Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-8,144

The Legislature finds and declares that: (1) Like many other states, Nebraska is facing a teacher and substitute teacher shortage; (2) Mandatory training days and family leave policies draw many regular teachers out of their classrooms, causing schools to hire substitute teachers; (3) The Internal Revenue Service requires a separation period for recently retired teachers who may otherwise be interested in returning to the classroom as a substitute teacher; (4) In the fall of 2016, the State Department of Education conducted a teacher vacancy survey of all school districts, educational service units, and nonpublic school systems; (5) Such survey showed that the state continues to have hundreds of unfilled teaching positions across the state; (6) The most widely reported solution for filling teaching vacancies was to hire an individual who holds a transitional, provisional, or temporary teaching certificate; and (7) Filling teaching vacancies and having an adequate number of substitute teachers is imperative for delivering a high-quality learning experience to students.