[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6483881,"mediaKeyId","5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392","parentId",5561747,"title","Mockingbird principal cites stagnant reading scores, rising chronic absenteeism; school lays out intervention and attendance plan","audioSeconds",418,"startMs",1438000,"endMs",1856000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392&start=1438&end=1856","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392/thumbnail_1438000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6483881/Nebraska/Mockingbird-principal-cites-stagnant-reading-scores-rising-chronic-absenteeism-school-lays-out-intervention-and-attendance-plan","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6483881-68b1b1f2e8168300b4dcdb22380def1c/orig.mp4?Expires=1773567737&Signature=gYBLBXoqY4GIgj2AAZakUmHDbGHiv0TFYKgmCA1X48T~b5othYIIACiikwcwHzuOUldCIL-U5FU3Dblc8E2sz6C9HL9vppgerPbt5UquT0dzl74yVWmSGEHKoyvprH~Ni4pQj2TAHp6PCTRn~cXJ55HHzimiR5Ac4S2KrJgUb8KACrLEEZ40xGmZiBF7Y751mPCsEndvmnKpBEzTp2TJBbdTOrwXjHZlX5lEZRXQQj~eThYFIZI0tm5ofe3RDrFz73SgX~C5Nd2uq9b88MrSQLiPKWWl8th5-ZJvQR~FEDGD-MgHTOIGLFjD7XJz0YoikH31BdZttnku6o4gPdVUMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ralston Public Schools, NE","date","2025-08-11T20:48:08Z","article","At the Ralston Public Schools Board of Education meeting Aug. 11, staff presenting for Mockingbird Elementary reported that district and school assessment results have not met the district's goals and flagged chronic absenteeism as a major barrier to academic progress.

Presenter Ryan said district-administered FastBridge screening showed 38% of students in grades 2 through 6 at or above proficiency at the beginning of the year and 38% at the end of the year, a flat result the school described as disappointing. Ryan said kindergarten showed a strong gain—from 41% to 71%—but first grade experienced a concerning drop in fluency scores that staff have begun investigating.

The principal told the board that a separate snapshot of the state NSCAS assessment was corrected after the presentation: the current proficiency rate on the NSCAS for the tested grades is 33%, not the 20% that appeared in an earlier slide. Ryan said third through sixth grades showed year-to-year improvement on NSCAS (for example, third grade from 10% to 24%), but that the aggregate proficiency rates remain below the district's expectations.

Ryan and school staff described a suite of changes to address instruction and intervention. The school said it restructured its data team so the team—rather than individual teachers alone—will prescribe interventions, specify the duration of interventions and provide progress-monitoring supports to reduce the planning burden on classroom teachers. The data team includes the school psychologist and reading specialists, according to presenters.

Attendance emerged as a central concern. Presenters said the school wants average daily attendance at 95% and chronic absenteeism under 20%. Chronic absenteeism was linked to roughly 18 missed days per chronically absent student; staff said 210 students missed 10 or more days in the most recent year (compared with 460 the prior year and about 428 at the time of the meeting). Ryan called 10 missed days “two weeks of instruction” and said the school will begin an escalated-contact approach: a required meeting after three absences in the first quarter, another meeting at six days in the second quarter and a third meeting before students reach 10 absences.

Ryan described common causes for prolonged absences, including extended family travel (in some cases international travel to home countries), and said the school will encourage families to use digital resources—IXL, Google Classroom and recorded lessons—to reduce instructional loss when students are away. School staff cautioned that remote assignments cannot fully replace in-person instruction.

Board members asked for additional data collection on reasons for absences so the board can identify any system-level changes (for example, schedule adjustments or other supports) that would address barriers to students attending regularly.

The presentation included several next steps: increased emphasis on student-facing goal-setting for assessments so students are motivated to perform on progress-monitoring tools; targeted work on fluency in early grades with reading specialists; and closer monitoring of intervention effectiveness through the reconstituted data team.

