Delayed action items have been the theme of the Nebraska State Board of Education meetings for the first quarter of 2026.

Community Achievement Plan

In January, the Planning and Evaluation Committee recommended no action on the approval of the Community Achievement Plan (CAP) for the Learning Communities of Douglas and Sarpy Counties.

At the Feb. 6 meeting, the board voted to refer CAP back to the Executive Committee for more discussion.

CAP, which is detailed in Nebraska State Statute 79-2122, must be approved every three years by the state board. The goal of the Learning Communities is to address achievement equity throughout the Omaha Metro area and results in approximately an additional $10 million in state school aid flowing into metro schools.

Previous plans have not directly impacted the low achievement of Omaha Public Schools whose districtwide proficiency for Language Arts is 40% and math is 30% while receiving over $300 million in state aid.

Per state statute, the plan must have “a high likelihood, in the opinion of the state board based on the evidence presented, of improving achievement equity and reducing the impact of barriers to achievement.”

In an attempt to hold a vote on the plan before the March 1 deadline for state aid determinations, the board held a special meeting on Feb. 24 in which CAP failed in a 4-4 vote.

Because the CAP for 2026-2029 was so similar to the previous plan, I did not believe it would have any more impact on achievement than the previous plan and voted no.

NDE staff was then required to notify the Learning Community in writing of the reasons for denial. Because this plan is in state statute, they consulted with the attorney general’s office.

As board president, I was notified that we did not have statutory grounds for a denial based on reasons some board members stated during the Feb. 6 meeting that were outside the bonds of statute All no votes were informed of why their previous on the record comments were not in alignment with statute and how this could open the board up to legal action by the Learning Community school districts.

Another board meeting was held Feb. 27. The item passed with 4 yes votes, 3 no votes, and 1 abstention.

A Lack of Clarity

The Feb. 6 meeting also had the postponement of a grant to the March meeting. The grant would send Nebraska preschool data to an outside company who would then compile it for cross-agency and federal sharing of data.

During the March meeting I asked the Early Childhood Director to give me three measurable outcomes we could look for in the next year if this grant was approved. The director talked about data and technology but struggled to articulate a clear answer. She concluded her remarks by stating she was not the best person to answer the question.

While I have voted yes more than 95% of the time for early childhood items, I voted no on this item because of the lack of understanding of the grant and its impact by the department director who was bringing it for board approval.

Some items I voted to approve were funding for federal IDEA and the Nebraska Center for the Education of Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired, additional support teams for math and literacy to underachieving schools, advisory board members, and regulation revisions.

Additional items from the March agenda will be covered in my next submission. This summary is my perspective and not an official statement of the board.

Elizabeth Tegtmeier Nebraska State Board of Education President and District 7 Representative