OpenSky’s Fall Policy Symposium, which was scheduled for Nov. 18, is moving online in the form of a series of webinars!

Sen. Stinner to discuss revenue forecast, ARPA funds

The first webinar in the series will be held Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. and feature Appropriations Committee Chair John Stinner talking about the October state revenue forecast and what that means for the upcoming legislative session as well as the process the state will follow to distribute American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Register to attend here.

How does K-12 funding impact poverty? 

On Wednesday, Nov. 17, Michael Griffith of the Learning Policy Institute will examine how K-12 funding systems can impact poverty during a webinar session moderated by Sen. Lynne Walz, Chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee. The webinar will start at 2 p.m. Register to attend here. 

Legislators discuss what they would have liked to have known as candidates 

On Thursday, Nov. 18, Sens. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, Curt Friesen of Henderson, Suzanne Geist of Lincoln and Terrell McKinney of Omaha will participate in a panel discussion titled, “What I Wish I’d Known as a Candidate: A Discussion with Past and Present Nebraska Lawmakers.” The panel starts at noon and will be moderated by Kathy Campbell, president of OpenSky’s Board of Directors and a former state lawmaker who represented Lincoln’s District 25 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2007 to 2015. This session starts at noon and is reserved for those who are running for or considering a run for Legislature. Register to attend here. 

What really matters in location decisions

On Wednesday, Dec. 1 OpenSky will host a discussion about the factors that influence the location decisions of working-age Nebraskans. The webinar will feature a conversation with:

  • Kyle Arganbright, Mayor of Valentine and co-founder and executive vice president of Sandhills State Bank and co-founder of Bolo Beer Co.;
  • Dr. Shirley Vargas, a senior administrator in the Nebraska Department of Education;
  • Liz Codina, a Community Investment Officer with the Peter Kiewit Foundation; and
  • Pamela Hitchens, a physician recruiter with Nebraska Medicine.

Arganbright, Vargas and Codina will discuss what influences their location decisions and Hitchens will discuss what helps and challenges her in her effort to recruit people to Nebraska. Sen. Eliot Bostar, who represents District 29 in Lincoln, will moderate the discussion, which starts at 10 a.m. Register to attend here.