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Beatrice Public Schools board buys Amplify Science subscription, authorizes $76,000 for computers and suspends foreign-exchange policy pending legal review
Summary
At its June 8 meeting the Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education approved a seven-year Amplify Science subscription ($32,896.10), authorized up to $76,000 for computer replacements, renewed NSAA cooperative agreements, suspended the district's foreign-exchange policy for legal review, and tabled a transportation addendum.
The Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education on June 8 approved a seven-year subscription to Amplify Science, authorized up to $76,000 to replace staff and lab computers, renewed cooperative athletics agreements and temporarily suspended the district's foreign-exchange student policy while staff seek legal review.
Dr. Nielsen presented the Amplify Science proposal for fifth grade, saying Amplify "provides a comprehensive full core science resource built around phenomenon-based instruction in Nebraska standards," and contrasted it with the district's current Mystery Science supplemental resource. The board voted to purchase the seven-year subscription at a cost of $32,896.10.
The board also voted to authorize up to $76,000 to buy 88 replacement staff laptops and to replace 12 student desktop machines in a high-school lab. During the motion's discussion Mr. Alexander corrected an earlier figure, telling the board, "I told you the wrong number, Doris. It should be $76,000." Staff said the laptop estimate was about $760 per unit (roughly $66,800 for 88 laptops) with additional funds allocated for the student desktops; final vendor quotes were pending.
Other votes: the board renewed NSAA cooperative agreements for swimming, diving and baseball for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 seasons; it voted to suspend Policy 507 (foreign-exchange students) pending legal review after staff described a recent inquiry about a prospective student seeking to come on an F-1 visa; and the board tabled an addendum to the First Student transportation contract until staff receive further information from the vendor.
Why it matters: The Amplify adoption represents a multi-year instructional commitment and a new core resource for fifth-grade science intended to boost depth, writing and investigation skills. The computer purchase funds district technology refresh needs and addresses identified security risks in an aging lab. Suspending the foreign-exchange policy allows the district to weigh legal and logistical constraints before deciding whether to permit students on an F-1 visa under current policy language.
What's next: Staff will complete vendor quotes for the computer purchase, proceed with implementation steps for Amplify and return policy recommendations or legal guidance on foreign-exchange admissions at a future meeting.
