Lincoln school district plans to drop 'interim' tag from current superintendent

Lincoln Public Schools is looking to make its interim superintendent its permanent superintendent.

The district said Friday that board members will consider removing the interim tag from John Skretta at their meeting Tuesday night.

Skretta became interim superintendent of Nebraska’s second-largest district in January, after Paul Gausman announced plans to retire. He was scheduled to carry the interim tag through June of next year.

Board President Bob Rauner said the last eight months gave the board confidence in removing interim from the title and proposing the contract amendment, eliminating the need for a costly search process.

“Based on significant board interactions and observations, and uniformly positive community and staff input, the Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education now wishes to remove the interim title and employ Dr. John Skretta as the full-time superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools,” Rauner said in a statement. “Dr. Skretta’s extensive experience, from his roots as an LPS teacher to his exemplary service as a superintendent and ESU chief administrator, makes him the ideal choice. Given his impressive track record and the significant progress he's already made, a time-consuming and costly search process would be redundant and unnecessary.”

Skretta worked in various roles at LPS from 1995-2008, when he was named associate superintendent of the Norris school district about 15 miles southeast of Lincoln. He became Norris’ superintendent in 2010.

He later served as the chief administrator for Educational Service Unit 6 from 2019 until 2024, overseeing all personnel and operations for 16 public school districts in Fillmore, Lancaster, Saline, Seward and York counties.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue serving in such an important leadership role and privileged to work in an amazing district,” Skretta said in a statemen. “We have an awesome team in LPS dedicated at every level to making a positive difference on a daily basis for students, families and community. I am grateful to the Board of Education for the confidence in my work.”