Weather causes Lincoln floodings

By Dan DuChene
Jan. 27, 2009    ·    2:15 a.m.

Board meets at Childs to discuss changes in kindergarten program

The Lincoln Consolidated Board of Education met at Childs Elementary Monday night, as the district’s senior center is being repaired from flood damage.

The Lincoln Senior Center is one of several areas in the district affected by flooding during the cold temperatures the area has been receiving this winter. Pipes froze and burst in burst in the high school’s gym, main office, two art classrooms and a bathroom.

Extensive damage was caused to floor boards, carpeting, computers, light fixtures and infrastructure. Superintendent Lynn Cleary said work has already started to repair the damage. She said the senior center should be done within two weeks, and the other repairs within a month.

The separate incidents happened within weeks of each other, from the winter break to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“This was a mess,” Cleary said. “I have never seen team work like I saw when this all came down.”

She said the district’s staff and administrators came together and worked well to get the district running efficiently despite the problems, which were caused by power outages, lack of insulation and poor circulation.

Cleary told the board the district would have to pay a $2,000 deductable, but the remainder of the cost would be covered by insurance. She said staff would be going through the district’s buildings to catch other trouble spots.

“We will be proactive before we have to be reactive again,” she said.

Business discussed at the meeting included extending more of the district’s kindergarten classes to full-day sessions. Two experimental full-day sessions were offered at Childs Elementary this year.

Though the state will require school districts to make all kindergarten classes full-day sessions by the 2010-2011 school year, Lincoln discussed implementing the policy earlier, and extend the program’s days starting in the next academic year.

Though the decision will not be made until the board’s meeting next month, several of the board members spoke in favor of moving all but two kindergarten sessions at Model Elementary to the full-day program.

Cleary pointed out during discussion that the district shows growth in first grade recruitment because some parents take their children to other schools to find full-day kindergarten and bring them back to attend Lincoln Schools for regular elementary classes.

“I think it’s a great marketing tool and good for the district,” Board Treasurer Kenneth Goetz said at the meeting.

Goetz also suggested creating a raffle for the two remaining half-day sessions, as some parents may be more interested in the old kindergarten program. Cleary said the district may also implement a young-fives program for children in the district not yet ready to attend kindergarten.