Norfolk Public Schools details site security upgrades and staff‑recruitment steps as superintendent announces departure

NORFOLK, Neb. — Norfolk Public Schools presented progress on building‑level safety upgrades and plans to improve staff recruitment and retention at the June 9 board meeting, and Superintendent Dr. Jamie Jo Thompson said she will leave the district after 12 years, citing new employment in Rapid City.

Chuck Hughes, who leads student services and the district’s safety team, outlined five safety priorities identified in the district strategic action plan: interior classroom door locks, a secured middle‑school vestibule, access‑control card readers for exterior doors, a culture of safety with consistent procedures and trainings, and improved cybersecurity training including phishing tests.

“We felt that no school shooting has ever happened by locked and closed doors in a classroom,” Hughes said while describing the internal‑locks priority; he reported that classroom doors across the district now have switch or push‑button locks and that most buildings have two to four strategically placed access control points. The middle‑school vestibule is “near completion,” he said, with site work underway.

Other measures described included installing phones in classrooms to initiate the school response protocol (SRP), emergency binders for substitute teachers, increased hallway supervision expectations in larger buildings, and expanded camera coverage where needed. The technology team has installed air gaps and strengthened password and multifactor authentication practices districtwide; a district-developed phishing test is planned for rollout in the fall due to cost.

Angie Baumann, who oversees human resources and accreditation work, reviewed a multi-year recruitment and retention plan with three objectives: community involvement, culture and morale, and recruitment pathways. Actions include a new‑teacher welcome event hosted with the Chamber of Commerce, collaboration with business and higher‑education partners (including a student‑teacher tour proposal and para‑to‑teacher pathways), a PD task force that held a choice‑based professional day, and health-and-wellness activities for staff. The district has used LinkedIn to find candidates but discontinued it after evaluating cost-effectiveness.

“We had some staff talking about not having planned time,” Baumann said, describing a survey the district administered about loss of planning time; the district has responded with a PD task force and building social committees to support staff morale.

Dr. Thompson presented exit‑survey results showing retirement and “other” reasons as the most commonly selected categories for certified staff departures in 2024–25. The superintendent said 11 staff cited retirement; among the “other” responses were spousal relocation and personal career changes. At the district level, staff identified poor benefits and pay as the largest systemic factors contributing to departures. Thompson urged continued attention to benefits, pay and workload balance, and she highlighted high turnover in the special-education department as an area requiring ongoing support.

“After 12 incredibly rewarding years serving as superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools, I would like to express my deepest gratitude …” Dr. Thompson said, announcing her departure and thanking staff and the community.

Why it matters

The safety upgrades change day‑to‑day operations (door hardware, access control and camera placement) and require capital and technology investments; the recruitment and retention work targets an ongoing staffing shortfall that affects classroom coverage, special education and transportation. The superintendent’s planned departure signals a leadership transition the district must manage alongside these operational changes.

What’s next

Administrators said the middle‑school vestibule and remaining exterior‑door hardening steps will continue over the summer; the district plans to implement the phishing test in the fall. HR indicated further work on a business‑education engagement committee and a student‑teacher tour day to improve recruitment; the board will receive routine updates and contract postings this summer as positions are advertised.