January 12, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• In December 2025, Governor Jim Pillen proposed a mandatory statewide policy requiring third-grade students who are not proficient in reading to be retained for an additional year. He argues that this change is necessary to end "social promotion" and ensure every child has the literacy skills required for fourth grade and beyond.
• Key points of the proposal include:
  • Mandatory Retention: Students not meeting proficiency benchmarks by the end of third grade would repeat the grade level.
  • Shift in Policy: This would move Nebraska from the current "Reading Improvement Act" model; which focuses on targeted interventions, to a mandatory retention model similar to those used in states like Mississippi and Florida.
• State Literacy Goals: The proposal aligns with the Nebraska Literacy Project’s goal of reaching 75% third-grade reading proficiency by the year 2030.
• Governor Pillen has stated that this policy is intended to "memorialize" high standards in state law, ensuring that no student is moved forward until they can successfully read.
• I have attached the brief that I sent to the Governor’s Policy Staffer

• Key process dates to keep in mind:
  • Jan. 7: session begins
  • First 10 days: bill introduction
  • First 30 days: committee hearings
  • Mid February: priority bills identified
  • April 17: final day
• Significant Budget Shortfall
  • Nebraska is facing an estimated $471 million budget shortfall in its current two-year (biennial) budget cycle that the Legislature will need to address during the 2026 session.
• School Finance and Property Tax Reform : 
  • Renewed discussion of shifting more responsibility for school operating costs to the state.
  • Continued use of the existing school aid formula, with possible changes to how funding is generated. 
  • Potential limits on annual budget growth for political subdivisions, with voter approval required to exceed limits. 
  • Expansion of the sales tax base as a funding mechanism.
  • These proposals could impact local budget authority, levy structures, and long term financial planning. 
  • They may affect how districts manage staffing, programming, and enrollment growth.
• Private School Scholarships and Tax Credits:
  • Oversight, implementation, or expansion of scholarship programs tied to tax credits. 
  • Policy discussions framed as school choice initiatives. 
  • Possible reporting or accountability requirements for scholarship granting organizations.
  • These policies may have enrollment and funding implications for public schools and will likely continue to generate public and political debate.
• Social Policy Bills Affecting Schools:
  • Student participation and eligibility policies related to gender identity. 
  • Facility use, extracurricular participation, and compliance requirements.
  • These bills often require board policy revisions, staff training, and operational changes and can create legal and community engagement considerations.
• Workforce and Educator Pipeline Issues:
  • Proposals related to paid family or sick leave. 
  • Compensation or support for student teachers. 
  • Efforts to strengthen teacher recruitment and retention.
  • These initiatives may have cost and staffing implications for districts and could affect the long term educator pipeline, particularly in rural areas.
• Some education-related bills presented Wednesday:
  • LB 765 was introduced by Senator Holdcroft relating to school bond elections.  Among other components of the bill, LB 765 requires that 50.1% of qualified voters within a school district take part in the bond election in addition to a majority vote to approve the measure.
  • LB 824, introduced by Senator Lonowski, would amend both the School Employees and Class V (OPS) Retirement Systems to reduce the “no work period” from 180 days to 120.  This bill provides for a “hard” 120 days, meaning that the new retiree can neither volunteer nor substitute teach during that period of time.

• MOU Attached for your review

• 12:30-3:30 Poverty Training @MCC East Campus
• AM: Master Class: Science of Reading (K-12)
  • Designed intentionally for educators in Kindergarten through 12th grade, the course ensures vertical alignment and helps teachers see how early literacy foundations connect to adolescent literacy expectations.
  • Developed by Solution Tree, the Master Class provides a clear, research-grounded understanding of the Science of Reading, helping educators align instruction with what decades of evidence show about how students actually learn to read.
  • The course goes beyond theory by modeling practical, repeatable processes for collaborating with your learning team, making it an excellent fit for PLC work and shared instructional improvement.
  • Teachers gain a strong understanding of Authentic Literacy and its close connection to the Literacy Triangle, reinforcing the critical balance between word recognition, language comprehension, and meaningful literacy experiences.
  • The learning experience is engaging, practical, and immediately applicable, equipping teachers with strategies they can use right away to strengthen instruction, increase confidence, and improve student outcomes across content areas.
• Each building leader will govern the pace toward completion of the training.

• If approved, the McCook Public Schools Foundation will be a Nebraska nonprofit public benefit corporation created exclusively to support, benefit, and advance the educational mission and priorities of McCook Public Schools. 
• The Foundation will operate as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and exists solely to perform functions for, and carry out the purposes of, Red Willow County School District 73-0017 (McCook Public Schools). 
• The Foundation would be governed by a twelve-member Board of Directors, ensuring both community leadership and formal district representation. 
  • Of the 12 directors, ten are voting directors appointed by the Foundation’s Board, one voting director is appointed by the McCook Public Schools Board of Education, and two non-voting directors appointed by the School Board serve as official liaisons between the Foundation and the District. 
• The Foundation would have no members and would be governed solely through its Board of Directors, reinforcing its role as a support organization aligned with, but independent from, day-to-day school operations. 
• All Foundation assets and activities would be restricted to charitable and educational purposes, with strict prohibitions on private benefit, political activity, or commercial influence; upon dissolution, all remaining assets must continue to benefit qualifying educational or charitable organizations.
• Official documents attached to this section of the agenda. 

7.4. Monthly Business Manager Board of Education Report

December 2025 for January 2026 Board Meeting

• Monthly Lunch #’s =  11,287 meals served

• Financial #’s = After 33% of fiscal year = General Fund YTD Revenue is 26% YTD Expense is 34%
• All Funds YTD Revenue is 26%, YTD Expenses is 37%

Facilities - Updates

• Concrete work on sidewalks and retaining walls is done until the spring on the Parking lot West of YMCA and Tennis courts. 
• Final dirt work and grass seeding will also take place in the spring.
• Weiland field stadium damage will be completed in April.
• A RFP for replacement of the JH bleachers was held.  The low bid will be presented as a new business item later in the meeting.

Storm Damage - Updates.

• The roof at The learning center is in its final stages.

Current Financial Projects

• The final bond payment was made in December.  

Federal/state Reports filed in December:

• None