Nebraska Educational Service Units: A Comprehensive Overview

The Nebraska Educational Service Units (ESUs) play a crucial role in the state's educational landscape, providing essential support and services to school districts. Established by the Nebraska Legislature in 1965, these political subdivisions have evolved to meet the changing needs of Nebraska's schools. This article will provide a detailed overview of ESUs, including their history, structure, services, and ongoing developments.

Historical Context and Legislative Mandate

The Nebraska Educational Service Unit system was initiated with the passage of LB 301 in 1965. Since then, the ESU system has undergone numerous changes that have expanded and improved the quality of service delivery. The creation of ESUs was intended to provide cooperative programs that would make services more cost-effective for school districts.

A significant change for the ESU network came in 1998 with the passage of LB 806. This legislation established Core Services and thrust the Educational Service Unit system into a significantly expanded role of state-wide school improvement. Prior to the passage of LB 806, diversity of services between Educational Service Units was quite marked. Since its passage, services have been prioritized into three major categories directed at the improvement of teaching and student learning. The three core services identified in the priority order are: staff development, technology and instructional material services. In 1999, funds were allocated by the state to support and sustain the technology infrastructure that had been established in 1993 under LB 452. LB 806 called for effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery that could be evaluated on a state-wide basis.

Structure and Governance

Currently, there are 17 ESUs providing services to 261 public school districts across the state. These units serve member school districts in multiple counties. However, the two largest school districts in Nebraska, Omaha Public Schools and Lincoln Public Schools, each have their own education service unit to provide services to the District. By statute, the board of Omaha Public Schools also serves as the governing board of Educational Service Unit No.

The governing board of an ESU includes individuals elected from each of the counties within the boundaries of the service unit as well as members elected at large. The method of selecting the board varies, but most are either elected by the public or selected by local school boards.

ESUs may be supported by property taxes by contracts with local school district, by state core service funds and from outside reimbursements such as grants and service contracts.

Core Services and Programs

Educational Service Units provide core services for school districts, which include staff development, technology, and instructional materials. These services are designed to support and enhance the educational opportunities available to students throughout Nebraska.

Staff Development

ESUs offer a range of staff development programs designed to improve the skills and knowledge of educators. These programs may include workshops, training sessions, and professional development opportunities focused on best practices in teaching and learning.

Technology

Technology is another key area of focus for ESUs. They provide support for schools in implementing and utilizing technology to enhance instruction and improve student outcomes. This may include providing access to hardware and software, as well as training and technical assistance.

Instructional Materials

ESUs also offer support for schools in the selection and use of instructional materials. This may include providing access to a wide range of resources, as well as guidance on selecting materials that are aligned with state standards and meet the needs of diverse learners.

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ESU 7: A Closer Look

As an example, ESU 7 became fully operational in the fall of 1968. Today ESU 7 serves the K-12 school districts of seven counties from its offices at 2657 44th Avenue, Columbus, Nebraska. ESU 7, along with two other Educational Service Units became involved in a pilot study designed to develop a new system of accreditation that mirrors the school improvement process, is ongoing, data driven and looks at the value added to area school programs.

Accreditation and Accountability

At the time the current accreditation process for ESUs consisted of an onsite visitation and study every seven years. In accordance with Section 3 of the law, the State Board of Education sets the minimum accreditation standards. These standards hold ESUs accountable (to the taxpayer) and assure that all school districts receive equitable and quality educational opportunities. In 1999 two committees were created to review ESU accountability and revise the accreditation process. In 2001 these two communities were merged.

Challenges and Future Directions

Educational Service Units have been studied on several occasions. The most significant studies were in 1986 by the Legislature and in 1995 by the Department of Education. This report looks at four categories of issues: Boundaries, Governance, Finance, and Services. The report is organized according to those categories. Under each category is a background section, a section discussing potential issues, and a section indicating possible changes.

The statutory requirements governing ESUs are generally contained in the Educational Service Units Act. The Department of Education has also issued two rules regarding ESUs. Rule 84 is the accreditation rule for ESUs.

Data Collection and Reporting

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is continually working to improve data collection and reporting processes. For example, the NDE is introducing a new data collection for instances of emergency exclusions (as defined in Nebraska Revised Statute 79-264), and several new data elements have been created in ADVISER to support this collection. The NDE would like to begin collecting emergency exclusion data for the 2025-2026 school year beginning 7/1/2025. However, please be aware that your Student Information System vendors will first need to make changes to their software to allow reporting of this data.

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The Future Ready District Technology Profile is now available to Public Districts only in the NDE Legacy Portal within the “Data Collections” tab. PLEASE NOTE: The 2025 - 2026 Future Ready District Technology Profile has been fully updated and redesigned. While a small number of questions remain the same, most of the questions are new. In addition, the data collection has moved from Qualtrics to QuestionPro.

Teacher Development Initiatives

The Nebraska Department of Education has officially released Round 4 of the Grow your Own Teacher Apprenticeship Competitive Grant Opportunity, highlighting the state's commitment to supporting and expanding the teaching workforce.

Conditional Permits, Alternative Permits and Temporary Certificates can only be requested for employment in a Nebraska school system. If an applicant has not been a continuous resident of Nebraska for the last five years, fingerprint cards will need to be sent to the certification office before any permits can be issued. The Commissioner may authorize additional days for local substitute teaching permit holders upon request by a Nebraska school system that demonstrates a need for additional days, beyond the 90 full-time days per school year currently allowed. To facilitate school system requests, the Department has created an online form. You or your school system staff can access that form here: Local Substitute Teaching Permit - Request for Additional Days Form. Once a request has been submitted, it will be reviewed, and the school system will be notified of the authorization.

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