Veterans teaching proposal draws mixed reaction

There’s a teacher shortage in Nebraska. Can veterans help fill the gap? A plan to give veterans temporary teaching certificates drew mixed reactions at an Education Committee hearing Monday.

The proposal would require the Commissioner of Education to grant teaching certificates, good for up to five years, to anyone who served in the U.S. military for at least four years. They also would have to have completed the equivalent of two years of college, with a grade point average of at least 2.5, pass an exam in the subject they’ll teach, and not have been dishonorably discharged.

Sen. Ben Hansen, sponsor of the bill, said veterans are uniquely qualified.

“They have spent years in selfless service to our country, and oftentimes the skills gained through military experience result in leadership, initiative, excellence and integrity. Their ability to thrive in environments that are constantly shifting make them a natural fit for the classroom. I also see a benefit for schools who have veteran teachers due to (their) safety and de-escalation expertise,” Hansen said.

Among those supporting Hansen’s proposal was Michael Davis, a 14-year Army veteran, who said being a noncommissioned officer is much like teaching.

“Dealing with teenagers and junior soldiers are pretty much the same. We bring different skill sets to the table in dealing with problems with teamwork. We can identify soldiers -- or excuse me, students -- that might not be able to express to a normal teacher what they're going through,” Davis said.

But Nicole Hochstein, married for 20 years to an Air Force Veteran, said not everyone who has served should be allowed to teach.

“The military is an excellent source for mature disciplined and experienced individuals who can serve as positive role models for students. It is also full of those in need of discipline, mental stability issues, poor work ethic, authority complexes and trauma issues. Having the title of ‘veteran’ doesn't necessarily mean you're upstanding and trustworthy. We've met plenty of veterans from both

Categories,” Hochstein said.

Hansen said the decision whether or not to hire someone would still be up to local school officials.

“This does not mean the school is mandated to hire a person who qualifies under this. The school has every right to say ‘We don't think you're qualified’ or ‘We would like to see you get your bachelor's degree’ or ‘We'd like to see you get your teaching certificate before you come here.’ But there I bet yours a lot of schools are like ‘We will take you. We need help.’ Our teachers aren't just underpaid, but they are overworked and a lot of them are leaving because they feel

unsafe,’’ he said.

The committee also heard testimony about adding a student to the committee of school board members Nebraska school districts are required to have to oversee the teaching of civics. Sen. George Dungan, sponsor of the proposal, also wants students to be able to fulfil their civics requirements by serving as poll workers on Election Day.

“This will help replenish the poll worker pipeline by getting young people involved at an early age additionally it is our hope that lb two to five fosters a sense of civic engagement that lasts throughout their lifetimes,” Dungan said.

Gavin Geis of Common Cause Nebraska said involving students in overseeing civic education lines up with what schools are supposed to be teaching.

“

If we want to raise youth that are competent, responsible, patriotic, and civil, there's no better way than to involve them in the decisions being made about their civic education. To that end, adding a student member to the committee only makes sense,” Geis said.

Colby Coash, representing the Nebraska Association of School Boards opposed adding a student to the committee. Coash said many districts already include students as nonvoting members of school boards.

“As it relates to the civics committee, however, I think that there could be some consequences that we'd want to avoid by this mandate. For example, if there was a mandate the student be on there, and the student doesn't show up, is the meeting valid? Does the committee then get to do its statutory obligation, within the current law, if the student has basketball game or some other (conflict) and can't make that,” Coash said.

Dungan said he hopes school boards would be flexible enough in scheduling committee meetings to accommodate such potential conflicts.

The committee took no immediate action on either proposal.