Nebraska Department of Education loses $9 million in unspent COVID funds

The Nebraska Department of Education is losing about $9 million left over from federal COVID-19 relief funds, Commissioner Brian Maher told the State Board of Education at its meeting Friday.

NDE received about $546 million total in ESSER, or Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, funds through the American Rescue Plan. Maher said the department applied last summer for extended use of about $20.2 million dollars in ESSER funds. There was about $9 million still left to spend when the U.S. Department of Education notified Nebraska the extension of those funds would be ending March 28.

The loss of the funding led NDE to stop work being done by 21 contractors, including three literacy programs with the University of Nebraska and book distribution to families and schools across the state through Nebraska Growing Readers.

“As I've always said when it comes to the ESSER funding, or any funding quite frankly, it's not so much about the money as it is about the work,” Maher said. “While this is a step back, we'll continue to make this a priority.”

Maher said the state has the opportunity to reapply for the funds, and he’s also reaching out to the governor and the state’s congressional delegation for other paths forward.

“We'll continue to do the important work, the hard work for our students, for our staff, for our clients and for our communities every day,” Maher said.

In other business Friday, board members approved a model behavioral intervention policy to help schools as they develop their own policies. It includes the expectations of districts, schools and teachers for behavior intervention, along with procedures for removing disruptive students from the classroom and addressing the behavior for them to return.

The model policy states students can return to the classroom with supports including “a reintegration checklist, a designated buddy, or frequent check-ins with a trusted adult.” Zainab Rita, NDE officer of student support services, said the “designated buddy” could be a peer.

“It is best practice that peer support foster a sense of belonging and encouraging positive social interaction, helping the students to feel connected and respond to the questions during the transitioning,” Rita said.

She clarified that schools would not be required to use peer support, but it is an option if it’s the right process and the safest process for those students.

A proposal from board member Sherry Jones to change the member makeup of the Nebraska Council in Teacher Education failed on a 4-4 vote. It would have allocated five positions on the council to teachers who are not Nebraska State Education Association members nominated by NDE, with the remaining positions being filled by the teacher’s union - among other changes.

“Currently, there is no assurance that there will be any teachers on the NCTE membership from private or parochial schools, nor from anyone not belonging to the teachers union,” Jones said.

Board member Deborah Neary, who voted no, said having a policy that would stop members of NSEA from joining in those certain positions would be counterproductive.

“I feel like it's not a bad thing to have people that are on the committee that are not members of NSEA, but saying that they can't be nominated in those positions I think limits us when there hasn't been a problem that anyone has come forward and said needed to be fixed,” Neary said.

Board members also failed on a 4-4 vote to pass a funding extension for a child development associate credential navigator. The position started last year to support those entering the early childhood field with getting their Child Development Associate credential.

The position was funded through a private grant for one year, which ends in May. If the contract extension had passed, it would have been funded for two more years through federal child care and development funds.

By way of full disclosure, Brian Maher is a commissioner on our governing board, NETC.