79-760.07. Priority school; intervention team; members; duties; expenses; develop progress plan; contents; compliance required; review; school board; duties; Commissioner of Education; report; contents.

(1) For each school designated as a priority school, the Commissioner of Education shall appoint an intervention team. The intervention team shall assist the school district with diagnosing issues that negatively affect student achievement in the priority school, designing and implementing strategies to address such issues through the progress plan, and developing measurable indicators of progress.

(2) The intervention team shall be composed of up to five people with the education and experience to carry out the responsibilities of the team. Any member of the intervention team may receive pay for work performed in conjunction with his or her duties as a member of such team. Such pay shall be determined and provided (a) by the State Department of Education for any member of the intervention team who is not an employee of the school district containing the priority school for which such intervention team is appointed or (b) by the school district containing the priority school for which the intervention team is appointed for any member of the intervention team who is an employee of such school district. Any member of the intervention team who is eligible to receive pay from the department pursuant to subdivision (a) of this subsection shall also be eligible for reimbursement of expenses incurred in carrying out his or her duties as a member of such team as provided in sections 81-1174 to 81-1177. Reimbursement of expenses for any member of the intervention team who is an employee of the school district containing the priority school for which the intervention team is appointed shall be provided in accordance with the policies and procedures of such school district.

(3) The intervention team, in collaboration with the priority school staff and the administration and school board of the school district with control of the priority school, shall develop a progress plan for approval by the State Board of Education. Any progress plan shall include specific actions required by the school and the district in order to remove its classification as a priority school, including any required level of progress as indicated by the measurable indicators.

(4) Compliance with progress plans shall be a requirement to maintain accreditation for any school district that contains a priority school. The state board shall annually review any progress plans and determine whether any modifications are needed. If a school has been designated as a priority school for the third consecutive school year, the state board shall reevaluate the progress plan to determine if (a) a significant revision of the progress plan is necessary, (b) an entirely new progress plan is developed, or (c) an alternative administrative structure is warranted.

(5) The school board of a school district containing a priority school as designated pursuant to section 79-760.06 shall provide the intervention team with full access to the priority school, priority school staff, the school district, school district staff, academic information, financial information, and any other requested information.

(6) The Commissioner of Education shall annually report to the Governor and electronically to the Clerk of the Legislature and the chairperson of the Education Committee of the Legislature on all schools designated as priority schools. The report shall include the name of the school, the grades included in the priority school designation, the name of the school district, the years for which the school was designated a priority school, a summary of the progress plan, and the level of progress as indicated by the measurable indicators.

Source:Laws 2014, LB438, § 3; Laws 2018, LB1081, § 9; Laws 2020, LB381, § 90.