Leadership Rules

1. If you're not at the table; you're on the menu.
2. You never know what will walk through that door.
3. Never wrestle with a pig- you will get dirty and the pig likes it.
4. Today's pig is tomorrow's pork.
5. Scorpions do what scorpions do.
6. Nobody wants to hear about the labor pains; but everybody wants to see the baby.
7. You can't fix parents.
8. If everything is important, nothing is important.
9. The world is run by people who show up.
10. A horrible ending is better than horrors without end.
11. There is no mud on the high road.
12. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
13. Overkill is underrated.
14. If you don't have an M.D. in your pocket, don't give medical advice.
15. Down time is reading time.
16. Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel.
17. Once the local media attacks- you are finished.
18. It doesn't matter where you are on the food chain when the feeding frenzy starts.
19. Budgeting is a matter of priority; schools can have everything that they want- they just cannot have everything that they want.
20. Education is about evolution-not resolution; but you had better evolve fast.
21. You can't tap dance on the deck of a sinking ship.
22. The formula for insanity: Do the same thing and expect different results.
23. The recipe for failure is to acquire a larger piece of a shrinking market.
24. Nobody looks for a shark in their swimming pool.
25. A scheme beats a dream every time.
26. You can't counted in until you can be counted on.
27. A is A
28. Nature to be commanded must be obeyed.
29. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.
30. Function follows form.
31. Politics is the art of controlling your environment.
32. Pigs get fat- and hogs get slaughtered.
33. Paranoia will destroy ya.
34. Don't try to do the job of a Board Member until you are elected.
35. Show me the money.
36. Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand.
37. I do nothing- but everything gets done.
38. If you hand out cookies; you make cookie monsters.
39. The last word is expensive.
40. First thought wrong.
41. Good artists copy- great artists steal.
42. Drive for show- putt for dough.
43. When you put blood in the water- you will have to kill the sharks.
44. A lot of people have won one in a row.
45. If you've got no animals; you've got no zoo.
46. We don't just follow the rules we like.
47. Two people can keep a secret- if one of them is dead.
48. Don't let the bankers run your business.
49. Leave your parent hat at home.
50. Don't mess in the affairs of dragons if you are crunchy and taste good covered in ketchup.
51. Tough times do not build character- they reveal it.
52. Don't be nice in writing.
53. Everyone is going to tell you how smart you are, and how cleaver you are; and we both know you ain't.
54. Don't lose a game to prove a point.
55. I would rather win than lose, be ahead rather than behind, and have the ball rather than not have the ball.
56. Water the flowers and pull the weeds.
57. The circus don't stay in town all year.
58. Eliminate those who are not motivated.
59. How many trees do you need to see?
60. It's a big chair.
61. Clowns and leaders don't mix.
62. What you have the power to do; you have the power not to do.
63. Mind your business- keep your hands to yourself.
64. Unless the police laugh- It's not a joke.
65. It suffices.

Summer is in full swing at LCPS

Classes may not be in session, but there is a lot going on at LCPS this summer. Some of the major facilities projects that are in the works include:

• Re-carpeting the band room
• Painting the walls in the secondary wing 
• Re-finishing both gym floors
• Replacing annex gutters and down spouts
• Upgrading drainage on the west side of the elementary building
• Creating a pick-up and drop-off (no parking)  zone at the Primary School

We are currently waiting to take delivery on the new copiers and will be getting the new laptops ready for students as soon as the new computers arrive.

Many of our staff members will take part in various training this summer, and we are planning  for  MAP training for teachers in August.


The board of education will continue to work on its vision for the district and address district goals and priorities. As you can see, we'll be busy. Have a great summer!

Go Red Raiders

LCPS Moving to 24/7 Learning Model w. Increased Technology

The Loup City Public schools will partner with Computer Hardware and Lenovo Corporation to significantly upgrade district technology beginning in the fall of 2011.  The technology plan, approved by the Loup City Board at a Special May 19th meeting will feature the addition of  laptop carts (each containing 30 computers)  in the Primary (grades K-3), Elementary (grades 4-6), and Junior-High  (grades 7 & 8) grades. Students in grades 9-12 will be part of the district's 1 to 1 student laptops program.

The  24/7 Learning program, which has been more than a year in the making, has been developed by Junior-Senior High School Principal Nick Hodge. Mr. Hodge and the Jr.-Sr. High School faculty are developing curricular enhancements to take advantage of the enhanced potential of 1 to 1 student laptops. Administrative intern Sara Paider, is working with the elementary faculty to develop curricular, enrichment, and accelerated learning applications that will integrate the K-6 mobile laps into teaching and learning at the elementary school.

Earlier this year, the wireless capacity of the two district attendance centers was enhanced to handle the increased demands of a significant upgrade in district technology. Loup City Public Schools now features state-of-the art infrastructural and technology models to prepare K-12 students for 21st century learning.

With the addition of new mobile  labs and 1 to 1 student laptops, computer labs in the district are being phased out. The new technology model will also provide increased capacity to meet the demands of for district testing, specifically the NeSA and MAP assessments.

