STATE WATCHDOG REPORT POINTS OUT CONCERNS, STRIDES IN NEBRASKA CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM

LINCOLN- A government watchdog this year wrapped up investigations into the deaths or serious injury of five youths who in some way were under the State of Nebraska’s eye. Results of the probes, along with recommendations, were part of the annual report from the Office of Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare, which examines activity and points out deficiencies in the state’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

The OIG in an earlier report this summer revealed the deaths, at different places and times, between December 2018 and December 2022. The account said that while the actions of state workers and caseworkers did not “contribute,” better support and consistent training in suicide prevention was needed for service providers and foster families. “We appreciate that DHHS accepted all the recommendations suggested by the OIG in our reports this year,” said Jennifer Carter, inspector general of child welfare.

Based on this year’s 522 incident reports and public complaints — which is an increase of about 15% over the previous year — the OIG identified the need to open nine new mandatory investigations. It is possible that the number of mandatory investigations will increase, as the watchdog noted it is “still waiting on records before being able to fully determine if certain incidents require mandatory investigation.”

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CALIFORNIA CHANGES COURSE, WILL NOT RESTRICT STATE-FUNDED TRAVEL TO NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- In July, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that Nebraska would be the 26th state to join a state-funded travel ban for having a law on the books that he says discriminates against LGBTQ people. "These laws pose significant risks for deepening the stigmatization and alienation of LGBTQ+ youth who are already subject to pervasive discrimination, bullying, and hate crimes," Bonta said at the time.

However, Nebraska, which was set to be added to California's list on October 1st, when LB574, a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, becomes law, will no longer join the 25 states already on it. California's Senate President pro-Tempore Toni Atkins recently sponsored a measure to repeal the 2016 law restricting state-funded travel, saying that the bill would actually further isolate LGBTQ people in the affected states. Atkins' measure was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday.

"At a time when LGBTQ+ rights and protections are being rescinded, and the very words we use are being weaponized, putting understanding and kindness at the forefront is more important than ever," said Atkins, "The goal here is to speak to people's hearts and open minds." Next year, the University of California, Los Angeles is set to join the Big Ten Conference alongside Nebraska and three other states on California's list. With the recent change in California law, UCLA faculty, staff, and students will now be able to travel to Nebraska using state funding.

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PILLEN URGES SCHOOL BOARDS TO SLOW SPENDING TO EASE PROPERTY TAXES

LINCOLN- Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen doubled down last week on his effort to curb higher spending by local school districts after the state invested in a tax shift meant to ease property tax bills during the latest legislative session. On Wednesday, the Governor sent a letter to each school board in the state, repeating many of the points aired two weeks ago during a call between Pillen and the state's school superintendents.

Several board members said that schools are spending more because of inflation, and not because of greed, describing the Governor's previous call as "bullying." In the new letter, Pillen urged school board members to use all but a small portion of the Legislature's new $300 million investment in K-12 schools for property tax relief, not new spending. If school districts collect more in property taxes this year compared to the last, said Pillen in the letter, they would be "operating contrary to the intent of the law."

Following the Governor's call with superintendents, several school leaders said they are only increasing spending on necessary needs amid higher costs, like diesel fuel for buses, health care costs, staff salaries, and energy costs. Frustrations over spending bubbled up last week following Pillen's letter, and several school board members from across the state claimed that Pillen's pressure campaign proved that the state's talk of "new funding for education" was just a tax shift and not new funds for improving education statewide.

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NEBRASKA LEADERS DISCUSS WAYS TO ADDRESS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CRISIS

KEARNEY- Education leaders urged a gathering of more than 500 people to stop "admiring the problem" of Nebraska's early childhood education crisis and instead find solutions to an ongoing issue that's only worsening in the state. The group of school districts, organizations and government agencies convened at the annual Thriving Children, Families and Communities Conference in Kearney to explore the state's early childhood education system.

