As the month of August ends, schools have reopened and fall sports are now in full swing. This is always a special time of year for me. I remember my time teaching fondly, particularly opportunities I had to make a positive impact on students. Today’s teachers face different challenges than the teachers who came before them. Not only have they been asked to adapt to new technologies and remote learning, but the students have changed too. The Internet has transformed how students access and learn information, and social media has changed how students interact with each other and the world.

Looking back over the past two years, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to have teachers, administrators, and school boards who approached the pandemic with a student-focused mindset. District 42 continued to provide the best possible education opportunities despite facing many challenges. We have a wide variety of school sizes and student populations within District 42 and each school district has its own unique challenges.

McPherson County School District has the distinction of being the smallest public school district in the nation with less than 60 total students, but the next closest school district is about 25 miles away. Many of the students live on ranches that are already a significant distance from Tyron. Long student commutes and small class sizes make teaching in McPherson County a different experience from the urban settings where many future teachers get their first training experiences.

Conversely, North Platte has a much more sizeable school district and faces different challenges. Larger class sizes mean teachers have to make an extra effort to connect with each student. The student population is also more likely to have more complicated social dynamics as students work to find their place in a big school. Moreover, larger school districts tend to be more diverse and may need to spend more resources on language and disability programs.

Regardless of their size, schools play a critical role in preparing youth for the future. Ensuring all schools are properly funded is one way the Legislature can help support quality education. The debate about how to balance state aid to public schools and property tax obligations has been ongoing, and will likely extend far into the future. Many agree that the formula used to calculate state aid (TEEOSA) is no longer serving our students or our property tax payers. Unfortunately, finding a solution is not as easy as identifying the problem. However, I am not deterred just because an answer is not easy to find and will be focusing on how we can more fairly distribute state aid throughout the state.

Meanwhile, I want to thank all our area teachers for their ongoing commitment to education. I believe that if we want to prepare our youth for productive futures, it is imperative that all our schools remain focused on core subject matter that properly prepares students for future careers. Whether a student will go right into the workforce, pursue a trade, or enter into secondary education, teachers are critical to funneling prepared students into the workforce.

School is also a place for students to become leaders and well-rounded individuals. I look forward to watching some competitive sports teams, band competitions, FFA contests, and other extra-curricular activities that help shape the leadership skills of our youth as the school year progresses.

I look forward to hearing from constituents about issues impacting you. Please feel free to reach out to me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or 402-471-2729.