The Nebraska Board of Education met in Lincoln on June 7 and discussed an important topic — reading instruction. 

The topic of reading instruction has concerned parents, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers alike. The Nebraska Department of Education staff is designing the system that will guide Nebraska schools and educator preparation programs in delivering evidence-based reading instruction.  

This spring, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 1284, which appropriated $1.8 million to provide current classroom teachers with additional training in high-quality core instruction, including the aspects of reading, such as phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

The NDE staff reallocated an additional $6 million from unused but previously designated federal pandemic relief funds to increase the training and reach of the regional literacy coaches.

While the NDE has been offering such training on a smaller scale, the increase in funding will allow more teachers to be trained. In addition, as a result of the revisions to Rule 20 promulgated by the state board and recently signed into effect by Gov. Pillen, educator preparation programs within the state will be required to train future teachers in this instructional model starting in the 2025-26 school year.

Approval/accreditation

A key function of the state board of education is the annual approval of public and private schools. Both accreditation and approval are the result of adherence to requirements set by the state board after they are reviewed by NDE staff. Three hundred and forty-seven schools and/or districts were approved by the board, including public, non-public, interim-program, and special purpose schools.

Educational units not seeking accreditation or approval can apply for Exempt School status through the NDE website. Due to significant delays and issues with the previous exempt (home) school filing system, the Unicameral passed LB 1027, designed to streamline the process for filers and the NDE. Many measures in the 40-year old state statute addressing exempt schools had never been utilized and were removed with the support of the state board and NDE. 

As of June 7, nearly 900 filings had been opened with over 700 fully completed.

Reviewing teachers

LB 1306 abolished the Nebraska Professional Practices Commission as a hearing body for Nebraska teaching certificate holders who have committed a crime or violated the standards set for teachers in state statute and NDE rules. Now, the initial hearing will be conducted by a board-appointed hearing officer and will continue to be adjudicated by the state board. This process should alleviate the multi-year backlog created by delays in NPPC hearings.

Teachers: Apprentice program

In 2023, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 705, which included a $1 million appropriation for the Teacher Apprenticeship Program. This program provides a unique pathway to prepare teachers, including on-the-job training, job-embedded professional learning, and college credits for candidates interested in becoming teachers. In implementing this program, the NDE looked to existing pilot programs that had been supported by federal pandemic relief funding. 

These programs had created paraprofessional-to-teacher programs that could be slightly adjusted to meet apprenticeship requirements. To expand the program beyond the three current sites, the NDE applied for federal funding through the Nebraska Department of Labor and anticipates notification of this award soon.

Outstanding teacher

Finally, it was a delight to honor a District 7 (western Nebraska) elementary teacher, Megan Mullen, and two others as state finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. 

Ms. Mullen teaches fifth grade and middle school STEM at Paxton Consolidated Schools. She coaches the Science Olympiad, hosts family STEM nights, and assists fellow teachers plan STEM activities. I wish her success as she competes for this national award.

The next scheduled meeting of the board is Aug. 2 at the NDE building in Lincoln.

This summary is submitted by Elizabeth Tegtmeier, District 7 representative on the state school board. It is not an official statement of the Nebraska State Board of Education.

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