LINCOLN- On Tuesday, the Nebraska Legislature advanced Sen. Murman's LB705, a substantial package of 23 education-oriented bills. The bill, which faced very little opposition despite the immense amount of bills contained within it, was advanced to its second round of debate on a 40-0 vote. The package addresses a myriad of issues, including Nebraska's growing teacher and mental health resource shortage.

The underlying bill, LB705, would distribute over $24 million in state lottery funds to various education sources, including college access efforts and opportunity grants. Another notable bill within the package is LB385, a bill introduced by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan that would allocate around $10 million for teacher retainment grants. Under this proposal, Nebraska teachers could receive a $2,500 grant for their second, fourth, and sixth year of teaching.

According to the Nebraska Department of Education, unfilled teaching jobs across the state increased by nearly 60% over the last school year, going from 482 vacancies to around 768. Many of the bills contained within the package seek to ally concerns surrounding the state's teacher shortage. "The existing workforce shortage has impacted schools large and small," said Sen. Dave Murman.

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