but he looked big compared to other babies in there. I felt so bad for not being there when he was born. I felt so bad he was struggling. He had under-developed lungs, heart issues, and severe apnea. He already had cords and wires all over him.

The next few days are a blur...we moved into the Ronald McDonald house across the street from the hospital...we met some amazing and strong people....we would go see Jeb as much as we could every day and night and go back to our room and cry and cry and try to sleep. Jeb would quit breathing and have sever apnea episodes all of the time. On July 4th, we were told that Jeb was strong enough to go home and Liesl and I went through infant CPR training and learned how to work his apnea monitor, cords, etc.

Scared out of our minds, we loaded Jeb and everything up that afternoon and drove to Omaha to stay at Nan and Papa's, my in-laws. It was the most scared I've ever been. Every little sound made us think Jeb wasn't breathing. We got to Omaha and Jeb had over 20 apnea episodes that night...he had to taken to Children's Hospital as he took a turn for the worse....it was so scary.

Jeb stayed in Children's for about 10 days as I recall. He came home for good on/around July 16th. Liesl was unbelievable as she never put him down, hardly ever slept, and did whatever needed to be done to ensure he was safe. Jeb had the heart and apnea monitor for the first 12-15 months of his life. I can still hear that gosh-awful shrill sound of the alarm that sounded when he quit breathing. By the fall of 2001, Jeb was growing and getting stronger and healthier. He made it. He made it thanks to my wife. He made it thanks to God. He made it.

By the time Jeb was two, you would never have known what a rough start he got off to. He was ornery. He was fun. He was becoming one of my best friends, along with Taylor and Micah.

I'm lucky that I still get to call Jeb one of my best friends. I'm proud of the young man he is becoming. I'm thankful that he overcame such a rough beginning. I know there are way too many families that lose children and as I say my prayers every night, I always say "thanks" for allowing Jeb to stay with us.

As the calendar lined up this week and June 23rd was a Friday in 2017 like it was in 2000, it forced me to re-think how that week and summer played out. It has caused me to be thankful all over again. Liesl and I are so thankful for the Ronald McDonald House and the nurses and doctors that cared for Jeb.

I won't let Jeb see me, but I'm sure I will shed a thankful tear on Friday like I do every June 23rd.