The Loup City Board of Education deserves special commendation for being foresighted and proactive in approving the technology plan in these uncertain economic times. The Board has set aside funds for technology upgrades for several years- making this project possible.

Work has already started to make sure that 24/7 learning is ready to roll out on day one of the 2011-12 school year.

Five LCPS Classes Achieve Reading Incentives

At the beginning of the school year,  LCPS classes were challenged with readings goals in either the DIBELS (grades K-2) or NeSA (grades 3-8, 11) reading assessments. Five classes achieved their goals and will be rewarded with an incentive, which was chosen by the students. Classes achieving their reading goals and the incentives that they earned are:

• 2nd Grade (Pizza and Movie)
• 3rd Grade (Pizza and Picnic)
• 4th Grade (Pizza and Bowling)
• 6th Grade Lock-in)
• 11th Grade (1/2 day off of School)

The bar will continue to be raised next year, when our students will be challenged with lofty goals in both both reading and math. Our district philosophy in assessment is to be successful by any measure- and we are proud of the effort put forth by our teachers and students in as we peruse high standards of achievement.

LB 235 Passes: Doing More with Less is the new Normal

It's Official, LB235 Calls for Huge Cuts in State Aid to Nebraska School Districts

The Loup City School District is losing over 90% of its state aid from 2010-11 to 2011-12 based upon the passage of LB235 by the Nebraska legislature. The new state aid law will fund state aid to education at a level of $822 million. State aid to schools this year totals $950 million. LCPS received $500,296.69 in aid for 2010-11 and is projected to receive $32,750 dollars in 2011-12.

The funding model published by the Nebraska Department of Education office includes specifics for Loup City and other schools across the state and is available at http://www.education.ne.gov/FOS/SchoolFinance/Downloads/LB235Model_Comparison.pdf

The district with input and support from the staff, students, and district patrons are working to ensure our budget will be able to withstand the cuts dealt to us and we will continue to provide top quality educational services to our students. No instructional programs or staff positions have been eliminated. However, there is no way to sugarcoat the loss in aid or to describe its impact as negligible. The cuts are more acutely painful because LCPS is one of the most efficiently managed districts in the state in terms of low general-fund levy and healthy cash reserve. Those practices of sound fiscal management now seem to be working against the district as state aid is calculated under the new formula.

Several measures are already in place to cover help lessen the impact of the loss of nearly $400,000 in state aid. Our staff has been very judicious in the use of district resources by doing such things as making fewer copies, conserving electricity, combining class field trips, and curtailing professional development activities. Currently we have reduced year-to-date spending over $60,000 compared to this time in 2009-10. Funds not spent from this year's budget will be carried over to the 2012-13 budget to help lessen the impact of our loss in state aid.

Operational efficiency measures have been instituted , but are not sufficient to make up drastic shortfalls since over 85% of district costs are directly attributable to personnel costs in salary, wages, and benefits.

The dilemma of dealing with cuts while contemplating increased property tax burdens will be before the Board when officially adopting the district budget in September of 2011 for the 11-12 year. Total district property valuation has increased by at least 5% over the last five years and over 7% on average the last three years.

The local general fund property tax levy currently sits at .96 and the last assessment from the County Treasurers had Loup City with $278 million in valuation. The general fund property tax can be set within a range from .95 to 1.05. The cut in state aid is so substantial that only by raising the general fund levy above $1.04 would lost state aid revenue be recouped. Our forecasting models for next year are based on a historical valuation increase of 5%, which would generate an additional $130,000 in general fund revenue at the current tax levy.

While the state aid cuts are now set in stone-official certification of state aid is scheduled for July- the work preparing for the shortfall is being accomplished through the strong collective efforts of the Board of Education, the leadership of administration and the input of the Loup City Education Association and of district patrons. The Loup City district has held community forums and Special Board meetings to gather input on the reduction process. The Board feels that collectively, they and administration have been left to do the difficult, disappointing work at the local level of enacting cuts handed down at state level.

Long-term prospects for the district remain excellent fueled by growing enrollment in the elementary grades healthy farm economy and well maintained cash reserves. However, the immediate future will continue to challenge us to be creative in how we use resources. The current provisions passed in LB235 stipulate levels of aid funding for 2012-13 that will basically flatline school budgets for the biennium of 11-12 and 12-13. The allowable growth restrictions in the new law mean the district will have to continue to incorporate efficiency measures in order to manage other costs that will be projected to increase for 12-13, such as food, fuel, utilities, and insurance premiums.

We have labeled our budget initiatives, “Doing More with Less.” The passage of LB235 will insure that doing more with less is now the new normal for schools.

(Thanks to Mr. John Skretta, Supt. Of the Norris School District for his consultation on this article-used by permission)

LCPS Budget Information Update

The budget  information that was presented at the 4-19-11 Special Board Meeting is available on the LCPS School Web Site.  Links are available for my entire budget presentation as well as the prioritized budget option list form the Special Meeting.

Please join the budget discussion on the LCPS Facebook page, just click on the "Discussions" link on the left side of the page to access current LCPS discussions.