About the District

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The District 

The Grand Island Public Schools is a comprehensive school system offering education to students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Students identified with special needs are served through a three-county comprehensive special education cooperative, Central Nebraska Special Services Program (CNSSP).

The district includes fourteen elementary schools, three middle schools, an alternative middle school, one senior high school, and an alternative high school. Combined, these buildings house approximately 8,000 students.

Quality education begins with a quality staff. The School District of Grand Island is proud of the energy, creativity, commitment, caring, and high standards for professionalism displayed by its staff. The district employs approximately 1,300 staff members. Hiring procedures and annual evaluations maintain quality standards for personnel selection and continuing employment.

Board of Education

The nine members of the Board of Education for the Grand Island Public Schools are elected in three wards (three board members per ward) by registered voters of the school district. Elections are held every two years. Board of Education members serve four-year terms and receive no compensation for their work. The board is responsible for establishing the policies under which the school system operates. They must also act within the framework of rules set forth by the Nebraska State Board of Education and Nebraska and federal laws. Board members must represent the unique needs of their ward and the community. Current members of the Board of Education include:

Ms. Jennifer Worthington, President

Mr. Terry Brown, Vice President

Ms. Lynn Cronk 

Mr. Roger Harms

Ms. Bonnie Hinkle

Ms. Jane Meidlinger

Mr. Clay Schutz

Ms. Heidi Vahle

Ms. Lynne Werner

 

 

The Community

Grand Island is located in the south central region of Nebraska's Platte River Valley eight miles north of the intersection of Interstate 80 (east/west) and US Highway 281 (north/south). In addtion to US Highway 281, Nebraska Highway 34, US Highway 30, and US Highway 2 all travel through Grand Island.

A city of approximately 46,000, Grand Island is the economic growth area and the major retail trade area for south central Nebraska. Agriculture and manufacturing lie at the heart of Grand Island's economy. Three major agricultural and manufacturing industries, Swift and Company (which ranks first in numbers of employees), Chief Industries, and CNH, serve as anchors. St. Francis Medical Center, third in number of employees, is a regional medical center. Principal Financial Group has a major branch office in Grand Island. The community also provides a wide range of medical, mental health, and nursing home services.

Grand Island has experienced growth in its property tax base. In the past two years 195 single-family homes and 35 multiple units have been constructed. Sixty seven percent of Grand Island residents own their own home.

In addition to the public school system, Grand Island is the home of several parochial schools including Grand Island Central Catholic High School, Heartland Lutheran High School, Trinity Lutheran School, the Seventh Day Adventist School, and Grand Island Christian Elementary School (K-8). Northwest Public Schools are located in the areas surrounding Grand Island.

The community's higher education needs are provided by Central Community and College Park. Hastings College is located 24 miles south of Grand Island and the University of Nebraska at Kearney is located 47 miles west of the city.

In 1993 the community passed a $28,600,000 bond issue which funded construction of a new elementary school and provided for additions and renovations to six other school buildings. In 1996 the community passed a $3,400,000 bond issue to build a replacement for an elementary school.

The Grand Island Public Schools and a U.S. Department of Education Mentoring Program Grant provide funding for the TeamMates Mentoring Program. TeamMates staff members have offices at Grand Island Senior High School and Barr and Walnut Middle Schools. A number of mentoring programs are operated and funded outside of the school district. These include Youth Leadership Tomorrow, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and a Guest Teacher Program.

Among the many services offered in Grand Island are churches, Grand Island Little Theater, Stuhr Museum, Fonner Park Race Track, Heartland Events Center, St. Francis Medical Center, the YMCA, the YWCA, Island Oasis Water Park, parks, and recreational areas. Community members find golf, fishing, walking/hiking, swimming, skating, tennis, bowling, and movie theaters also available for leisure time activities.

America’s Promise Alliance, the nation’s largest alliance dedicated to children and youth, in partnership with Capital One, announced in January 2008 that Grand Island has been named a winner of its 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People (100 Best) competition. The 100 Best competition recognizes the 100 outstanding communities across America—large and small, rural and urban—that are the best places for young people to live and grow up. More than 300 communities in all 50 states applied for the honor in 2008. The 100 winning communities span 37 states.

Grand Island earned recognition as one of 2008’s 100 Best due to significant community contributions to create and maintain a healthy community for young people from birth to graduation. In this community, numerous organizations are the mechanisms that cultivate and support youth leadership and give youth a voice in community policy decisions. Examples of these organizations include public and private schools, the Coalition for Children, the Community Youth Council, the Multicultural Coalition, Youth Leadership Tomorrow, Student Wellness Center, Third City Community Clinic, City of Grand Island youth programs, mentoring programs, Heartland United Way agencies, non-profit agencies that serve youth, and programs for infant through preschool-age children. In addition, a wide variety of other organizations serve Grand Island’s youth.