Marni Hodgen of Omaha, recommended by PNC, is a massage therapist. Challenge Neary in the metropolitan area.
During a debate at Millard late last month, Neary said the debate on sex education ignored a more important topic.
“Anyone talking about indoctrination and grooming is fueling fear,” she said. “They aren’t talking about real issues.”
In the future, she hopes parents and board members can be more considerate of families addressing gender identity issues. He said there needs to be more focus on the good work already being done in schools in Nebraska.
At Longfellow Elementary School in Hastings, Ruth Raun teaches fourth grade.
Raun has been a teacher for over 25 years. She said it was always difficult to keep her teachers. More recently, pandemic-related stress has sparked a nationwide teacher shortage. Shortage Cornhusker caught badly.
The Nebraska Department of Education reports that since 2016, the number of teacher vacancies in Nebraska has increased from 232 to 482. This 107% increase does not include schools that did not respond to departmental surveys.
Raun said he knows what helps new teachers stick.
“Teacher retention is very high because the job is not easy,” says Raun. “Some days this job doesn’t pay off. But in the long run, I think it’s the best job I’ve ever had. It can help you stick.”
Feeling trusted and heard goes a long way, says Raun. The school board candidate agrees with Raun and has some ideas on how to make it happen.
“give [teachers] We get to the policy-making table,” said Danell Herzer of Central Nebraska.
Herzer said he will hold regular Zoom meetings at convenient times for teachers and voters to attend. In addition to this, she hopes to appoint more teachers to the Ministry of Education Commission as she makes her decisions.
Other candidates have heard that Nebraska’s accreditation process is a barrier to entry into the teaching profession. Robin Stevens of Western Nebraska said the current system of using “hands-on” exams to evaluate teachers is no longer effective.
“We want to do everything we can to streamline the certification process,” Stevens said.
He said devoting more departmental staff to certifying full-time and substitute teachers would make the process less stressful for future teachers.
Teacher salaries have been a hotly debated topic for years. Helen Lykes of Southeast Nebraska said raising teacher salaries is the best way to keep people from finding other, more lucrative jobs.
“I think the most important thing is the ongoing salary,” Raikes said.
She also said that allowing teachers time to plan helps them.
Time to plan and time to listen to students are important considerations. Academics are important, Laun said, as is the time needed to talk to students about what they are facing.
“I need time to be with my students, listen to them and support them emotionally.”
Allowing teachers to be more graceful and flexible in their daily schedules would go a long way, says Laun.
What state boards of education can do to retain teachers is somewhat limited. Because it costs money to raise salaries, and that’s something the committee doesn’t have much of an impact on.
According to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data, Nebraska ranks 46th nationally in state funding per student. Her COVID fund at the Commonwealth has helped fill some of the gaps, but those dollars will dry up quickly. Nebraska school districts rely on local property taxes.
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