Nebraska senators take pass on bill capping school superintendent pay, for now

Laws to supply grants for trainer recruitment and retention, to permit home-schooled college students to take part in public college actions and to limit colleges from suspending younger elementary-aged college students superior from the Legislature’s Schooling Committee on Friday.

Members of the committee superior seven payments with amendments to the ground for debate with the objective of together with a number of items of laws collectively in a single package deal for consideration within the remaining 27 days of the session.

However the committee held off on voting for a invoice (LB800) from Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil that will cap superintendent pay at 5 instances the pay of a first-year trainer in the identical public college district.

Murman, the Schooling Committee chair, mentioned on the invoice’s listening to on Jan. 31 that a number of college districts in Nebraska, together with Lincoln Public Faculties, “appear to be paying their superintendents a charge that’s out of contact with the remainder of the state.”

For instance, former LPS Superintendent Steve Joel’s base wage was $334,515 within the 2021-22 college yr, whereas his complete compensation package deal exceeded $530,000, placing in the identical league because the superintendent of Chicago’s public colleges.

Different college districts that will be affected by the invoice embrace Omaha Public Faculties and Millard Public Faculties.

Capping the pay of superintendents at 5 instances the speed of a beginning trainer in future contracts would assist management administrative prices, Murman mentioned, and will present an incentive to extend trainer pay.

“I simply assume we’ve got a restricted quantity of public cash that goes to schooling, I’d relatively give it to frontline academics than administration,” Murman mentioned.

Underneath the present pay schedule of all three districts, LPS’ subsequent superintendent’s pay could be capped at roughly $390,000, whereas OPS would cap their superintendent pay at $425,000, and Millard could be held at $375,000.

Whereas a majority of the committee voiced help for the invoice, Gov. Jim Pillen has indicated he would veto it if it have been handed by the Legislature as a person invoice, or was included in a package deal with different payments.

If LB800 have been included alongside different payments, the gubernatorial veto would apply to each invoice within the package deal, probably placing some key items of laws at risk this yr.

The governor, for his half, views the invoice as infringing upon the native management of faculty boards and is influenced from his time on the College of Nebraska Board of Regents.

Pillen was on the Board of Regents when it introduced a plan to make the NU system’s prime administrator among the many highest paid public college leaders within the nation. The board finally agreed to pay Ted Carter a base wage of $934,600, which was 70% larger than that of his predecessor.

A number of committee members mentioned they believed shifting the invoice may ship a sign to highschool districts that the Legislature was watching the difficulty and able to act.

Sen. Tom Briese of Albion mentioned he believed most Nebraskans would discover the salaries of sure superintendents “outlandish” and mentioned the committee ought to vote to maneuver the invoice to the ground.

“So far as sending a message, we might be sending a message by voting this out,” Briese mentioned.

Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, nevertheless, mentioned she agreed with the governor that faculty boards ought to be capable of train management over administrator pay and urged the committee conduct an interim examine as an alternative.

“I’m not saying that each administrator’s wage is appropriate, however proper now it’s an opinion that we’ve got to regulate each administrator’s wage,” Walz mentioned. “I’m not within the enterprise of simply making a choice after I don’t have all of the details in entrance of me.”

The examine would possibly outcome within the Legislature creating pointers for varsity districts to set wage and advantages for superintendents, she added.

Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad mentioned extra members of the schooling foyer have talked to her about LB800 than different payments which have come earlier than the Schooling Committee this yr – an expertise she mentioned was a supply of frustration.

Conrad added she supported the invoice for a number of completely different causes, together with to help frontline academics, but additionally agreed with Walz that native management was vital.

“I feel in case you polled the individuals in my district (LD46 in north Lincoln) they’d be very shocked and never so pleased about what we’re paying superintendents,” she mentioned. “I feel that they love LPS, however that’s a substantial wage.”

Finally, the committee determined to move over the invoice on Friday, however may carry it up for a vote someday subsequent week.

Different payments superior by the committee on Friday embrace:

* LB153 from Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington that will permit college districts to use for funding to cowl dramatic will increase in particular schooling prices. An modification clarifies that the funding would come from the Schooling Future Fund and never basic funds.

* LB356 from Walz, which clarifies that solely schools or universities with a bodily location in Nebraska are eligible for college students to use Nebraska Alternative Grant funds.

* LB372 from Murman requiring residence college college students to take part in not less than 5 credit score hours per semester at a public college as a way to participate in school-sponsored actions. Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne didn’t vote to advance the invoice.

* LB385 from Linehan which gives retention grants of $2,500 for academics of their second, fourth, and sixth years. The invoice was amended to incorporate a $5,000 recruitment bonus for academics licensed in SPED, math, science, know-how and twin credit score. These grants would even be supplied from the Schooling Future Fund.

* LB520 from Walz including flexibility to what programs can fulfill the commencement necessities of the Laptop Science Know-how and Schooling Act handed final yr to handle a scarcity of tech employees within the state.

* LB632 from Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney prohibits colleges from suspending college students who’re in pre-kindergarten program by way of the second-grade, however consists of an exception if these college students carry a lethal weapon to highschool grounds or in a faculty car or to a faculty occasion.

* LB724 from Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas, which eliminates primary talent check necessities for entry-level academics. An modification requires entry-level academics to nonetheless full content-specific necessities.