Low education goals for Santee Reservation

The September and October State Board of Education meetings were held in Aurora and Gering, respectively. Panhandle residents and school officials have expressed gratitude that we held a meeting in western Nebraska.

A topic that dominated board discussion at both meetings was the proposed plan for the designated priority schools both are located on the Santee Reservation. A priority school is one which would benefit from outside assistance because it has been consistently under-performing in multiple areas. The point of concern I raised along with three other board members were the extremely low goals for academic performance and school attendance.

The initial proficiency target for the elementary was 15%. One board member expressed that she felt it was appropriate as unmet goals can be demoralizing for teachers. I explained that I am more concerned about the 85% of students who would not only be demoralized but also hampered if they can’t read proficiently.

Equally concerning was the high school attendance goal of 20% of the students attending 90% of the school year. In a 180-day school year, this would mean on 20% of the students would have 18 or fewer absences. Ironically, the board recognized September as Attendance Awareness Month at the meeting this goal was initially presented.

The motions to approve both of these plans died with two 4-4 votes (a first since I took my position in January).

In October, a revised plan for the elementary was presented which included details about the new curriculum and instructional approaches the district is taking. I am hopeful the staff can exceed the 20% proficiency goal they set. This motion passed 5-1 (only six board members were in attendance at the Gering meeting).

However, the plan for the high school did not seem significantly revised and I remain concerned about the low expectation for attendance. This plan was approved in a 4-2 vote. The school district will report to the board periodically throughout this school year on their progress. My goal as a board member is to ensure that all students are able to reach their full potential through high quality instruction coupled with high expectations.

As always, the complete board meeting can be viewed through the NDE website both live and in archived format. Meeting minutes are also available online.

One little known function of the board is to serve in a quasi-judicial format over all certified teachers and administrators in Nebraska. A teacher who has broken contract, acted immorally in his or her position, or committed a crime can face the suspension or revocation of his or her teaching certificate. The board makes determinations based on the recommendation of the Nebraska Professional Practices Commission during a closed hearing. The final determinations of the board are published on the commission’s website (nppc.nebraska.gov).

My concern for the well-being of our students always supersedes retaining an adult who has acted immorally or committed a crime (whether or not charges were pressed). Since the board’s decisions impact who is allowed to teach in Nebraska’s classrooms, I feel it is important to inform the public of this key role the board serves and how to access the determinations of the board on cases.

— The opinions expressed in this update are Elizabeth Tegtmeier’s and do not represent the Nebraska State Board of Education.