GIPS Board Brief February 13, 2026

The Grand Island Public Schools "Board Brief" is an online monthly publication sharing the Board of Education meeting highlights, updates, campus recognitions, and more.

Here's a recap of the February 2026 Regular Board Meeting.

• Agenda
• Video Stream
• All Board Members were present.

SYN is a competitive, audition-only honor choir sponsored by the Nebraska Choral Directors Association (NCDA). Lillie was one of only 126 Middle School students selected from a competitive pool of 340 auditionees across the state. Lillie was the proud, lone representative from Grand Island Public Schools at SYN.

Featured in the photo is Superintendent Matt Fisher, Barr Principal Sheree Stockwell, Barr Vocal Music Teacher Rachel Cossey, Lillie Berg (8th Grade), & Board President Hank McFarland.

Way to go, Lillie!

A new but not unfamiliar face will be joining the Grand Island Public Schools Board of Education.

On Thursday, February 12, 2026, the GIPS Board interviewed four candidates and voted to appoint Dr. Kent Mann for the vacant Ward A seat.

“I am very humbled, honored, and excited to be appointed to serve Ward A on the Board of Education. I look forward to returning to the district and to serving Grand Island Public Schools in this role.”

Dr. Mann has been a fixture in public education carrying over 40 years of experience as a Teacher, Principal, Superintendent, and Collegiate Educator. Familiar to Grand Island Public Schools, Dr. Mann most notably served a successful tenure as Principal of Grand Island Senior High for 19 years.

Read the full announcement HERE.

What will our schools look like five, ten, twenty-five, even fifty years from now?

That is the big question the Grand Island Public Schools (GIPS) Board of Education has been wrestling with. Through community conversations, brainstorming as a Board, and sharing concepts with the public any chance they get — the Board and the GIPS District Leadership are seeking to position the district to accommodate what is projected to be sizable community growth in the coming years.

Now, the Board is ready to flesh out some ideas, roll them out to the Grand Island community, and gather feedback from students, staff, families, and community patrons.

Read the full article HERE.

Listen to the full presentation HERE.

Mr. Matt Fisher, GIPS Superintendent, shared an update regarding an opportunity to expand school Unified Track & Field opportunities in the community.

Grand Island Central Catholic has a student who is interested in pursuing Unified Track & Field as an extracurricular activity. Since Grand Island Senior High (GISH) already operates a Unified Track program, GICC would like to have the opportunity to have their student participate as well.

GISH is more than happy to include GICC into the Unified Track opportunities. Part of that process is to have the Board of Education review and approve the expansion of the cooperative.

This was shared as both an information item and action item as the approval needs to be finalized before March.

Hear the full presentation HERE.

Dr. Carrie Kolar, GIPS Chief of Human Capital Management, shared the proposed staffing plan for the 2026-27 GIPS school year.

Assessing the district needs for the upcoming school year, GIPS continues its primary focus on hiring educators who directly and positively impact student success. Requested additions to GIPS staffing for the next school year include:

• Teaching staff for a minimum of two new classroom teachers.
  
  
• Computer Sciences Teacher at GISH to help fulfill an NDE requirement.

• Intervention Specialist who would serve students district-wide.
  
  
• Assistant Principal positions at Dodge, Howard, & Starr Elementary Schools.

The overall financial impact to the GIPS General Fund (after designated state reimbursement and other factors) would be approximately $459,500.

This was shared as both an information item and a votable action item at the February Board meeting to help the HR Department be proactive in the upcoming hiring season.

Hear the presentation HERE.

Mr. Dan Petsch, GIPS Director of Buildings & Grounds, shared an update on the ongoing facility camera upgrades.

The facility camera upgrades is a project that began a year ago. Phase II would include bringing those upgrades to another set of buildings that have not received them yet. The buildings included would be:

• Barr Middle School
• Gates Elementary
• Howard Elementary
• Indra House
• Islander Annex
• Jefferson Elementary
• Kneale Administration Building
• Knickrehm Elementary
• Lincoln Elementary
• Stolley Park Elementary
• Wasmer Elementary
• O'Connor Learning Center

The upgrades would make the camera monitoring systems better and more reliable in our schools. The overall estimated cost for phase II of the project would be $1,561,266 with an estimated completion date of December 31st, 2026.

This was shared as both an information and a votable action item at the February Board meeting so that work may move forward in a timely fashion.

