Professional leave for special ed staff considered

A proposal that would grant special education staff additional paid time to complete administrative tasks was discussed Feb. 11 by the Education Committee.

LB589, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad, would require school districts to provide four days of onsite professional leave each year for special education staff to complete administrative tasks related to managing and supporting students with special needs. Costs associated with substitute teachers to cover for special education staff on professional leave would be reimbursable by the state under the bill.

Conrad said the volume of required administrative tasks and paperwork special education teachers must complete, coupled with their classroom responsibilities, is spreading teachers thin and forcing them to complete tasks outside their workday. 

Providing special education teachers with additional paid time to complete their work could help reduce burnout, she said, while also supporting efforts to recruit and retain more teachers.

“In addition to money, [we have] another solution on the table to try and figure out how we can provide support to special education teachers so that we can really retain what we have and provide more recruitment incentives to get people to stay on the frontlines of education,” Conrad said. 

Megan Andrews, a secondary special education teacher, testified in support of the bill. 

Special education case management has expanded over the past 25 years, Andrews said, including extensive documentation requirements. These administrative duties create time management challenges for teachers who still have classroom instruction and lesson planning responsibilities, she said. 

Melissa Burke, a special education teacher at Hastings Public Schools, also testified in support of the bill, saying she regularly works into the evenings to complete paperwork. Spending the school day focusing on students’ educational and emotional needs is more important than completing administrative tasks, she said. 

“If that means I work late every day or work on the weekends, then I will do that,” Burke said. “However, I would be grateful if you would support and pass LB589 to help compensate me and other special education teachers for at least some of the time we spend outside of contracted hours completing compliance paperwork.”

Speaking on behalf of the Nebraska State Education Association, Nicole Lopez-Bettendorf also testified in favor of LB589, saying it would lead to a “collective sigh of relief” for special educators across Nebraska if passed. 

Jeff Schneider, superintendent of Hastings Public Schools, opposed the measure and cautioned lawmakers against adopting a “blanket approach” to the problem. Providing professional leave to teachers may not work as well in some districts as others, Schneider said, and alternatives like compensatory time also should be considered.

The committee took no immediate action on LB589.