(Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND – The Grand Island Public Schools Board of Education voted 7-0 to approve the district’s 2024-2025 Annual Report at its March 16 meeting.
Board members Lisa Albers and Eric Garcia-Mendez were absent from the meeting.
Mitch Roush, the school district’s Director of Communications, gave an overview of the Annual Report.
This year’s Annual Report will be distributed to the public in a different manner than last year, when a shorter annual report was mailed. This year, Grand Island residents will soon receive a postcard about the annual report.
The postcard will give the website address on the school district’s website where the Annual Report is posted. A QR code to access the Annual Report will also be on the postcard. The different method of distribution saves the school district money and also allows for production of a longer annual report. This year’s annual report is 26 pages long.
The Annual Report mainly contains statistics about the school district.
The school district has 9,983 students. 91 percent of students qualify for free/reduced price meals. 27 percent of students are English learning students.
Concerning ethnicity, 60.88 percent of students are Hispanic, and 30.51 percent of students are White.
There are 42 spoken languages among students in the school district. Four views of the globe are shown with a list of countries from where students come.
Next, the Annual Report summarizes the school district’s “80-90-100” 2025-2029 strategic plan. That includes:
*80 percent: 80 percent of K-8 students will exhibit Average or Above Average growth. 80 percent of students in Grades 9-12 will pass and meet standards for all classes.
*90 percent: 90 percent of students will have a 95 percent attendance rate or higher.
*100 percent: 100 percent of graduates will have a plan for after high school.
Concerning student growth and improvement:
*Grades K-5: Students scored at 62 percent in MAP math and 54 percent in DIBELS reading.
*Grades 6-8: Students scored at 72 percent in AIMsweb Math and 75 percent in AIMsweb reading.
*Grades 9-12: 68 percent of students had a passing grade of an A, B, or C.
For the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS):
*42 percent of Grand Island students were proficient in ELA, compared to 59 percent statewide.
*48 percent of Grand Island students were proficient in math, compared to 58 percent statewide.
*71 percent of Grand Island students were proficient in science, compared to 80 percent statewide.
All juniors take the ACT test.
*28 percent of Grand Island students were proficient in ELA, compared to 43 percent statewide.
*24 percent of Grand Island students were proficient in math, compared to 41 percent statewide.
*30 percent of Grand Island students were proficient in science, compared to 48 percent statewide.
For the second straight year, the school district has lowered its tax levy. The 2023-24 levy was $1.1349. For a $100,000 property, the school district tax would be $1,134.90.
In 2023-2024, Grand Island’s cost per pupil was $15,807, compared to $15,899 statewide.
For the 2023-24 fiscal year, the total for the district’s General Fund was $145,837,154. Of that amount, 56.69 percent came from the state, 31.55 percent came from the county and local sources, and 11.76 percent came from federal sources.
For the 2023-24 fiscal year, 58.97 percent of funds were spent on instruction; 11.53 percent, maintenance and operations; 9.16 percent, support services; 11.22 percent, federal programs; 8.36 percent, central services, administration, and principals; and 0.75 percent, state programs and other expenditures. That came from total expenditures for the 2023-24 fiscal year of $136,666,857.
In other business, for the Gates Elementary School construction and renovation, the Board voted 7-0 to approve an architectural agreement with Cannon Moss Brygger and Associates for 6.35 percent of construction costs for a total of $171,550. Board members Lisa Albers and Eric Garcia-Mendez were absent.
The Board voted 7-0 to approve an engineering agreement for the Gates project with Engineering Technologies, Inc. For the $6 million project cost, the fee related to new construction is $90,090. The fee for renovation is $68,850 for a total of $158,940. For previous work, $116,000 has been paid, leaving a balance of $42,940.
The Board voted 7-0 for the Grand Island Senior High School planetarium renovation to pay Cannon Moss Brygger and Associates for architectural services 8.48 percent of the $1 million construction cost, which is $84,800.
