STATE FUNDING GUIDE

Nebraska

The Nebraska Reading Improvement Act requires districts to screen all K-3 students three times a year with an NDE-approved reading assessment and to serve students with reading deficiencies through individual reading improvement plans using evidence-based interventions. In 2024 the Legislature added the Nebraska Literacy Project (LB 1284), a regional coaching and professional-learning network, and in September 2024 Nebraska won a five-year federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant of $55 million, most of which must flow to districts as subgrants. Nebraska has no dedicated per-pupil state literacy fund for materials purchases, so districts typically pair these streams with federal Title I/IDEA dollars for intervention curriculum.

Nebraska Reading Improvement Act (LB 1081, 2018) / NebraskaREADS

How schools fund reading intervention in Nebraska

The state-level programs below are the streams Nebraska districts most often use for evidence-based reading intervention purchases, alongside the federal streams available everywhere.

CLSD (Comprehensive Literacy State Development) subgrants via NDE

NDE was awarded $55 million over five years (2024) and at least 95% must be distributed to eligible local entities; districts apply to NDE for subgrants that can fund evidence-based literacy instruction and materials.

Nebraska Literacy Project (LB 1284, 2024)

A state appropriation of $6 million over three years funds regional literacy coaches and sustained professional learning in evidence-based reading instruction for pre-K-3 teachers; it supports training and coaching rather than direct district curriculum purchases.

Federal Title I / IDEA (default)

No dedicated state per-pupil literacy fund identified for intervention materials; districts typically use Title I, Title II, and IDEA funds to purchase Tier 2/3 reading intervention curriculum that satisfies the Act’s individual reading improvement plan requirements.

Approved-list note: NDE publishes an annually updated list of approved K-3 reading assessments (screeners) under the Reading Improvement Act, but no state-approved list of intervention curricula was identified; interventions must be evidence-based.

Official state resource →