Board Delays Timetable for School Plans Districts Will Have More Time to Prepare for All-Day Kindergarten and Language Rules.
Posted on: Saturday, 13 August 2005, 15:00 CDT
LINCOLN -- The push for new state requirements of all Nebraska public schools is slowing down a bit.
Friday, the State Board of Education moved back its timetable for Nebraska schools to implement parts of its "essential education" initiative.
All-day kindergarten, perhaps the most significant new mandate, would have to be offered by the 2009-10 school year, instead of 2008- 09. The board also moved back new elementary and middle school foreign language requirements to 2007-08 and rules for high school foreign language to 2008-09.
The shift is partly a recognition that the essential education plan is still in the works, two years after discussions started. But the state also wants to give local school districts more time to get ready for the changes.
Fred Meyer of St. Paul, the board's president, said the spirit behind the initiative remains.
"We want to continue that same path we've been on," he said.
The initiative is a way for the state to guarantee that students get the same basic education anywhere in Nebraska. In order to be accredited by the state, schools would have to meet new rules for curriculum preparation, staff training and course offerings in such areas as math, science or language.
In foreign language, each level of schooling has new requirements. Grade schools would need to introduce students to a foreign language experience, while high schools would have to offer three years of foreign language.
High schools now are required to offer just two years of foreign language.
Friday, the board also officially moved back the first year of implementation for much of the initiative to 2006-07. It already had signaled that the state wouldn't start the initiative this school year.
The Nebraska Department of Education continues to study the feasibility of the changes, which still need the state board's final approval.
More state funding for local districts also is needed before schools can fully implement the rules. Last session, the Legislature rejected state education officials' pitch for $75 million for the plan.
Doug Christensen, the state education commissioner, said the all- day kindergarten shift allows more time to study the change and seek funding. After those are solidified, he said, school districts would have three years to prepare the curriculum, increase staffing and find classroom space.
Source: Omaha World - Herald
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