July has treated the ag community with favor in rains and how much the crops have grown. This past week saw a shift in the weather with many heat advisories issued. I hope that the cattle survived the heat wave. Next week is the Dakota-Thurston County Fair and I look forward to a change in the weather with more moderate temperatures for those participating.

This week I would like to go over a portion of the Education Committee priority bill LB705 which provides, changes, transfers, and eliminates provisions relating to education. Current law sets aside a portion of state lottery proceeds for education. This bill will allocate those funds to various education programs over the next several years and amended over 20 other bills into it throughout the debate process.

• The committee amendment allocates lottery funds to a number of new and existing education programs for fiscal year 2024-2025 through FY 2028-2029. One new program receiving 8% is the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council which would ensure that annual behavioral awareness training is available statewide beginning in school year 2024-2025. The ESUCC would develop, implement, and administer a statewide teacher support system. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, each school district would ensure that administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses, and counselors receive the training.
• The amendment requires the state Department of Education to develop and adopt a model policy relating to behavioral intervention, behavioral and classroom management and removal of a student from a classroom. School districts are required to adopt their own policies consistent with or comparable to the model policy by August 1, 2025.
• The amendment also allocates 1.5% of the funds to a new mental health training grant program administered by the state Department of Education.
• Under amended provisions from LB153, school districts could apply to the state Department of Education for payment from a new fund intended to help small school districts cover large, unexpected special education expenditures.
• LB372 requires school boards to establish policies and procedures allowing a homeschool student who is a resident of the district to participate in extracurricular activities to the same extent as a student enrolled in a public school governed by the board. The policies and procedures must require a homeschool student who participates in extracurricular activities to be enrolled in no more and no less than five credit hours offered by the school district in any semester.
• LB414 requires school districts to adopt specific capacity standards for acceptance and rejection of option enrollment applications and determine capacity for special education services on a case-by-case basis. If the application of a student with an individualized education program or a diagnosed disability is rejected, the proposal requires the school district to provide written notification to the student’s parent or guardian describing the required services and accommodations that the district does not have the capacity to provide. Beginning in 2024, this measure also requires each district to provide the department certain information relating to all option enrollment applications rejected by the district each year.
• LB520 amends the Computer Science and Technology Education Act that was adopted in 2022. This bill requires public school students to complete at least five high school credit hours in computer science and technology education prior to graduation beginning in school year 2027-2028 rather than in 2026-2027. This measure also includes a technical change that would allow a broader selection of courses to meet the requirement.
  (Portions of this taken from “Education lottery allocation bill expanded, advanced”. Unicameral Update. May 4, 2023. http://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=34269)

This week Governor Pillen announced a new working group that will examine property valuations in Nebraska. I have been invited to be on this working group due to my introduction of Legislative Resolution 186 which is an interim study to examine issues raised in LB820, 2023, relating to valuation of land in Nebraska. “Valuation increases in Nebraska have become an unbearable burden for homeowners, businesses, and agriculture producers across our state,” said Governor Jim Pillen. “We will find a solution that will reduce the burden of insurmountable valuation growth in recent years. It is our job to make sure Nebraska continues to be the best place to live and reckless valuation increases on home and property hinders that commitment to Nebraskans.” I look forward to working with the Governor and the other members of this group to find a possible solution to high property taxes in the state. (“Governor Pillen Announces Valuations Reform Working Group”. July 24, 2023. https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/governor-pillen-announces-valuations-reform-working-group)

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.