BEATRICE – Beatrice Public Schools is bumping up daily substitute teacher pay, to be more competitive with surrounding districts.
The Beatrice Board of Education Monday night approved setting daily pay for substitutes at $155. That’s five dollars higher than the level discussed at a previous committee meeting.


"We are going to sit and watch what other districts do when we make that move. So, we might be coming back again, before August, with another proposal. But at this point in time, we'd like to start with the $155 and see where that gets us."


Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Jackie Nielsen says several districts in the area were already at $150 per day, for substitute pay.  Superintendent Jason Alexander says school districts are concerned about what the next two or three years will look like, when it comes to hiring teachers. He says the district is seeing a big reduction in applications for positions.


"We do foresee a major shortage of teachers in the State of Nebraska and everywhere for that matter, that is going to impact Beatrice, as well."


Beatrice School Board members also heard a report about this year’s retirements and turnover. Nielsen said a total of 21 teachers are leaving the district at the end of this school year. Of that number, the district has found 14 new hires, so far. Nielsen says of those leaving, 33% are retiring…while 28% are leaving because of family circumstances. That number has doubled in the past year. District 15 also has a very experienced staff….many others who are near retirement.


"Another 12% of the staff took at opportunity to move up in the field of education and seek a career opportunity...and there are times where our district does not have different levels that would help a teacher move up, so they look to another district to move up. And then, there's 10-percent that fall into another category, where the current position did not meet their needs."


Nielsen says another four percent of staff members leaving have chosen to leave the education profession.  The Beatrice School District expects to see a lot of teachers retire in the next one to three years. The administration is actively recruiting and contacting colleges or universities about potential staff members…even those colleges out-of-state.  Some areas are especially difficult to fill, such as skilled technical science, speech language pathology and agriculture teaching positions.


Also at Monday night's meeting, remaining proceeds from a bond issue used to build Beatrice High School have been transferred to the general fund of the Beatrice School District.  The school board’s action last night allows the money to be used for expenses related to the new prekindergarten to fifth grade elementary facility District 15 will be adding.


Superintendent Jason Alexander says the proceeds from the prior bond total $349,780.  "Two reasons really...one is, the project...the high school when it was built, came under budget...or that late taxes had been paid, which is not out of the ordinary."


The transfer has been approved by the Nebraska Department of Education, bond counsel for the district and the district’s legal counsel.


Alexander says the process leading up to construction of a school continues.  "I would tell you that in regards to the design of the building, we are probably at a 70% design completion status. Once we have a full design, we will be ready to show that....but, there's just a lot of detail work that has to take place."
The school district is negotiating a contract with the construction manager at risk, for the project. Alexander says the district is also working on completing the financing package.


The school will be constructed on property in east Beatrice the district owns, north of Beatrice High School.


The project will not have to go to a typical bond issue vote of the public, because the district is planning to use its building fund to finance the project, under an interlocal agreement between District 15 and Educational Service Unit Number Five. Officials have said the project will not require an increase in the district’s overall tax rate.