Education

signed · Nebraska · Legislature Jun 6, 2025

LB 306: Change provisions relating to admission to elementary and secondary schools, the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges, the Nebraska Career Scholarship Act, the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education Act, and the Door to College Scholarship Act and require a database of financial information regarding school districts and reporting regarding funding from foreign adversarial sources

LB 306 modifies school residency rules to clarify admission for non-resident students, military families, and students in residential settings. It requires all Nebraska school districts to maintain a centralized financial database and mandates public and private colleges to report funding from "foreign adversarial sources" to the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. The bill also updates scholarship programs (Nebraska Career Scholarship Act and Door to College Scholarship Act) and adjusts governance for the Nebraska State Colleges Board. These changes aim to increase transparency in school funding and foreign financial influences on higher education.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationUpdates scholarship programs (Nebraska Career Scholarship Act) and clarifies school admission rules for non-residents/military families, enhancing educational access and funding mechanisms.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding Student Financial Aid

died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 352: Change provisions relating to reports on student achievement and discipline required under the Quality Education Accountability Act

This bill requires Nebraska school districts to collect and report detailed student achievement and discipline data to the state. School districts must track incidents like suspensions, expulsions, and law enforcement involvement, then report individual data (while keeping students anonymous) aggregated by factors such as race, poverty level, disability status, and English proficiency. The state will create a public database showing this de-identified data, searchable by school, discipline type, and demographic group. The goal is to help identify patterns in achievement and discipline outcomes, particularly for students in poverty, with disabilities, or who are limited English proficient. Failure to comply may lead to accreditation consequences for school districts.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires data collection on discipline disparities (race, disability, etc.) to promote equity and accountability in K-12 schools, aligning with educational improvement goals.85% confidence

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 249: Provide for military impact funding and change provisions relating to local formula resources under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act

This bill creates a new "military impact funding" mechanism for Nebraska school districts serving children of active-duty military members. Districts receive state funds calculated by comparing per-pupil federal impact aid (from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) to per-pupil local tax levies, with the difference paid for each enrolled military-connected child. This funding is added to the state's school finance formula starting in the 2025-26 school year. It directly affects districts that received federal impact aid in the prior year and provide free education to military-connected students.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates new state funding mechanism for military-connected students' education, increasing public school budget allocation under school finance formula.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates new state funding mechanism to cover gap between federal aid and local taxes for military-connected students, directly increasing school district resources.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 670: Require schools to adopt a safety plan and provide and change requirements related to training for staff of child care and schools

LB 670 requires all Nebraska public school districts and nonpublic schools to adopt annual safety plans covering fire, tornado, and vehicle evacuation drills. It also changes training requirements for child care providers, teachers, and school staff, mandating at least four hours of annual training focused on child safety, health, and emergency response. The bill updates the Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System to track staff training and clarifies the State School Security Director’s role in supporting school safety planning and assessments. These changes directly affect schools, child care programs, and their staff by establishing standardized safety protocols and training obligations.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates safety plans and staff training for emergencies, directly protecting students and staff in educational settings95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates 4+ hours annual safety training for school staff, directly improving workplace safety standards per Labor & Employment indicators.90% confidence

Sub-Topics School Safety

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 162: Adopt the Child Care Safety and Security Act

This bill requires licensed child care and early education programs (including for-profit, nonprofit, Head Start, and Early Head Start programs) to implement emergency safety plans and notification systems similar to those in schools. It creates a state fund to provide competitive grants to local agencies for emergency notification systems, safety training, and materials to support safe reunification of children during emergencies. The grants, capped at $1,000 annually per agency service, will help programs prepare for threats like fires, intruders, or weather events. The State Department of Education must report annually on grant usage and program participation without disclosing specific child care facility details.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates state fund for safety grants in early education programs, enhancing student safety and operational support within educational settings.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 282: Provide for reimbursement for teachers for school supplies

LB 282 allows K-12 teachers in Nebraska public, private, denominational, or parochial schools to seek up to $300 in reimbursement for school supplies they personally purchased. Teachers must submit receipts to the State Department of Education, which will administer the program based on policies developed by the State Board of Education. The bill requires the State Board to specify eligible supplies and establish application procedures, effective starting the 2025-26 school year. This directly affects teachers who cover out-of-pocket supply costs, providing a structured reimbursement process.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates new state expenditure for teacher reimbursement program, aligning with funding essential education programs.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationReimburses teachers for personal school supply expenses, directly supporting educators with financial aid for classroom materials.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentReimburses teachers for work-related supplies, reducing out-of-pocket costs and supporting employment conditions for educators.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 389: Eliminate the levy authority of educational service units and provide state funding to educational service units

Nebraska bill LB 389 eliminates the ability of educational service units (ESUs) to collect local property taxes for funding. Instead, it requires the state to provide direct funding to ESUs according to specified formulas. This change affects ESUs and the school districts that previously contributed to ESU budgets through local tax levies. The bill modifies existing tax levy limits for school districts and ESUs to remove their authority to raise funds via property taxes, shifting responsibility to state appropriations.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill eliminates ESUs' local property tax levy authority (restricts tax collection) and shifts funding to state appropriations, directly limiting local tax powers in budget management.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationShifts funding from local property taxes to state funding, ensuring stable support for ESUs without reducing resources for K-12 education services.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 498: Change provisions relating to foundation aid and certification dates under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act

LB 498 updates Nebraska's school funding formula under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act. It changes foundation aid calculations: for school years 2023-24 and 2024-25, aid is $1,500 per formula student, but starting 2025-26, it will increase annually based on the Consumer Price Index. The bill also revises certification deadlines for school funding (moving the key date to March 1 annually) and reduces the portion of foundation aid counted toward school budgets from 100% to 60% for 2025-26 and later. These changes directly affect all Nebraska public school districts receiving state foundation aid.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases school foundation aid annually via CPI, enhancing state education funding under budget framework while adjusting certification timelines.92% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationUpdates school funding formula to increase foundation aid annually via CPI, ensuring stable/future funding growth for schools under Tax Equity Act.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 597: Change provisions relating to foundation aid, local effort rate yield, adjusted valuations of property, and certification dates under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act

Nebraska bill LB 597 modifies how public school districts receive state education funding under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act. Starting with the 2025-26 school year, foundation aid will be calculated as the greater of $1,500 per formula student or 7.5% of each district's basic funding. It also reduces the percentage of foundation aid counted toward formula resources from 100% to 60% for future years and adjusts local effort rate calculations (reducing the deduction from property tax levies from 5 cents to 10 cents). These changes directly affect all Nebraska public school districts receiving state aid.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesReduces state aid counted toward local effort (60% vs 100%), shifting costs to districts and lowering state expenditure on education funding.85% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationReduces foundation aid's effective contribution from 100% to 60% of formula resources, diminishing state education funding for districts.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding

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died · Nebraska · Legislature Apr 17, 2026

LB 500: Create the School Financing Review Commission

Nebraska's LB 500 creates a 21-member School Financing Review Commission to examine and recommend improvements to public school funding. The commission includes education officials, legislators, school board members, teachers, and diverse community representatives from across the state. It will review alternatives to property tax reliance (like income or sales tax components), funding for pre-K, career programs, and student needs (including poverty and limited English proficiency), and infrastructure costs. The commission must submit a preliminary report by November 2025 and a final report with recommendations by December 2025, followed by annual reports on funding adequacy starting in 2028. This bill directly affects all Nebraska public elementary and secondary schools and their students.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates commission to review and recommend improvements to school funding, including alternatives to property tax, pre-K, career programs, and student needs like poverty.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood School Funding

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