Matt Fisher, Grand Island Public Schools Superintendent, speaks about the updated Academies and Pathways. (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND — After some restructuring, Grand Island Senior High School now has five academies and 20 pathways.
Academy of Engineering and Technology Principal Matt Wichman gave a presentation about the Academies to the Board of Education at the April 11 meeting.
The high school now has five academies: Freshman Exploration, Engineering, and Technology, Business and Communications, Technical Sciences, and Medical Sciences and Education. There are also 20 pathways.
Although welding has been eliminated in the Academy structure, it is offered as an elective. Areas that were eliminated are IT, community and mental health, law, aviation flight, aviation technology, alternative energy, agribusiness, and multimedia.
Core content courses will return to being offered at the high school rather than at Academy sites. Students generally will have one change to choose what pathway they want to pursue.
Board members Eric Garcia Mendez, Lisa Albers, Katie Mauldin, and Dave Hulinsky were absent from Thursday’s meeting.
In other business, the Board:
*Heard an update about the redesign of the middle school schedule. Core classes of English, math, science, and social studies will meet for 60 minutes.
*Approved the Algebra 2 resource adoption. This includes an expenditure of $143,720 for 3,000 sets of individualized student resources for six years, such as a three-ring notebook. The vote was 5-0.
*Approved the Math Links Essentials program for middle school. The expense is $79,305. The purchase was approved by a 5-0 vote
*Approved a three-year renewal for myPerspectives, a grades 6-12 ELA curriculum resource. Costs will not exceed $250,000. The purchase was approved by a 5-0 vote.
*Approved a three-year contract with ZoHo ManageEngine technology for $11,195. The purchase was approved by a 5-0 vote.
*Approved a technology agreement with Prime Secured for $36,021. Purchase was approved by a 5-0 vote.
*Approved changes to the student handbook for 2024-2025.
*Approved moving the activity fund bank account from Five Points Bank to Wells Fargo Bank by a 5-0 vote.
*Approved deleting Policy 6324 Credit for Professional Training Beyond a Bachelor’s Degree. The text is included elsewhere in Board policy. The vote was 5-0.
*Approved revisions to Policy 7511.1 Enrollment Option Resolution by a 5-0 vote.
*Approved revisions to Policy 9220 Communications and Media Relations by a 5-0 vote.
*Approved changes to Policy 9221 Online Media Accounts and Posts by a 5-0 vote. With the policy, each elementary and middle school may have one official school account on online platforms approved by the Director of Communications. The high school may have one official school account and one activities account on online platforms approved by the Director of Communications.