The board did not take formal action on the school improvement presentation; the item was presented for review, discussion and direction.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","RPS Board of Education Meeting - August 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the Ralston Public Schools Board of Education meeting Aug. 11, staff presenting for Mockingbird Elementary reported that district and school assessment results have not met the district's goals and flagged chronic absenteeism as a major barrier to academic progress.","taxTitle","RALSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, School Districts, Nebraska","taxId",76452,"location","Nebraska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6483869,"Ralston board approves consent agenda, $500,000 depreciation transfer and policy removals; to consider 5% tax-authority option later",42,292000,334000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392&start=292&end=334","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392/thumbnail_292000.jpg","/articles/6483869/Nebraska/Ralston-board-approves-consent-agenda-500000-depreciation-transfer-and-policy-removals-to-consider-5-tax-authority-option-later","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6483869-95b133c785fddb3dc934ddabb7ccb1be/orig.mp4?Expires=1773567737&Signature=an9hRvUJfiESMeKPBW7FG6ewlFaEJ72CLBhwPGom-p6cFyZDf6ij1IqqSvrzLEvrmigeP7PUaFgd7yxw8REk6FUdGkHXHT7pZV0kxrwsqgDZ-PgxiQTNqhWGw68D2DHuuuaya6uBkR9~7S9EupiPNbSSCkzU20RNJaMK58nsONCLzpQ4l8WQISeE-Q30M5~bWpYIdQuivBZn3cwVLFBKXHzlLyCrCoCPdPpxK-6nsarwvVmzBIDEheqx9zpaPq7gLAv-cAsTm3R7UEQxSK6Hy6deTjxyvBXmeaKEV8H~qRJ4NmgskonYPNCFyzy7Z7ppU2N0~I6RVQjSyZm1LqZZJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ralston Public Schools Board of Education voted on several routine and budget items during its Aug. 11 meeting, approving the consent agenda, a depreciation-fund transfer, removal of a duplicated policy and a training-time resolution.

Consent agenda: The board approved the consent agenda as presented. The consent package included minutes from the July 28 meeting; the July financial report; and July bills noting $1,353,110.32 for the general fund and $3,879,747.69 for the special building fund. The board recorded a roll-call voice vote; the meeting transcript recorded the following vote responses when the chair called the roll: Missus Richards (Aye), Missus Huff (Aye), Missus Rorty (Aye), Missus Coomer (Aye), Missus Krauss (Aye), Missus Willing (Aye). Motion passed.

Depreciation fund transfer: The board approved a transfer of $500,000 from the general fund to the depreciation fund by a recorded vote. The transfer was described by staff as supporting technology refresh and maintaining the district’s fleet of buses and maintenance vehicles. The meeting recorded the following votes when the board called the roll: Missus Huff (Aye), Missus Richards (Aye), Missus Cross (Aye), Missus Willie (Aye), Miss Rorty (Aye), Missus Kimbrell (Aye). Motion passed.

Policy removal: The board voted to eliminate Policy 50-47 (press releases), noting the topic is duplicated in Policy 3017 and removing the redundant policy will simplify the code. The transcript indicates the motion came from Carrie with a second from Liz; the motion passed by roll call with unanimous affirmative responses recorded.

Training-time resolution: The board approved a resolution establishing minimum training times for various staff areas. The resolution implements authority granted by state law (the transcript referenced LB 1329 as background for board authority to set training requirements by resolution). The motion was moved and seconded (transcript names: Mary and Katie), discussed briefly by staff, and approved by roll-call vote with all members voting Aye.

Property-tax authority and tech tax request: Dr. Breeding (district finance) presented the district’s property-tax authority figures for fiscal 2025–26 and advised the board that the state provides two numbers: the initial property-tax authority and an optional additional 5% the board can vote to make available but not spend. Dr. Breeding recommended the board strongly consider approving the additional 5% as insurance against uncertain state school-finance changes; no formal vote on the 5% option took place during the meeting. Staff told the board the district’s proposed budgeted property-tax levies would remain below the state’s initial authority for the year.

Next steps: Staff said the board will return to the property-tax-authority decision at a future meeting and will receive additional detail on arbitrage liabilities, bond-fund balances, and retirement of outstanding project contracts at the retreat and subsequent meetings.","The Ralston Public Schools Board of Education voted on several routine and budget items at its Aug. 11 meeting, approving the consent agenda, a $500,000 transfer to the depreciation fund, the removal of a duplicated press-release policy and a staff training-time resolution.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6483871,"District reports construction progress across new and renovated schools; arbitrage liability estimated at roughly $1.5 million",222,3208000,3430000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392&start=3208&end=3430","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392/thumbnail_3208000.jpg","/articles/6483871/Nebraska/District-reports-construction-progress-across-new-and-renovated-schools-arbitrage-liability-estimated-at-roughly-15-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6483871-9bff74e4fb5e0bbe8f4abde471fc008e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773567737&Signature=nmR~U01hPgxA-quM-kJR9kFv7tutXifj5FhZGviGZv~GUU~kLO2vV-OOGcJBWnMSg8tT3QQOxqqBAhkv56hp~enu2U01v3XrylP2~4xEVoHJgGGhObwpkSkTsmp4YTHoUWx7e6M9Ss-GbEHmBvfRnzZt34AsRqz0uNPuKqBZkxTW1iM5sWIl8axqXxcEipq0ROOmkxO7v41E-hWTXHntf6CMqqYv0IIabAItGvaeypgA3ePf3C3iFWtyU2Ul5ASydMsgzhn-x-SUWiwsX~dt8bNPc-WTQJrH~HwQc-xz4Z5ie~95i7ZN8tKFQ5mh3A06zFaCaLZzh6KQ0se77h68kQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jason, speaking for district facilities and bond management at the Aug. 11 Ralston Public Schools Board meeting, reported widespread completion of major bond-funded work and outlined remaining items and cost considerations.

