State education department waiting for clarity on DEI directive, among other federal issues

The Nebraska Department of Education and Nebraska K-12 schools haven't responded to a federal directive aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

It’s one of several things the state department has been waiting for clarity on before taking action, NDE Commissioner Brian Maher said.

“We're going to deal with facts,” Maher said. “We're not going to guess to what the ultimate endgame is here, and we're going to wait to get more information to help us determine what our course of action will be as a state.”

Maher said the state department has been “trying to over communicate” with school districts across the state, and most of the communication so far is information rather than changes to operations.

In the past few months, President Donald Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon have implemented several changes and alluded to others in the U.S. Department of Education. These include eliminating half of the federal department’s staff, signing an executive order to take steps to close the federal education department and potentially moving oversight of services for students with disabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The federal department also ended an extension of COVID-19 funds, causing the Nebraska education department to lose $9 million it had not yet spent. The money was part of $546 million in ESSER, or Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, funds the state received through the American Rescue Plan.

Six of the impacted programs in Nebraska were focused on literacy, which Maher and the department have established as a priority for the state. Maher said there are other funding sources the department has access to, including state funds and a $55 million federal grant targeted at improving student reading.

“Our focus on literacy, our literacy goals have not changed as a result of anything that's happened in D.C.,” Maher said.

Maher visited Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago and had the chance to meet with McMahon and other top state school officers. He said although it was more of a general meeting with the new federal secretary, McMahon was polished.

“I'm very hopeful that Secretary McMahon will do great things in that position that she's in,” Maher said.

While he was in D.C., Maher said he noticed the reduction of staffing in the U.S. Department of Education. About half the department was laid off in mid-March.

Maher said he felt confident that federal student services provided through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title I for low-income students and Career and Technical Education programs were protected. He spoke with federal education department officials, Gov. Jim Pillen and Nebraska’s federal representatives.

“When you have significant shakeup, the devil is in the details,” Maher said. “We're waiting for more detail from the federal government before we get, I'll say, too worried,” Maher said. “That doesn't mean that we're not trying to figure out truly on a daily basis what might happen in the state of Nebraska if things change drastically in Washington, D.C.”

As federal conversations continue, Maher has been traveling the state to visit with various student groups, including Career and Technical student organizations, Future Farmers of America and SkillsUSA.

“I think any time we're around the students and you see how Nebraska students do on performative measures, you're just impressed,” Maher said. “I would tell you, as the commissioner, I am full of optimism for the students that we have in this state.”

By way of full disclosure, Brian Maher is a commissioner on Nebraska Public Media's governing board, NETC.