Hear the presentation HERE.

Mr. Fisher shared the latest installment of district policy reviews and proposed updates. Descriptions of the proposals may be found immediately below.

Hear Mr. Fisher's full presentation on policies HERE.

Regular review of an existing policy.

The primary adjustment would be to remove the concept of holding a "permanent census" and opting instead for a "continuing census" on-hand being as student movement is in fluctuation throughout the year.

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

Regular review of an existing policy.

Adjusting the policy to better meet the requirements of the current Federal guidelines.

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

Regular review of an existing policy.

The proposed changes would be to remove the clarification of "Elementary Teachers" and instead opt for language that includes all teachers. If approved, the change would also re-title the policy to "Certified Staff Preparation Time".

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

Regular review of an existing policy.

Proposed change would be to add the following provision to better match our current practice and accommodations:

"Grand Island Public Schools has established a Leave Sharing Program which allows eligible

employees to donate leave days and to request donated leave if they are affected by a Medical

Emergency. The Leave Sharing Program will be administered by the Chief of Human Capital

Management or a person designated by the superintendent."

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

Regular review of an existing policy.

Since this policy hadn't been reviewed for quite some time, the proposed changes would be to update the language to better match with best practices that are being used in the district and other like-minded public school districts.

The main intention of the policy is staying the same, but the language around "teachers shall refrain from advocating partisan causes" is clearer.

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

Regular review of an existing policy.

The only proposed change would be to remove the requirement that the calendar be reviewed and approved annually. Instead, this opens the opportunity for calendars to be presented for two years at a time.

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

Regular review of an existing policy.

No proposed changes at this time.

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

Regular review of an existing policy.

The only proposed change is to remove "The" from the front of Grand Island Public Schools.

This was shared as a first read item and will be up for approval at the March Board meeting.

1. With scholarship applications closed as of Feb. 5, the Foundation is utilizing user-friendly web data to streamline the selection process. The Foundation is currently recruiting a team of 100 volunteers to conduct "blind" reviews (using student ID numbers to ensure impartiality). Training begins the last week of February. Any school Board members interested in volunteering for the review committee should contact the GIPS Foundation.
   
   
2. The Foundation is also gearing up for the 2026 Annual Staff and Board Giving Campaign, kickoff will be on March 30, 2026. We have set some amazing goals for the 2026 campaign. The Staff Giving Campaign has consistently surpassed all expectations. Our GIPS Staff and Board remain leaders in participation levels across Nebraska. Dr. Tom & Lynne Werner will serve as our 2026 Campaign Chairs.
   
   
3. Other action items on the Foundation Board’s Agenda this month: Seeking approval for the 2026 Scholarship Offer/Award Plan and the slate of volunteer reviewers.
   
   
4. The GIPS Foundation staff completed their Annual Planning Session on January 27, 2026; the resulting report will be presented to the Foundation Board for review.
   
   
5. The 2025 Impact Report has been published to the Foundation website, detailing the year's success in supporting GIPS students. This report is posted on our website.

Katherin Xicara, GISH Senior, was elected by his peers to represent them on the Board of Education as a Student Representative. At each Board Meeting, she shares a student report.

Highlights from Katherin's report include:

GISH Updates:

GIPS Updates:

• Westridge Show Choir, ENCORE, was one of only two Middle Schools to win a Gold Award at the NCDA Show Choir Festival

• Newell Elementary continues to host their "Sign the Shield" ceremony each Friday where students are recognized for being Responsible, Respectful, & Safe.

• Barr Middle School singers earned statewide recognition through Lillie Berg auditioning and being selected for Singing Youth of Nebraska and eleven other Barr singers volunteering to participate in Sing Around Nebraska.

• Lincoln Elementary hosted a family friendly Valentine’s Day dance

Staff Shout-Out:

• Michala Soundy, GISH Academy Experiences Liaison
  
  

Hear the full report HERE.

Mr. Fisher shared a Superintendent Report with the Board.

Hear Mr. Fisher's full report HERE.

See above information item for rationale.

MOTION PASSED: 8 - 0

See above information item for rationale.

MOTION PASSED: 8 - 0

See above information item for rationale.

MOTION PASSED: 8 - 0

Regular renewal of the agreement of services GIPS contracts every year.

MOTION PASSED: 8 - 0