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Great news. That's how Summerland Schools Superintendent Kyle Finke described the district's statewide assessment results. The results, released prior to Thanksgiving, were presented to school board members in December, as part of the district's annual report. The data, released by the Nebraska Department of Education, assesses a school's proficiency using annual statewide tests taken by students in third to eighth grade, in addition to ACT scores for junior-class members. The accountability...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION Nov. 14, 2023 Summerland Public School Board of Education met in regular session, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, at 6 p.m., in the school’s board room. President Steve Thiele called the meeting, which was advertised in the Nov. 8 papers, to order at 6 p.m. Thiele noted the Open Meetings Act posted in the board room. Roll call was taken. All board members were present: Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Scott Thiele, Steve Thiele, Austin Twibell, Jeremy Wagner. Motion by Wagner, seconded by Twibell, to app...
In a rare move, seven months into the Jim Pillen reign, I'm going to suggest we cut the new guy some slack. Seems that a social media tweet raised concerns about First Amendment rights and dredged up the decades-long discussion on brain drain. Pillen tweeted from the governor's official account that he hoped the 31 Nebraska high school graduates who had perfect scores on the ACT would "return and utilize your talents here" after college. Remember, it was Twitter and other social media that...
Summerland Public School Board of Education met in regular session, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, at the school. President Ed Nordby opened the meeting, which was advertised in the Jan. 12, 2022, newspapers, to order at 7:02 p.m. Visitors were welcomed. Nordby noted the Open Meetings Act posted in the boardroom. All board members were present: Candice Hoke, Marty Kerkman, Nordby, Nate Schwager, Steve Thiele, Jeremy Wagner. Motion by Hoke, seconded by Kerkman, to approve the agenda as presented. Voting aye: Hoke, Kerkman, Nordby, Schwager, Thiele,...
The Legislature debated several of my bills last week. On Tuesday afternoon, we debated my amendment to my LB 561, a bill to further define and implement the voter-approved initiative on casino gaming at racetracks. As 70% of the tax revenue derived from these casinos is dedicated to property tax relief, it is important to get this done right. Gambling is a divisive issue in our Legislature and the debate reflected that. After the question was divided on the issue of electronic keno, we spent a...
The work of the Legislature is now about getting bills to the floor for debate by the entire body. And that generally means a priority designation. Priority bills, one per senator, two per committee and twenty-five for the speaker, have now been designated. Senator Geist prioritized my LB 408, which provides for a 3 percent limit on annual increases in property tax askings. It may be debated on the floor of the legislature next week. Senator Slama prioritized my LB 139, which provides a measure...
Madeleine Grant and Brooke Wrage Nebraska News Service LINCOLN--Nebraska lawmakers continue to push for marijuana legislation this session. On Feb. 19, the Nebraska Legislature Judiciary Committee heard six bills relating to the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. Substance possession penalties State senators are considering a bill to change the penalty for controlled substance possession. LB 287, was introduced by Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha to lessen penalties for possession of unusable amounts of controlled substances under the...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION December 14, 2020 Summerland Public School Board of Education held a regular meeting, Dec. 14, at the Orchard site. President Ed Nordby called the meeting, published in the paper dated Dec. 9, 2020, to order at 6 p.m. The Open Meeting Act posted in the room was noted. Roll call and all members were present: Candice Hoke, Marty Kerkman, Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Steven Thiele, Jeremy Wagner. Motion by Kerkman, seconded by Hoke, to approve the agenda as presented. Voting aye: Hoke, Kerkman,...
The Nebraska Department of Education released AQuESTT profiles last Wednesday. Accountability for a Quality Education System Today and Tomorrow is an assessment of the state's schools that was developed to ensure all students across backgrounds and circumstances have access and opportunities for success, according to David Jesperson, public information officer for the Nebraska Department of Education AQuESTT annually classifies schools and the state's districts as excellent, great, good, or need...