BPS Unveils Frank Kumor Career Center to the Public

After nearly ten years in planning and five years under construction, the Frank Kumor Career Center was unveiled to the public today at an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by over 300 people.

The event marked Bellevue’s second major open house over the last ten days, showcasing major renovations to existing buildings. Last week, the Bellevue Public Library had a ribbon-cutting for their new space at the Bellevue Professional Building on Longo Drive.

Bellevue Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rippe discussed the evolution of the idea. “Nine years ago, two things happened: BPS developed a Strategic Plan and passed a Bond Issue.  The feedback we received through the Strategic Plan was we needed more CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs,” Rippe said.  “The bond issue had money for CTE programming, but also had money for storage for the district.  As we discussed additional CTE offerings, it made sense to us to create programs for East and West students at one site.  While exploring sites for this, we realized there was a building in the backyard of the Lifelong Learning Center that would allow for CTE programming and a storage facility.  We pursued the Cable Connection building and are fortunate and proud to call it the Frank Kumor Career Center today.”

Rippe explained that the cost of these programs and finding staff to teach them at both East and West would have been impossible. Having one facility to serve both high schools was the solution.

Frank Kumor was the owner of Erwin’s Jewelers in Olde Towne. He was also a longtime board member on the Bellevue School Board. When Kumor passed away in December 2020, people lined the streets of Bellevue to pay tribute to the man who always went above and beyond when it came to the students of Bellevue Public Schools.

In discussing the naming of the building, Rippe said, “I cannot think of a better name for the facility.  Frank Kumor was a longtime school board member who supported all students, but had a special place in his heart for CTE programs.  I believe that Frank would be extremely proud of the facility and the academic learning that is taking place throughout the building.  This building is a great asset not only to BPS but also to the community.  We are so thankful to all of our partners for bringing our vision to fruition.”

The career center is also the new home of the Bellevue Public Schools Foundation, which includes BPS Kids’ Time Program, the Bellevue Alumni Association, and the Lied Activity Center.

As for the future of the career center, Dr. Rippe said potentially more space could be added for more CTE programs. “There is also the possibility to build an addition to the building for future offerings if need be,” Rippe said. “We will continue to monitor this facility and will add programs if needed.”

Thoughts from today’s ribbon cutting:

Robert Moore, Bellevue Public Schools Assistant Superintendent: It’s very exciting with the facility finally coming together through all the years of meetings, planning, and construction. We want this facility to not only be for Bellevue Public Schools, but we will also be looking for ways to bring the public into this facility through different programs. Now that the main commons area is complete the students in the four academies have space to collaborate together, to work together, and to hang out together. And we are so glad to be able to honor Frank Kumor in this way as he meant so much to the community.

Brad Stueve, Coordinator of College and Career Education/Program Services: It’s been a vision eight to nine years and to see it finally come to fruition and finally get to this stage where we have four full programs and students here every day…. it’s the most exciting venture I’ve been a part of during my 36 years in education.

Rebecca Zurcher, daughter of Frank Kumor: This is a special moment for all of us as a family, honoring my Dad. I want to congratulation BPS – you have done such a great job with your diligent work, to create something so amazing for the students to be used and appreciated forever.

Maureen McNamara, BPS School Board President: Trying to find the words to describe Frank is very difficult. He was a remarkable human being and he was so dedicated to our schools and our students – a tremendous icon and pillar in our community.

Jon Costello, Executive Director of the Bellevue Public Schools Foundation: Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is. The Foundation has invested since the beginning of this project. However, we didn’t use one dollar of donations to fund this. Everything in the Foundation’s new space was paid for using earned income from invested dollars.

Dr. Anna Fisher, President of the BPS Foundation Board: Frank was such a visionary about providing learning opportunities and education for our students, not only professionally but personally. And he was all about applying that knowledge and practicality into real world experience.

About the Frank Kumor Career Center

Bellevue Public Schools offers various career and professional studies programs at the Frank Kumor Career Center, named after long-time Board Member and supporter of the district, Frank Kumor. These programs enhance high school students’ education with real-life and relevant learning experiences in collaboration with local businesses, non-profits, and industry professionals.

Students will engage in high-level, project-based, and on the job experiences and internships to demonstrate their learning in the classroom. Students will gain valuable professional skills and relationships through programs that connect to the Nebraska career clusters and local industries and institutes of higher education.

The center currently offers the following programs: Automotive Maintenance, Aviation, Certified Nursing Assistant, and Education.

The BPS Automotive Maintenance Academy focuses on preparing students for careers in the automotive field and works closely with regional and national industries to encourage growth, relevancy, and training in preparation for real-world work environments. This full-year program provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary for entry-level positions in the automotive field through dual enrollment courses aligned with Metropolitan Community College (MCC).

The BPS CNA/Long-term Care Academy program focuses on preparing students for careers in health science and allows students to work closely with community health care providers to encourage growth, relevancy, and training in preparation for real-world work environments. This full-year program provides students with the skills, knowledge, and certification necessary for entry-level positions in healthcare settings through dual enrollment courses aligned with Metropolitan Community College (MCC). Initial funding for this program was provided by a $1.5 million dollar grant from DoDEA for the BPS Project Career Launch Program.

The BPS Education Career Academy allows students to explore a career in education while earning dual enrollment credits through Metro Community College (MCC) and Doane University. The program strives to prepare students for entry into educator preparation programs and provides participants with four college-level education courses at no cost and nearly 200 hours of internship experiences with a mentor teacher at one of the district’s elementary schools.

The BPS Aviation Academy program focuses on preparing students for careers in aviation-related industries and prepares students for the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge exam and FAA Part 107 Unmanned Aviation System (UAS) Remote Pilot Knowledge Test. The year-long program will allow students pursuing the certifications to have hands-on experiences related to the aircraft they may one day operate through state-of-the-art aircraft simulators and aerial drones integrated throughout the course.  Students in the program will utilize the state-of-the-art Redbird Aviation Simulator lab. Initial funding for this program was provided by a 2.0 million dollar grant from DoDEA for BPS Operation Taking Flight.