KLKN-TV GIPS now offering students free flying lessons Grand Island Public Schools is now the first public school district in the state to fund flight hours for students February 24, 2021 5:51 am LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN)- Grand Island Public Schools are now offering their students free flying lessons. GIPS is now the first public school district in the state to fund flight hours for students. “This is a huge moment for our students and for this district,” said Daniel Phillips, Director of Innovation for College and Career Readiness at GIPS. “Seeing students up in the air today made all the setbacks over the past 18 months truly worth it.”