Special thank you to Superintendent Andrew Rikli for the interview below and the Papillion-La Vista School District for the Discovery Tour.
1. Please tell us about yourself and how long you’ve been superintendent
of the Papillion-La Vista School District.
I am a lifelong educator. I started as a classroom teacher and coach in
Lincoln Public Schools before moving to Omaha and working with the
Nebraska Department of Education. Prior to moving to Papillion, I worked
10 years with the Westside Community Schools. I am completing my fifth
year as Superintendent of the Papillion La Vista Community Schools. I am
most proud of being a husband to my lovely wife Amy and having three young
children who attend the District.
2. Please tell us what makes the Papillion-La Vista School District special.
There are many things that make Papillion La Vista Schools so special. I
believe our community involvement is one of the most significant. Everyone
here is so invested in our schools, and they want to see us succeed. My
family and I have lived and worked in many communities across the Midwest,
and we’ve never experienced a better, more committed school district than
ours.
3. Thank you for the opportunity to visit three of the schools in the
district. One of them, Carriage Hill Elementary, is an older school.
Please tell us about its modernization needs.
Carriage Hill has many needs given its age. First, we plan to renovate the
front entryway so that we have better security in place for our students
and staff. We also have several “open” classrooms that we need to
construct walls and closed entryways to keep our students safe. Lastly, we
will expand several smaller classrooms and build a finishing kitchen to
give students more healthy eating options.
4. What sort of improvements are planned for Papillion-La Vista South High
School?
PLHS and PLSHS will receive similar improvements. Both buildings will have
expanded cafeterias and renovated entryways to make our students more
secure. Both buildings will also have a Flexible Learning Space and new PE
classrooms so that teachers and administrators will have the ability to
meet the changing instructional needs of our students year-to-year. The
heart of the renovation will be the new classroom additions and dedicated
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) workspaces.
5. Liberty Middle School is a very new school. What kind of expansion
plans do you have for it and how were they built into the original design?
Liberty Middle School was master planned so that it could be easily
expanded as the student population building grows. This has been our
practice with other secondary buildings including both PLHS and PLSHS.
Liberty currently has around 400 students, but it will grow to almost 800
students within 10 years. We plan to add classrooms to the southern end of
the building to accommodate the student growth, but we will likely not
build the addition for another 4-5 years.
6. Please tell us a bit about the district’s STEM program.
The District begins STEM education in the elementary years, and the
program continues to build into the middle school and high school. PLHS
and PLSHS both have STEM Academies where students learn a variety of
engineering and technology related topics including robotics. The STEM
Academy is the largest academy in terms of student enrollment, and
coursework is offered starting the 9th grade year.
7. The district has a bond issue on the May 15 ballot. How much are you
asking for?
The District is asking for $109.9m for all projects. This is the largest
bond the District has ever offered.
8. If the bond issue is passed, which projects will go first?
If the bond passes, the Board of Education and administration will develop
a list of projects and priorities. The District typically spreads the
projects over 4-5 years. We have developed a preliminary set of
recommendations on the project list, and we will discuss it publicly once
the bond passes.
9. If the bond issue is not passed, which projects will go ahead and how
will they be funded?
At least six months must pass after a failed ballot initiative before it
can go back on the ballot. Unfortunately, that means we cannot bring the
bond back next November on the general election because the required time
will not have passed. Also, there is no primary election in May 2019, so
if the bond fails, we may have to do a special election. We have many
needs in the area of safety, security, and student growth, and these
projects can’t wait another 2-3 years.
10. If someone has questions or would like to learn more, where should
they look or who should they contact?
Please visit our District website at www.plcschools.org or feel free to
call us at the District Office at 402-537-6200.
PapillionBusinesses.com — Please get out and vote on 15 May.