York Public Schools
“TO-DO LIST” 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

• Increase availability of math interventions

• • YES using Compass learning for Math supports
  • YES using Xtra Math program
  • YMS added a “Math Plus” class for students in co-taught math
  • YMS has Math interventionist 3 periods per day
  • Math Strategies and Peer Tutoring at YHS
  • ALEKS computerized math program in study skills
  • YHS added “Technical Math” in 2016-17
• Peer tutoring/mentoring
  • HOPE Squads added by school counselors in each building for 2017-18
  • Circle of Friends at YHS, YMS, and YES
  • Lunch Bunch at YES
  • SUCCESSful Friends in YMS SUCCESS class – peers with SUCCESS students
  • BOOST and All Stars programs
  • Over 150 Teammates matches

• Enrichment and exploratory options

• • Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship class launched at YMS in January 2018
  • Invention Convention and Science Expo
  • Robotics
  • Code Club at YES launched in 2015-16
  • Entrepreneurship Academy began in July 2015
  • Math Counts
  • Bright Lights
  • Summer Learning Academies
  • State Fair Competitions
  • Art Club
• Career exploration
  • Career Academies
  • College Access Grant
  • Career Day – YMS
  • SUCCESS students at YHS with Mosaic – Recycling, Meals on Wheels, etc.
  • Job shadowing with Career Academy and Peru State classes
  • Agronomy Academy that began in 2014-15
  • Work Certification Program through NCTA, Reinke, & CVA launched in Sept. 2015
  • Added partnerships at Champion Homes and UTC in 2017-18

• College credit course offerings
  • 888 credits were earned in 2016-17 (small senior class)
  • 942 credits earned in 2015-16
  • 938 credits earned in 2014-15
  • 1,072 credits earned in 2012-13

• On-line courses
  • Began in Spring 2015 with AP Environmental Science
  • Use of upper level Edgenuity classes
  • Willing and able to meet other individualized needs/desires
• Career Academy and job shadow pursuits
  • Many local businesses being utilized on differentiated circumstances
  • Very successful launch of York General partnership with Josh Miller’s class in Fall 2016 that looks to continue

• “Life skills programming”
  • Project SEARCH
  • Vocational opportunities with Region V and Mosaic

• Increase course offerings
  • Work certification programming through NCTA began in Sept 2015
  • “Coding” clubs at YES and class work at YMS began in 2014
  • Theater/Speech class at YMS
  • Technology curriculum map update
  • Looking to add manufacturing/entrepreneurship course at YMS in 2017-18

• Before/After-School Programs
  • Began in 2011-12
  • Received renewal grant for a 5-year continuation program that began in 2016-17
  • Received a $20,000 grant from the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation for 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 ($20,000 for each of these three individual years)
    • Began programming in 2017-18 on days out of school within August – May
• Summer Programming
  • Entrepreneurship Academy began in July 2015
  • Learning Academies began in 2010
  • BOOST and All Stars
  • Young Nebraska Scientists held an Ag Bio Tech Camp in June 2017
  • Bright Lights programming in Lincoln every June and July

• High Ability Learner programming
  • Bright Lights
  • Entrepreneurship Academy began in July 2015
  • Revamped identification and communication protocol
  • STEM/STEAM added at YMS in 2016-17
  • Math Counts teams added at YES and YMS in 2014
  • Science Olympiad teams added at YES and YMS in 2014
  • Compass Learning “grouping” at YES

• Birth-to-Five programming
  • Looking into facility issues as of January 2018 with SCC and YCDC
  • Expanded programming through additional grants in 2012 and 2013
  • Looking to apply for new grant through sixpence at  LB547
  • Early Childhood Summit – Mid Nebraska Conference in York has become an outstanding conference led by Kris Friesen and staff
  • Continued partnership with York County Head Start

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

• Purposeful technology integration within our curriculum

• • Part of our Wednesday early-out plans
  • Teacher-driven at the building level
  • Digital Citizenship Curriculum
  • Large group of teachers attend NETA each year
  • Teachers presenting to other teachers at MLK conference
• Effective strategies for working with special needs students
  • Emphasized annually at MLK in-service and in building level offerings
  • Contracted with Munroe Meyer for severely impaired behavior/low cognition
  • Co-Teaching Book Study 2013-14, using Marilyn Friend’s work
  • Joined Special Olympics Nebraska’s “UNIFIED SCHOOLS” Program in 2016-17
  • Unified Bowling at YHS launched in Fall 2017
• Individualized instruction
• • Emphasized at YES with use of “Compass Learning” instructional paths
  • YHS has individual learning plans developed and implemented

• • • Tami presented on this topic at the state AQuESTT Conference in 2015
• RTI
  • RTI teams at YES with a systematic RTI process that is written/followed
  • Written RTI  process in place in all buildings and is often the topic of grade level team meetings
  • Implemented a 3-tier RTI model that includes Grade Level Teams at YHS

