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Resident urges Bennington to invest in classroom supports, not constant costly curriculum overhauls
Summary
A resident during public comment urged the board to prioritize teacher retention, classroom behavior supports and paraprofessional staffing over frequent, expensive curriculum purchases, citing district spending on recently adopted materials and steady proficiency rates.
During the public-comment portion of the June meeting, resident Lisa Shonhoff said she appreciates board volunteers and staff but urged the district to focus on keeping its best teachers by addressing classroom behavior, workload and staffing rather than frequently purchasing new curriculum materials.
Shonhoff told the board she has students at Pine Creek Elementary and Bennington South Middle School and cited reporting that about 40% of certified Nebraska teachers are not teaching in classrooms this year. She said two main reasons cited were classroom behavioral problems and teacher workload. Shonhoff said the Nebraska Department of Education has delayed updated social-studies standards, yet the district spent "approximately $600,000" on social-studies materials; she also said the district spent "1.14 million" on new math materials while math proficiency reported for the district remained at 84%.
She recommended investing in paraprofessionals to help differentiate instruction and manage behavior, and urged the district to limit screen time in curriculum materials in favor of paper-based work and handwriting. Shonhoff offered the full text of her comments on her blog and thanked the board.
The board acknowledged her remarks; no formal action was taken at the meeting during public comment.
