A bill being heard in the Education Committee today, LB 518, would help address educational achievement gaps throughout the state by targeting increased state funding to students who may need extra support.
Students not working at academic grade level, those with a high rate of absenteeism, repeated suspensions or expulsions, who have been identified as English Language Learners and who have been identified as students with characteristics of dyslexia would be able to receive additional services through a fund created by the proposal. Funding to school districts would be based on the number of free lunch students within a district and by the number of students residing in sparse and very sparse school districts.
Increased funding to schools has been shown to boost student outcomes and, in turn, increase future wages. This proposal in particular will allow schools to better serve their students, allowing them the flexibility to provide those services best suited to each student’s need.