Career and Technical Student Organization Presentation

Students from around the state presented to the board about their participation in various Career and Technical Student Organizations.  February is Career and Technical Education month. CTSOs are an extension of classroom instruction, applying classroom learning to real-world experiences. CTSOs are connected to middle school, high school, and post-secondary instructional programs and are integral to the classroom. CTE is offered in every high school across the state and CTE students perform at higher rates than their peers. Nebraska students participate in several CTSOs including DECA, Educators Rising, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, and Skills USA.

Career and Technical Student Organizations

2023 Board Positions on Proposed State Legislation

The board discussed new bills involving education proposed in the Nebraska Legislature this year. The board is recommending support of 13 bills and opposition to one bill. There are several bills the board will remain neutral on and monitor further.

State Board Legislative Priorities

State Board Positions on Bills

Changes to April 2023 and December 2023 Meeting Dates

The State Board discussed meeting date conflicts with religious holidays.  It was determined that there would be conflicts with the April 2023 meeting that would be held April 6 and 7 (during Christian Holy Week/on Good Friday), and the December 2023 meeting that would be held December 7 and 8 (the beginning of Jewish Hannukah). The board decided to change the meetings dates for April and December.  April’s meeting will be held on the 13th and 14th.  December’s meeting will be November 30th and December 1st.

NDE and NAPE/AFSCME Agreement Approved

The State Board of Education approved the contract agreement for Nebraska Department of Education employees for the time period between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2025.

Agreement Summary

NWEA Statewide Assessment Contract Amendment

The board voted to grant the Deputy Commissioner the authority to amend the current 2022-2023 NWEA contract for statewide assessment services to include the addition of MAP Growth for grades 3-8 for all public schools for the 2023-2024 school year.

The amendment was necessary to comply with the Nebraska State Board of Education action in January: “The 2022-23 school year assessment administration for NSCAS Growth in grades 3 through 8 be unchanged for the 2023-24 school year with MAP Growth being provided by the Department at no cost to school districts and with NSCAS Growth being required only as the spring summative assessment.”

The estimated cost for the addition of MAP Growth grades 3-8 for the year 2023-2024 is $1,508,700.