Like other states, Nebraska's system has been lacking funds, staff and widespread providers for years. Nine out of 10 Nebraska counties do not have enough early childhood education providers, according to the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, the conference's facilitator. Ten counties have no providers at all.

Gov. Jim Pillen spoke at the conference, saying community members need to talk about these problems more often in order to start creating solutions. "If we don't get our neighbors to reach out and have impacts in our communities, by the time they get to it, it will be way too late," he said. "We have to start educating our kids as early as possible. We have to figure out how to make that process more standard, especially for the kids growing up in poverty."

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'WE HAVE PROJECTS THAT ARE TRANSFORMATIONAL': APPLICATIONS FOR NORTH AND SOUTH OMAHA RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM OPEN

LINCOLN- After several months of deliberation by state officials, applications have finally begun to open for grants that will go towards community projects in North and South Omaha. On Thursday, it was announced that four of the eight planned categories are now open, with the rest becoming available later this year. Organizations hoping to secure funding for their projects have called the process a rollercoaster, while others await their specific category to open.

The funding for the grants comes from the almost three-year-old ARPA funding, which was given to Nebraska during the COVID-19 pandemic as relief for impoverished communities. The fund must be utilized by 2026. Over the past year, Olsson, an organization hired by the Legislature, has been studying the proposed projects and making recommendations. In total, 30 projects out of 367 were recommended.

The Department of Economic Development, which received the funds through the passage of LB531 in the spring, is set to disburse the funds. Cesar Garcia, executive director of Canopy South, one of the applicants, said he's the applications for his category have finally opened. "We're excited about this opportunity and we believe we have everything that is required to make a good impression," he said. Canopy South, in partnership with several other organizations, has submitted two applications in the infrastructure category.

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NEBRASKA CONGRESSMEN TALK EFFORTS TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives failed to make progress on a military spending bill as the nation inches toward another government shutdown. Nebraska Rep. Mike Flood said the process between now and the potential shutdown is going to require many hard decisions. "Democracy is messy," he said, "Certainly, right now on the Republican side, we have work to do. But we've been here before."

Flood went on to say that he has faith that Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy will work with lawmakers to not only avoid a shutdown, but also address the country's $33 trillion debt. "It's either we deal with this now or we have a systemic problem 10 years in the future," he said. Flood finished by saying that lawmakers must find common ground, and that sentiment was echoed by Rep. Don Bacon. "We've not been able to get the other appropriations bills because we have about five to ten people who have opposed them at every stop," said Bacon.

Despite the frustration felt by Nebraska's representatives, Bacon said a coalition of lawmakers is working on a continuing resolution, which would continue to fund federal agencies while lawmakers attempt to reach an agreement. However, they're running into issues with that effort as well. "Here again, we have about 10 to maybe 15 people that will vote against any CR (continuing resolution)," he said, "The takeaway is, from my vantage point, is we got to be bipartisan. We got to work across the aisle and find an agreement that we can live with and the Democrats can live with."

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NEBRASKA SUPREME COURT DENIES TEMPORARY INJUNCTION TO BLOCK GENDER CARE, ABORTION LAW

LINCOLN- On Wednesday, the Nebraska Supreme Court overruled a request made by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and the ACLU of Nebraska for a temporary injunction to halt LB574, a new law that prohibits minors from receiving gender-affirming care and further restricts the state's abortion policies. The new law will, therefore, remain in place while the Supreme Court hears arguments on the case relating to its constitutionality.

As of right now, the next court date has not been set, but the law could still be blocked if the court sides with Planned Parenthood's argument that LB574 violates a provision of the Nebraska Consitution that disallowed a bill from containing more than one subject. "We are disappointed that the Nebraska Supreme Court has denied our injunction pending appeal to stay enforcement of LB574," said Rose Godinez, legal director of the ACLU of Nebraska, "We are hopeful for a final decision from the court that upholds our state constitution's clear single-subject rule."