• Marzano’s “Science of Teaching”
  • Cohort groups each year
  • Large whole group instructional model work began May 2015
  • Teacher buy-in has increased in 2017-18 as it is leading towards revamped teacher evaluation model
  • Monthly themes are addressed in each building with a district-wide perspective
• Anita Archer Strategies shared with YES Staff in 2015-16 

• Growth Mindset book study at YES in 2014-15 and 2015-16 

• “Instructional Rounds”
  • Began in 2013 and allows teachers to visit other buildings
  • Assists with our transitional planning from 5^th to 6^th and 8^th to 9^th grades
  • Part of our “new teacher orientation” process as well
• New Teacher Orientation
  • Additional day each September to learn more, revisit important initiatives, visit teachers in other buildings, etc.
  • Will incorporate more civic offerings and a sense of community

COMMUNICATION

• Community Coffees

• • Traveled to YGH and Senior Center in 2017-18
  • Implemented a “traveling community coffee” at Willowbrook in Oct. 2015
    • Senior Center in May 2017
    • Visited Willowbrook and Mahoney House in Fall 2016
  • Had a very successful coffee/community tour of Animal Science Lab on 12-8-15 with an estimated 400 folks in attendance
    • Replicated this in December 2016 with tours of welding lab and parent program on digital citizenship in the YHS media center before the Band Concert
• Social media
  • Daily use of Twitter and Facebook to communicate with parents and patrons
  • Presented at NETA in Spring and Fall 2015, Fall 2016, and in April 2017
  • Instagram #yorkdukes was added in the Fall of 2015
  • Google Community for York Instruction, New Teachers, Marzano Cohorts
  • Superintedent’s blog is done weekly
  • STRIV system greatly enhanced during 2017-18 with new equipment and processes to improve our productions and visibility
• Website
  • Checked daily for freshness
  • Moved to Striv Website for 2016-17
  • Added a sticky note feature to grab attention for special notices in January 2018

• Press releases
  • Done at least quarterly and often more frequently
  • “When did Public Education Become the Enemy” received nationwide attention the week of January 11, 2016
  • Numerous guest columns in the YNT, LJS, and OWH dealing with property tax relief and other pertinent topics

• Staff visibility and involvement within community
  • Volunteerism, service clubs, churches, etc. 

• Alumni outreach
  • Sent out 1^st alumni newsletter in Summer 2015
  • Held first “come back home event” in Sept 2016
  • Continue to work on this with various committees
• Expand awareness of the YPS Foundation
  • Included info in our alumni newsletter
  • An articles was placed in the York News-Times in the Fall of 2015

• Added “Lunch and Learns” in 2016-17
  • Held at Senior Center and district office in 2017-18 on a variety of topics with student and staff presenters

• Continued emphasis on “inside-out” communications where our staff hears about “issues” and sees press releases, agendas, etc. before parents and patrons do

FACILITIES

• Provide safe, nurturing, attractive, and healthy environments 

• Pursue a PLAY/EC facility on YES campus
  • Compare/contrast adding on to YES vs. a stand-alone facility
  • Moved PLAY to YES campus during 2017-18

• Annual summer projects as addressed in our 7-Year Facilities Plan

• • See updated facilities plan

• Continued cooperation with City of York regarding facility usage
  • ½% sales tax referendum passed in November 2014 for quiet zone and ball field complex
  • Held Special Olympics Nebraska Flag Football event in October 2017 and will do so again in October 2018

• Continue to pursue viable, long-term solutions for our Enrichment Center needs
  • New rental location began in July 2016

SCHOOL FINANCE

• Maximize all sources of revenue to meet our needs/challenges 

• Receive more money than we spend each year within General Fund

• • Audited data

• Pursue sustainable grants
  • At least one grant valued at $10,000 or more is pursued each quarter
  • $20,000 grant to help with purchase of new bus in February 2018
  • $20,000 “Beyond School Bells” grant for 2017-18 to add more after-school programming

• Effectively use depreciation and building funds to address district needs
  • OCTOBER 2014

• • • Depreciation had $57,612
    • Building Fund had $571,499
  • OCTOBER 2015
    • Depreciation had $175,330
    • Building Fund had $390,372
  • OCTOBER 2016
    • Depreciation had $112,491
    • Building Fund had $360,236

• OCTOBER 2017
  • Depreciation had $82,696
  • Building Fund had $228,163 + $251,851 in “savings” for larger projects

• Build up cash reserve within General Fund
  • At the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year, we had –($995,591) due to a line of credit
  • At the end of the 2012-13 fiscal year, we had $576,246
  • At the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year, we had $1,183,046
  • At the end of the 2015-16 fiscal year, we had $1,828,412
  • At the end of the 2016-17 fiscal year, we had $1,505,119