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Board authorizes series of grants, contracts and waivers including hotline, rural health projects and accreditation items
Summary
The board approved multiple items recommended by committees: allocations for afterschool (21st CCLC) and rural health grants, a contract for the Safe2Help hotline (about 6,500 calls to date), career and technical education contracts, audit acceptance, various waivers and accreditation actions, and authorization for the Nebraska Improvement Grant Projects.
At its May 8 meeting in Belleview, the State Board of Education approved a slate of committee recommendations and contract authorizations advancing grants, program contracts and accreditation items.
Key authorizations included:
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC): The board authorized the commissioner to allocate funds to support afterschool and summer programming focused on academic success, positive behaviors and family engagement (motion adopted, roll call indicated seven yes, one absent).
- Rural health transformation projects: The board authorized commissioner approval of rural health project funds to support partnerships and school-based health efforts (7 yes, one absent).
- Safe2Help hotline contract: NDE presented usage data (approximately 6,500 calls from program start in 2020 to present; top call categories: bullying/cyberbullying, suicide prevention, and drugs) and the board authorized contracting for the anonymous reporting hotline (7 yes, one absent).
- Professional learning and career/technical education contracts: The board authorized a contract for professional learning grounded in the science of reading for leaders and a career and technical education state model and standards revision project (both approved by roll call).
- ACFR audit acceptance: The board authorized acceptance of the 2025 ACFR audit report (7 yes, one absent).
- Planning & evaluation and rules items: The board approved multiple waivers and plans of correction under Rule 11 and related accreditation actions, and designated priority schools after committee review and recommendations.
- Nebraska Improvement Grant Projects: The board authorized contracting for a new data and record-matching project to support systems-involved youth (foster care, probation, and youth in juvenile facilities). Lane Carr explained statutory authority (LB296 / 79-303.01), cross-agency collaboration including DHHS and probation, and protections for sealed juvenile records; the motion passed (7 yes, one absent).
Votes on the routine and committee items were largely unanimous (seven yes, one absent) except for some contested grant items discussed separately. NDE staff said they will continue to provide updates and documentation on usage, program reach and implementation.