The appeal being considered by the Nebraska Supreme Court was filed after Lancaster County District Court Judge Lori Maret dismissed the initial lawsuit and sided with the state's arguments that LB574's regulations fell under the single category of health care. The restrictions on abortion laid out by LB574 have already taken effect, with the gender-affirming care ban set to become law on October 1st. Under the bill, the Department of Health and Human Services is tasked with drafting the regulations surrounding the gender-affirming care prohibition, but confirmed that they likely won't be ready when this part of the law takes effect.

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AIR FORCE VETERAN TO BE NEW SARPY COUNTY TREASURER

OMAHA- On Tuesday, U.S. Air Force veteran and former Greater Omaha Chamber executive Jeff Mikesell was unanimously appointed by the Sarpy County Board to succeed former Sarpy County Treasurer Trace Jones, whose resignation took effect at the end of August. Mikesell will begin his role on Friday of this week. He was selected from an applicant pool of ten people.

"I'm honored to join a team who knows what it means to serve so well and so reliably. They're an impressive group doing important work," Mikesell said in a release, "I look forward to working with Chief Deputy Treasurer Dan Toleikis and serving the staff and taxpayers at the Treasurer's Office."

Mikesell previously served for two decades in the Air Force, and from 2015 to 2022 as the director of military affairs for the Greater Omaha Chamber. Mikesell was pivotal in several infrastructure projects during his time at the Omaha Chamber, including the $1.2 billion U.S. Strategic Command construction project, the $1.1 billion Offutt Air Force base flood rebuild, and the $150 million Offutt runway replacement. He is set to serve the remainder of Jones' term, which lasts through 2027.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS TO STUDY HOW TO ENSURE PUBLIC VOICES HEARD IN PRODUCTIVE WAYS

LINCOLN- Nebraska's 'second house' participated in the legislative process with unprecedented numbers and passion during this past legislative session, which was contentious to say the least. Hundreds of Nebraska citizens showed up in person, filling legislative hearing rooms, overflow rooms, and even the Capitol's hallways for hearings on abortion, voter ID, guns, and gender-affirming care. Despite this, many left frustrated at not being able to testify, or angry about how a hearing was managed by legislators.

For this reason, Speaker of the Legislature John Arch, before lawmakers reconvene in January, hopes to find better ways to ensure that Nebraska's 'second house' can have their voices heard and engage more thoroughly with lawmakers. To do this, Speaker Arch introduced LR179 near the end of session, which calls for an examination of issues and concerns around public participation and which will provide recommendations for change.

"Ensuring that residents of Nebraska have the opportunity to have their voices heard is vital to the legislative process, the resolution states, "To ensure fair and useful dialogue, there must be a standard of respect and decorum in place for both the public, that observes, engages, and testifies in the front of the Legislature, and the members of the Legislature." Arch thinks one of the initial ways to fix this issue is to create new practices and standards for individual committee chairs, as well as work harder to convey to the public the practices and procedures of the Legislature.

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SEN. PETE RICKETTS PROPOSES FEDERAL TAX CUT ON SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME

WASHINGTON, D.C.- When U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts was Governor of Nebraska, then-state Sen. Brett Lindstrom introduced a bill aiming to cut the state tax on Social Security income through a series of incremental steps. Now serving in Washington, Ricketts is seeking to take Nebraska's idea national. On Thursday, the Senator announced that he would introduce a similar proposal, which would, after a time, phase in a reduction of federal income taxes on Social Security payments.

More specifically, Ricketts said he aims to end the federal tax on 10% of the Social Security income that recipients pay taxes on in 2024, and eventually increase the tax cut to 20% in 2025. As of right now, around 85% of a person's Social Security income is taxable, depending on several outside factors like outside income. Ricketts said he wants Congress to work toward cutting the amount of taxable income to zero.

Ricketts indicated that he is looking for a Democrat to co-sponsor the bill, and wants to build his proposal into a must-pass piece of legislation. In Nebraska, Social Security tax cut efforts received bipartisan support, and Ricketts thinks the same should be true in Congress. "I think that a lot of people would want to look at this," said Ricketts, "The general idea of letting seniors keep their own money is one that is going to see enough support."

