Education
State senator touts using military veterans to help address ‘crisis’ in teacher shortage
LINCOLN — The number of teaching jobs in Nebraska left vacant or filled by less than fully qualified instructors rose significantly in 2022, according to a recent state survey. Many of those vacancies were because there were no applicants, or many fewer applicants, according to State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair. On Monday, Hansen said […]
Senator says students become more ‘engaged’ when involved in school policies, poll work
LINCOLN — High school students would become more civically engaged if they worked at polling places or helped decide school policy, State Sen. George Dungan said Monday. Dungan, a freshman senator from Lincoln, introduced a bill that would add a student member to the subcommittees that advise local school boards on proper social studies curriculum. […]
Nebraska Gov. Pillen wants $2.5 billion in new funding for schools, property tax relief
LINCOLN — Every school district in Nebraska would receive at least $1,500 per student in state aid for K-12 education, and the state would pick up more of the tab for special education, under a set of three school funding proposals that Gov. Jim Pillen unveiled Tuesday. “All of us in Nebraska agree on two […]
Senators introduce parental ‘bill of rights’ proposal to ensure parental control over education
LINCOLN — As promised, State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil has introduced a bill that he says would ensure that parents have control over the teaching of their children and that inappropriate books or instruction are not offered. On Thursday, he and nine cosponsors introduced Legislative Bill 374, the “Parents’ Bill of Rights and Academic […]
UNMC program seeks to lure out-of-state nursing students to Nebraska’s rural areas
OMAHA — In Nebraska’s ongoing effort to attract health care workers, the University of Nebraska Medical Center has announced a new scholarship program for nursing students from certain neighboring states to attend its rural campuses. The “Nebraska Neighbors: UNMC Nursing Rural Advantage Scholarship” is open to nursing students entering baccalaureate of science traditional or accelerated […]
Joe Williams — ‘a true only in Nebraska story’ — leaves $20 million gift to UNMC
OMAHA — A new scholarship fund offering up to $10,000 in tuition aid to individual pharmacy students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is among initiatives made possible through a newly announced $20 million donor gift. Joe Williams, described by Omaha-based UNMC as one of the College of Pharmacy’s greatest success stories, has directed […]
Ronnie Green will retire as UNL chancellor; Ricketts, a past critic, wishes him well
LINCOLN — Ronnie Green, the chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for nearly the past seven years, announced Tuesday that he will retire in June, or sooner if a successor is found. In a video, Green said that after “reflection, we reached the family decision that 2023 would be the year for Husker Jane (his […]
Chief Standing Bear film receives green light to begin production
LINCOLN — The film “I Am A Man: The True Story of Ponca Chief Standing Bear” will include filming in historically significant locations, including in Nebraska and on the Cherokee Nation Reservation in Oklahoma, according to the Cherokee Nation Film Office. “The key plot of our story exists in the heart of the community surrounding […]
Pride flags and ‘safe space’ stickers: signal of student safety or political speech?
OMAHA — Some local parents and students consider a pride flag or “safe space” stickers displayed in a handful of Omaha suburban high school classrooms as inappropriately political. But these symbols aren’t political to local LGBTQ students. To them, these handheld flags, stickers and supportive posters help them feel accepted and safe. That is why […]
Supreme Court to review student debt plan challenged by six states including Nebraska
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear oral arguments in February over a legal challenge by six Republican-led states to the Biden administration student borrower relief plan. Until the arguments are heard and the court issues a ruling, the $400 billion Biden plan is on hold due to a nationwide injunction […]
Underground Railroad site in Falls City recognized by National Park Service
LINCOLN — There was a terrifying annual chore for Robert Nelson during his growing-up years in Falls City. Just before Memorial Day, he and a cousin had to scrub clean a massive, stone mausoleum that contained the burial vaults of his great-great-great-great-grandparents, David and Ann Dorrington. Their resting places were in crypts, down a set […]
Nebraska test scores show sizable hurdle of pandemic learning loss
LINCOLN — The academic hole facing Nebraska’s students, teachers, parents and policymakers became clearer Wednesday with the release of state K-12 test scores from 2021-22. Student proficiency scores in math and language arts were mixed, amid a national dip in student performance on tests taken during the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, proficiency scores in math […]