State Board of Education update

On Nov. 8, 2022, I was elected to represent the people of District 6 on the Nebraska State Board of Education. District 6, located in central and northeast Nebraska, is comprised of the following counties: Adams, Antelope, Boone, Buffalo, Cedar, Dakota, Dixon, Greeley, Hall, Howard, Knox, Merrick, Nance, Pierce, Thurston, Wayne and Wheeler. Small areas of Cuming and Burt counties are also included in District 6. I am both grateful and honored to serve as your representative.

To keep my constituents informed, I intend to share highlights of monthly State Board of Education meetings using local newspapers and Facebook. I can be contacted via email at [email protected].

The state board of education meets the first Thursday and Friday of each month, except July and November. Thursdays are work sessions, where board members meet in their assigned committees. For 2023, I have been assigned to the Budget and Finance Committee, where I will serve as vice chair, and to the Planning and Evaluation Committee. Fridays are business meetings, which are open to the public. Agendas for meetings may be found at http://www.education.ne.gov/stateboard/agendas/.

A public comment time is offered during most business meetings. If unable to attend, written comment may be submitted online.

This month, I will share just one agenda item from the January meeting. Anyone wishing to view the January business meeting in its entirety may do so at http://www.education.ne.gov/live/.

Due to the resignation of Nebraska Commissioner of Education Dr. Matthew Blomstedt, an item on the agenda was the search for the next individual to fill that position.

Representatives from McPherson and Jacobson led board members through a discussion of the attributes desired in a commissioner and outlined a tentative timeline of the search.

Commissioner finalists may be presented to the board as early as the week of March 20.

Stakeholder input is desired and will be made available through an online survey. As soon it becomes available, I will post on my SBOE Facebook profile how to access the survey. I encourage people across the state of Nebraska to take part in the survey so their thoughts can be made known and considered. Your input is important.

For NE kids,

Sherry Jones

Disclaimer statement: This is written on behalf of Sherry Jones; not the State Board of Education.