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OMAHA CITY COUNCIL APPOINTS REPLACEMENT FOR VINNY PALERMO

OMAHA- On Tuesday, the Omaha City Council voted to appoint Ron Hug, a South Omaha native, to former Councilman Vinny Palermo's seat, giving the people of District 4 a representative after nearly 6 months. Hug will be sworn in on September 26th. The new Councilman indicated that his first, and main, priority while serving Palermo's final year and a half term will be to rebuild constituents' trust in the City Council, which he believes was damaged by the Palermo scandal.

"Once I'm sworn in, I'm going to start planning some open house meetings," said Hug, "I'll try to do one a week for the foreseeable future, where constituents won't need an appointment. They'll just come in, and I'll be willing to talk to anybody about any issues they have." Hug was appointed to the position on a 6-0 vote. Currently serving as the operations manager for City Taxi Inc., Hug, a 67-year-old Democrat, had served previously as a board member for Metropolitan Community College.

Hug announced almost immediately following his appointment to the seat that he would run for reelection in 2025, when Palermo's term expires. Although it took three different ballots for the Council to appoint him, Aimee Melton, a Republican Councilwoman, said Hug was a second choice everyone on the Council could agree on. Besides restoring constituent trust, Hug also indicated that he will focus on affordable housing and preventing brain drain while he serves in the role.

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NEBRASKA'S THIRD MEDICAL MARIJUANA BALLOT INITIATIVE KICKS OFF PETITION DRIVE

LINCOLN- After two failed attempts and several years of hard work, organizers of an initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska announced Wednesday the launch of a petition drive a year before the 2024 general election, in the hopes that such an early start will give them the time they need to collect signatures and place the petition on the ballot. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, the group organizing the drive, kicked off its third petition drive with an evening event in downtown Lincoln.

The campaign will utilize two petitions, both aimed at legalizing medical cannabis. Each of these needs roughly 87,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the 2024 ballot. "There was never a question that we would come back for a third time," said Christa Eggers, the campaign's manager, "This issue is not one we can give up on; it's people's lives we are fighting for." The group's first attempt came in 2020, and garnered nearly 200,000 valid signatures. However, it was thrown out by the State Supreme Court for violating the 'single-subject rule.'

The effort was resurrected in 2022, which also utilized two petitions, but came up short on signatures. This year's petitions are virtually identical to those used last year, but Eggers believes more funding and organization will help them avoid the mistakes made in 2022. This year's petition is also being circulated sooner than last year's, giving the group more time to collect an adequate number of signatures. Many Nebraska politicians have resisted the idea of legalizing medical cannabis. While Gov. Pillen hasn't been as vocal about the drug as former Gov. Ricketts, Eggers said she expects him to put up a fight.

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OMAHA'S $508 MILLION BUDGET APPROVED, WITH LARGER PROPERTY TAX CUT AND POLICE PAY HIKES

OMAHA- The Omaha City Council voted Tuesday to adopt a $508 million budget for 2024 that will include a 10% increase in police funding once a new contract with police officers is approved. The council approved an amendment, proposed by council President Pete Festersen, which would decrease the city’s property tax levy by 2.5% instead of the 2.1% that Stothert proposed.

Although the budget slightly reduces the city’s tax levy, it does not guarantee lower tax bills. Many Omaha property owners will still pay more in city taxes because of rising property valuations. The budget boosts city spending by about 7 percent, driven largely by initiatives to recruit and retain more police officers and to prepare for the opening the city’s new central library.

The budget includes an increase of about $9.6 million for police recruitment and retention. The budget also includes an 8.3% increase in library funding. Along with the big increase in property valuations, sales tax collections are expected to climb by 7% and restaurant tax collections by 6%. The Fire Department budget would increase 1.7%.

