Nebraska Commissioner of Schooling Brian Maher begins his new job this week. The previous CEO of the College of South Dakota Board of Regents and Okay-12 superintendent takes over for Matthew Blomstedt who stepped down as commissioner in January. Maher will lead the state Division of Schooling throughout a divisive time for training within the state.
Nebraska Public Media’s Jolie Peal sat down with Commissioner Maher to ask him about points like college security, gender identification, the instructor scarcity and rather more.
Nationally, college shootings have raised considerations for households. Based on the Nationwide Middle for Schooling Statistics, there have been 145 college shootings within the 2020 college 12 months.
Nebraska is not any exception for security considerations. In February, an elementary college in Lincoln confiscated a loaded gun from a fifth grader.
Maher mentioned security is a high precedence for the state training division.
“We’ll work with our security officers to guarantee that finest practices are being applied within the state. We’ll assessment insurance policies to see if any adjustments have to be made. I do not know that any are imminent at this level. However we’ll actually assessment that.
“That is a serious, main piece of what we’re involved about in faculties is security. In truth, I might go as far as to say there’s nothing extra vital, on high of thoughts, than the security in our faculties. Not just for college students, however for all of the adults that work in these faculties as properly. So, college security is essential.”
This previous session, the Nebraska legislature handed a invoice proscribing well being look after transgender youth.
Whereas this doesn’t instantly affect training, we requested Maher for his ideas on what the state training division can do to create a secure and welcoming atmosphere in faculties for these questioning their gender identification.
“I do not know that something that occurred legislatively modified any focus from the Division of Schooling’s perspective. Lengthy earlier than I bought right here and properly after I go away, I think anyway, that our focus can be on educating all college students. That is not one thing that we get to choose and select as to who we get to teach. So all college students can be afforded a free and acceptable training.”
The legislature additionally handed a invoice for tax-credit funded scholarships that might enable college students to attend non-public or spiritual faculties.
Till lately, Nebraska was certainly one of two states that didn’t have a scholarship program for varsity alternative. Maher mentioned he doesn’t see public college funding being impacted firstly.
“Yeah. The tax implication of the funding that is type of — we’ll see on whether or not or not it impacts. However I do not assume, at the very least instantly, there’s no cash peeled away from the general public college portion of the tax implication there.
“A minimum of from the start it does not affect funding. However we’ll see over time, if there’s any affect.”
Over 750 positions have been left vacant in faculties final 12 months, in keeping with the Nebraska Division of Schooling.
Maher says he has a number of options in thoughts to assist the instructor scarcity in Nebraska. A technique is eliminating limitations just like the Praxis check, which was a required expertise check for lecturers. Gov. Jim Pillen repealed the check in Might.
One other method Maher mentioned was advertising the occupation to youthful generations like with Educators Rising. This system reveals college students what it’s wish to be a instructor and helps them be taught classroom expertise like making a lesson plan.
Trainer salaries have additionally been debated throughout the nation, with payments just like the American Trainer Act. We requested Maher if the state training division had plans to lift salaries in Nebraska, however he mentioned it’s out of his arms.
“We might advocate, I feel. However when it comes to salaries for lecturers, there are quite a lot of elements in there. I will throw out one. And that’s native management. These salaries actually are decided domestically by native boards of training and bargaining teams that they work for. So whereas we’re not disinterested in that by any means, we’re additionally not proper in the midst of that dialog, both.”
All through the interview, Maher introduced up the thought of accountability. However how does accountability look in training? Maher answered:
“Actually what it comes all the way down to is: How do faculties do on completely different metrics? How are they performing? And I will offer you an instance of what I imply by that. What’s your commencement fee?
“And then you definately take that metric and also you dig into it by socioeconomic standing. How are college students doing who’re free and diminished value lunch college students versus those that aren’t free and diminished value lunch college students? How are college students doing primarily based on race and ethnicity?”
In 2021, the Nebraska State Board of Schooling proposed well being requirements that prompted divided opinions within the state. The primary draft included instructing college students about gender identification and intercourse training. The second draft left just one point out of identification, however nonetheless introduced criticism to the board.
Though these requirements occurred earlier than Maher arrived, he mentioned his focus is on the method behind the requirements reasonably than reviving the requirements.
“I might let you know in going by way of the interview and making ready for the start of the job, that no person has come to me and mentioned, ‘let’s revitalize the well being requirements.’
“Relatively, what I hear is, ‘let’s take a look at our processes for any requirements that we deliver ahead. And, how will we deal with that in a scientific method in order that it goes a distinct path than it did a few years in the past?’ I do not assume you will see us in that place once more. Knock on, knock on wooden if there’s any round you. I do not assume you will see the division in that place, as a result of I feel our course of will actually contain quite a lot of enter from stakeholders and we cannot get to that time. I really feel assured that that’ll be the case.”
