LINCOLN- With just over a week on the job, Brian Maher has a list of priorities to tackle as Nebraska's new education commissioner. On Friday, the State Board of Education took several hours to create a general outline of performance objectives and expectations for Maher, who assumed on the role on July 1st. Maher was selected for the role after former Commissioner Matt Blomstedt announced his resignation earlier this year.

The list drafted for Maher will act as a starting point for his work in the state, and will be reevaluated in eight months. Steve Joel, who managed the search for the new commissioner with the Omaha firm McPherson and Jacobson, presented several challenges that Maher will face during his tenure as commissioner at the meeting and helped to draft the list of objectives. One of the main issues, according to Joel, will be academic recovery in Nebraska schools following the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw test scores drop considerably.

"That topic really going to be looming large on minds of school boards, communities, and parents," said Joel. Other challenges drafted on the list include budget challenges, enrollment declines, retirement for educators, and staffing shortages. The list has still not been formally adopted by the Board. Maher's knowledge of internal operations within the school system will also be challenged, and Maher will be expected to gather data about teacher certification, among other things. In response to the proposed list, Maher said he was looking forward to tackling the issues contained therein. "I think there are some really important points here," he said.

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