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COMITTEE ANNOUNCED TO COLLABORATE ON LINCOLN CONVENTION CENTER PROJECT

LINCOLN- Lincoln's planning and pursuit of a new convention center took another step with the announcement of a new committee. Assemble Lincoln, a group made up of local, state and federal policymakers, business leaders and members of the Lincoln community, will soon begin meeting every two weeks.

"This is a project that has been years in the making," said Nebraska Sen. Eliot Bostar, Assemble Lincoln's chairman. "... It's been identified as a priority." The group also includes Vice Chairman Kenneth Zoeller, the director of policy and research in Gov. Jim Pillen's office; State Sens. Beau Ballard and Anna Wishart, both of Lincoln; Sean Flowerday, Lancaster Country commissioner; Deb Schorr, a district director for U.S. Congressman Mike Flood; Lynn Rex, executive director of the League of Nebraska Municipalities; and Rich Herink, a community representative.

Bostar said Assemble Lincoln's first step will be to bring on board an experienced consultant. He also stressed the need to identify for taxing purposes the governance structure for the project — essentially who will run it: the city, county or a combination of the two? "With those two things determined, we will then have a clear roadmap to get from where we are today to doors open," Bostar said.

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EFFORT TO SHIFT CITY OF OMAHA FUNDS TO MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FIZZLES, FOR NOW

OMAHA- Inspired by the number of North Omaha merchants seeking State of Nebraska grants to rev up business, City Councilwoman Juanita Johnson asked the City Council to commit $1 million for a city effort. The request got no traction from fellow council members, who said it came too late in the city budget approval process. Council Vice President Aimee Melton said she could not support “moving a million dollars around at the last minute.”

Johnson’s request called for shifting funds in the proposed annual budget — away from places such as library and park allocations — to support the small business development initiative she said is key to her district and overall city economic growth. Under Johnson’s proposal, the $1 million was to go to the Omaha 100 nonprofit, which would use and distribute the funds to help minority businesses grow.

Malinda Williams, president and CEO of Omaha 100, said her research showed only 53 minority-owned businesses received a PPP loan in 2020, or 1.27% of the total Nebraska-based business recipients. Businessman James Overton said that while the request made by Johnson would not cover the need, “It’s still a boost.”

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SPIKE IN NEBRASKA GAS PRICES IS EXPECTED TO BE SHORT-LIVED

LINCOLN- Gas prices have spiked as much as 40 cents a gallon in the past week in Nebraska, but an analyst said the increase should be short-lived. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in Nebraska as of Monday was $3.83 a gallon, up 28 cents from a week ago. But some individual markets have gone up even more in Omaha and Lincoln.

Nebraska isn't the only Midwestern state to see price spikes. Iowa's average price as of Monday was 38 cents higher than a week ago, while Minnesota's was up 36 cents and North Dakota's 30 cents. The culprit appears to be a refinery outage, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis."Still piecing together exactly what's gone wrong to cause a huge spike in gas prices in the corn belt states, but it involves more than 1 refinery, bad timing, and issues outside the region exacerbating it," De Haan said.

Brian Ortner, a spokesman for AAA Nebraska, said there was some scheduled maintenance at a refinery in Minnesota last week that may have contributed to the quick rise in prices, which he called "uncommon but not unprecedented." He also said other factors, such as a rise in the price of oil, also were contributing to the increase. De Haan expects prices to lower within a week or two.

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NU RESEARCHERS RECEIVE $24.5M TO LOOK FOR TREATMENTS FOR ACUTE RADIATION SYNDROME

OMAHA- After receiving almost $25 million from the Defense Health Agency, researchers at both the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center will begin searching for and developing a first-of-its-kind treatment aimed at protecting U.S. troops from the effects of acute radiation syndrome.

The grant, which is the third given to Nebraska researchers by the Defense Health Agency, was made to the National Strategic Research Institute, NU, and U.S. Strategic Command's University Affiliated Research Center. Acute radiation syndrome is caused by high levels of radiation spread by either a dirty bomb terrorist attack, nuclear accident, or the deployment of a nuclear weapon, according to the University of Nebraska.

