Zach Wendling
LINCOLN — Nebraska’s commissioner of education has promised state legislators he would be a commissioner for all students as the state tackles key goals to improve literacy, halve chronic absenteeism and halve school staff shortages.
Commissioner Brian Maher, testifying Friday before the Legislature’s Education Committee, said the Nebraska Department of Education serves about 360,000 students in public, nonpublic and home school settings. The department, which Maher leads, also supports vocational rehabilitation and disability determination services for Nebraskans of all ages.
“I’m happy to report that the state of education in Nebraska is strong,” Maher testified. “I’m proud of the accomplishments of our schools, and there are few places, as good or better, to raise a kid than to raise that kid in Nebraska.”
Maher became Nebraska’s commissioner of education on July 1, 2023, after being selected by the State Board of Education to lead the state’s education department.
Friday’s legislative briefing came at the request of the Education Committee, chaired by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, through Legislative Resolution 496. It sought a broad overview of the Education Department regularly impacted by new state laws and the state budget, but of which the Legislature has a different set of oversight compared to the State Board.
Murman and other senators said that they get a lot of questions from constituents about the department and that the briefing, which could be repeated in the future, helped answer some of those.
Student literacy
The main focus of Maher’s briefing focused on three legislative priorities that the State Board of Education seeks to achieve by 2030:
- Improve third-grade reading proficiency on state tests to 75%.
- Halve the number of school staffing vacancies.
- Halve chronic absenteeism.
The K-12 state test results for the previous school year won’t come out for a couple of weeks, Maher said, but he previewed that Nebraska has bounced back from academic dips after the COVID-19 pandemic but continues to see “pervasive gaps” for students with disabilities, English language learners and economically disadvantaged students.
The Education Department is continuing to address student literacy, and the State Board is set to adopt updates to the “Nebraska Literacy Project” next month.
Those updates, which Maher previewed in October, include recent legislation to inform five tenets for professional development grounded in the “science of reading,” curriculum and teacher preparation that aligns with evidence-based instructional, regional literacy coaches statewide, robust data collection and family literacy programs with pre-kindergarten education.
Nebraska recently received a $55 million federal grant over the next five years to help improve literacy. In partnership with Nebraska first lady Suzanne Pillen, almost 800,000 age-appropriate books have been distributed to children statewide, Maher testified.
He said the steps aren’t to train teachers, but for Nebraska to have more proficient readers.
“That’s something I’m hoping the whole state can get behind,” Maher testified. “We will be focused, and we will be relentless in accomplishing that goal.”
As the Education Department rolls out new standards for teaching literacy — in part led by State Sens. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn and Lynne Walz of Fremont — Maher said pilot schools are leading the way and there are some incentives for schools and teachers who participate.
“Our way to roll this out is to work with the coalition of the willing,” Maher said.
Pilot schools include those needing the most support, such as Omaha, Lincoln, Scottsbluff, Crete, Alliance and Ralston.
Staffing shortages and chronic absenteeism
Legislative proposals continue to support teacher retention and recruitment with grants and stipends for earning new teaching endorsements in high-demand subject areas.
Many committee members said they were surprised to learn that of the department’s approximately 554 employees, 224 are designated statewide to support adult and other vocational learning to help Nebraskans with disabilities and prospective employers.
Maher said the Education Department has also implemented a return to work policy and is strategically reviewing each retirement, resignation or other recommendation for a new position.
This fall, Maher was one of 14 education officials nationally to join a national pledge to halve chronic absenteeism.
Walz asked Maher whether there have been conversations to improve family involvement and parental support to tackle chronic absenteeism.
Maher responded that as optimistic as he is on the literacy goal, he’s looking forward to exploring the building blocks to tackle chronic absenteeism next.
“I don’t have that firm vision yet,” Maher said. “I would say that the baby step is working across agencies.”
A pilot program in Ralston is bringing together representatives of law enforcement, the judicial system and others in the community for wraparound services to get children to school, though Maher said that was all he could say at this time.
Support for all Nebraska students
Lawmakers praised Maher for saying he would be the commissioner for all students, not just public school students.
“If Nebraska is going to be as good as we can be, we all have to pull in the same direction,” said State Sen. Fred Meyer of St. Paul, a former State Board of Education member.
Maher told State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue that anyone with questions about the Education Department showing “favoritism” to public education can go to him. As an example, he said, he recently met with about 10 private school leaders and they discussed how to improve their third-grade reading proficiency, even though nonpublic school students don’t take the same test as public school students.
“We need all schools in our mission of learning, earning and living,” Maher said. “We’ll do our best to dispel what I would say is a myth that we have favorites.”