Jason said the new high school gym is in use, rooftop HVAC units are operating, lockers and the weight room are complete, and daycare rooms were finished. He described remaining punch-list and touch-up work the construction teams expect to complete through December and said work will slow significantly once the school year is underway.

Other project status items Jason reported: the parking lot is complete except for landscaping; sod and irrigation work at the main entrance were expected imminently; hall tile, stair treads and safety items had largely been finished; the RMS punch list is nearly complete and Seymour roof flashing work remained to be finished. Mockingbird, Wildwood, Bloomfield and Karen Western projects were described as substantially complete with some small adjustments to finalize.

On costs, Jason said the district still had about $3.5 million under contract and that additional roofing and final contract payments remain pending. He told the board the district expects an arbitrage payment that will be due back to the federal government; the district’s current estimate for that liability is roughly $1.5 million. Jason said the board will see a more exact arbitrage calculation at an upcoming meeting.

Jason described a plan to present a “menu” of facility priorities at a board retreat the following Monday with limited presentation time and extended question-and-answer discussion so board members can prioritize further work. He said earlier credits and agreed-value arrangements with partners reduced some architectural fees and that the district might seek further in-kind planning in exchange for tax-credit benefits if the board elects to pursue additional central-office renovations.

Superintendent Buckingham and board members discussed the sequencing of roofing projects and the opportunity to take multiple projects in a single future summer to capture efficiencies.

No formal vote was taken on new projects during the meeting; the board was scheduled to discuss prioritization and next steps at a planned retreat.","Jason, speaking for district facilities and bond management at the Aug. 11 Ralston Public Schools Board meeting, reported widespread completion of major bond-funded work and outlined remaining items and cost considerations.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6483876,"Rainbow Parents urges Ralston board to prepare for LB 89’s effects on transgender students",138,82000,220000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392&start=82&end=220","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5561747-b872525717adac1f48c859da78d06392/thumbnail_82000.jpg","/articles/6483876/Nebraska/Rainbow-Parents-urges-Ralston-board-to-prepare-for-LB-89s-effects-on-transgender-students","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6483876-d7643e4f610902e479c058166073654c/orig.mp4?Expires=1773567737&Signature=kkCvgN8Uyu1G-41c4RfZRhxkjL-YAtxhLgdV~ivDF0QGHjRit-MJF1sMKdY2Cz0Y5UljeEK6fSE0haVJD4ETZb~pTB7YdeUkENhLCG4Fe71prsSA5q~~VTofM3oJsitMRDtKzcFsFG4B52TN3El-75AAKmzSEbGo4C2S1rd3-B~7HKa-w9Lc8904OtpBheefdZKOoPuco0ERY1jkgSLN9u37N3pYgVezP-9VlbMXFUV5M-6YjJf4bUR2KU1S94ttKsqEVGugStf6nr0RQrF-JDvcS8wBCPuAGkV3r5YK7s~KfPO2651AfWhc3h4yflBztmWOpcIKeaahWMeS78Jcqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Holly Ritchie, speaking for Rainbow Parents of Nebraska during public comment at the Aug. 11 Ralston Public Schools Board of Education meeting, urged the district to take concrete steps to protect gender-nonconforming and transgender students after the passage of LB 89.

Ritchie said LB 89 bans transgender children from K–12 athletics that align with their gender and that although bathroom provisions were removed from the final bill, the political rhetoric surrounding the law has left school bathrooms and locker rooms “less safe.” She told the board that the sports restriction will force some students to choose between quitting the sport they love or being outed to peers, and that coaches and staff will face new logistical and safety challenges.

Ritchie quoted recent remarks by the governor and said those comments could encourage vigilantism in school bathrooms and locker rooms, increasing risk for both transgender and gender-nonconforming students. She urged the board to reduce harm by reviewing and updating existing anti-bullying and harassment policies, offering additional support to students who are outed or excluded, and enforcing policies vigorously to limit escalation.

Ritchie identified herself as representing a statewide nonprofit of parents and allies and provided contact information for follow-up. The board did not discuss or take immediate action during the public-comment period; the board president reiterated that board policy limits board response during public comment but said the district would follow up.","At the Aug. 11 meeting, Holly Ritchie of Rainbow Parents of Nebraska urged Ralston Public Schools to prepare for fallout from LB 89, which restricts transgender students’ participation in K–12 athletics. She recommended reviewing enforcement, updating anti-harassment policies and increasing support for affected students.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mockingbird principal cites stagnant reading scores, rising chronic absenteeism; school lays out intervention and attendance plan

Ralston board approves consent agenda, $500,000 depreciation transfer and policy removals; to consider 5% tax-authority option later

District reports construction progress across new and renovated schools; arbitrage liability estimated at roughly $1.5 million

Rainbow Parents urges Ralston board to prepare for LB 89’s effects on transgender students