David Berkowitz, a UNL professor of chemistry and co-principal investigator on the project, said researchers from NU will focus on both prevention and mitigation strategies. "It is really a challenging space scientifically, but I think that is why our team has been so successful," said Berkowitz, "We bring a truly interdisciplinary approach to the science, leveraging the power of the UNL and UNMC collaboration."

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GOV. PILLEN AND NEBRASKA TRADE DELEGATION TELL OF EXPERIENCES IN JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA

LINCOLN- Last week, Gov. Pillen, alongside a delegation of local business leaders, traveled to Japan and South Korea to grow trade relations. On Monday, Pillen, speaking from Japan, said that he and the delegation had made great strides with Japanese and South Korean leaders, as well as with international businesses and trade partners like Kawasaki Motors.

"The part I'm most proud of is we've really had what I would call tangible meetings that are going to result in a lot of business taking place that's going to be beneficial for Nebraska," said Pillen in a phone conference. While the governor didn't detail the creation of any new trade initiatives, he confirmed that that delegation was promoting the growth of the state's clean hydrogen sector, as well as the state's agriculture.

In South Korea, the group met with officials from SK Inc., which seeks to make carbon-neutral energy accessible to global markets. Pillen, whose family runs a Columbus-based hog operation, said he was thankful to see Japanese officials tout Nebraska's pork and eggs, which are two of the state's largest exports. Jason Ball, president of the Lincoln Chamber, also said he felt proud to hear Kawasaki leadership "bragging" about Nebraska's workforce and skills. Kawasaki, next year, is to mark 50 years of operating in Lincoln.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE HIRES OUTSIDE LAWYER TO ADVISE ABOUT WORK OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

LINCOLN- Following a recent opinion issued by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, the Nebraska Legislature hired an outside lawyer to help senators find a legislative solution after the powers of the state's inspectors general relating to child welfare and corrections were limited. The lawyer was hired by Speaker of the Legislature John Arch and Sen. Tom Briese, chair of the executive committee, after some lawmakers had "expressed serious concern about the impact this opinion could have on the Legislaturte's ability to conduct meaningful oversight."

Briese, in a letter detailing the hiring, told his colleagues that they would benefit from the outside opinion, but didn't specify how much it will cost taxpayers. Marnie Jensen, an attorney at Husch Blackwell, was the lawyer hired on to the role. Speaker Arch said her goal will be to help the Nebraska Legislature guide its inspectors general in such a manner so as to not give them unfettered access to state data from the executive and judicial branches.

In 2021, Jensen worked with the Legislature's special investigative committee on child welfare in eastern Nebraska. Her hiring was prompted by Attorney General Mike Hilgers arguing that the legislature-created inspectors general had too much control and access to government data from other branches, violating the state's separation of powers. Part of the problem, wrote Hilgers, was the lack of direct legislative oversight of the inspectors general, who were given, by state law, a lot of independence.

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LINCOLN SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ACKNOWLEDGES AN ALLEGATION HE MADE AGAINST FORMER EMPLOYER WAS FALSE

LINCOLN- In a court filing last week, Lincoln's new superintendent Paul Gausman acknowledged that he had filed a false allegation against his former employer. Gausman, who was recently hired by Lincoln Public Schools, sued Iowa's Sioux City Community Schools in 2022, alleging that they had violated open meeting laws.

In the lawsuit, Gausman called for the judge to remove four school board members with whom he had clashed, more than half of the board. The lawsuit was prompted by allegations that Gausman had attempted to bribe two incoming school board members in November of 2021 to back his pick for board president. When asked about this, Gausman said he had "no comments on matters involving litigation at the advice of counsel."

Part of Gausman's lawsuit alleged that the Sioux City board had failed to properly notify of a January 2022 meeting, which was to discuss the superintendent's job performance. It said that the board "did not notify either Dr. Gausman or the public that Defendants intended to go into closed session to discuss him or a complaint," leading him to argue that it broke open meeting laws.

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