Bill to provide equal access to school employees clears first round

Lawmakers advanced a bill from general file Feb. 4 aimed at ensuring that Nebraska school districts provide any professional employees’ organization equal access to the district’s employees.

LB429, introduced by Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman, would require school boards to provide equal access to physical and electronic mailboxes, meetings, events and recruitment opportunities when such access is granted to any professional employees’ organization.

A professional employees’ organization is defined as any organization that exists for the purpose of professional development or liability protection. Employees would include any administrative employee, student teacher, paraprofessional, teacher or administrator employed by a school board.

The bill also would require equal treatment with respect to signage and informational materials displayed on school property and prohibit school boards from naming or referring to any day or break in the school calendar using the name of a professional employees’ organization.

Murman said there are many organizations that could provide valuable information and support to school employees. LB429 would ensure that school boards don’t “pick winners and losers” when it comes to providing access to their employees by way of professional development, bulletin board access or the ability to attend a new teacher orientation event, he said.

“The Education Committee heard from proponents who were deliberately blocked from school board after school board,” Murman said. “By giving this favoritism to one professional organization over another, we do our educators a disservice.”

Omaha Sen. Dunixi Guereca said the bill appeared to be narrowly focused on attacking the Nebraska State Education Association and possibly undermining teachers’ right to collective bargaining.

“I’m always leery of a piece of legislation that might interfere with that,” Guereca said.

Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln said the bill was not directed at the NSEA or other educational unions but simply was about ensuring equity in access to employees for organizations that provide insurance and professional development information.

She said senators would work together with stakeholders before the next round of debate to address any technical issues with the proposal.

Senators voted 30-0 to advance LB429 to select file.