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LPS proposes 'Elevated' tenure program to support new educators in first three years
Summary
District staff proposed a redesigned tenure program, 'Lincoln Public Schools Elevated,' offering pathways of summer onboarding, a first-year foundation and choice-based second/third-year professional learning to improve retention and coaching for new certificated staff.
Lincoln Public Schools staff presented a redesigned tenure program, called Lincoln Public Schools Elevated, at the May 13 board meeting. The plan reorganizes induction and professional learning for certificated staff in their first three years, with the stated goal of strengthening new-employee support and retention.
Amy Clark, director of continuous improvement and professional learning, told the board the district reviewed current practices, researched best practices and redesigned programming for the first three years of employment for certificated staff (teachers, school nurses, counselors and psychologists). “We are looking at tenure pathways of professional learning, coaching, and support for K–12 educators,” Clark said. She described three components: a pre-service summer session (orientation and content-specific work), a full-year first-year in-class program to build a foundational practice, and a choice-based model for years two and three that offers either a six-night in-person learning summit (staff pick four nights) or a course called Video to Improve Performance (VIP) for individualized reflection and goal-setting.
Clark said the district intends the program to create cohort connections and provide flexible, relevant learning opportunities, including offering dinner and networking time during evening sessions to build community. When asked by Board member Don Mayhew whether tenure pathways are optional, Clark said participation in the described classes in the first three years is a requirement for gaining tenure status in the district; she added that the state sets tenure as a three-year period but does not prescribe how districts structure that period.
The presentation requested no immediate board action; it served as an update on committee work and proposed programming. Staff said the program is intended to be a strategic investment in staff growth and sustainability, with the district continuing to offer salary-advancement credit for coursework and mentoring components built in. No adoption vote occurred at the meeting; staff indicated the new pathway structure would be implemented for incoming educators and made available as updated programming for those on current tenure tracks.
