Nebraska Statutes 79-8,144. Legislative findings and declarations
The Legislature finds and declares that:
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 79-8,144
- School: means a school under the jurisdiction of a school board authorized by Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Teacher: means any certified employee who is regularly employed for the instruction of pupils in the public schools. See Nebraska Statutes 79-101
(1) Like many other states, Nebraska is facing a teacher and substitute teacher shortage;
(2) Mandatory training days and family leave policies draw many regular teachers out of their classrooms, causing schools to hire substitute teachers;
(3) The Internal Revenue Service requires a separation period for recently retired teachers who may otherwise be interested in returning to the classroom as a substitute teacher;
(4) In the fall of 2016, the State Department of Education conducted a teacher vacancy survey of all school districts, educational service units, and nonpublic school systems;
(5) Such survey showed that the state continues to have hundreds of unfilled teaching positions across the state;
(6) The most widely reported solution for filling teaching vacancies was to hire an individual who holds a transitional, provisional, or temporary teaching certificate; and
(7) Filling teaching vacancies and having an adequate number of substitute teachers is imperative for delivering a high-quality learning experience to students.