2001 - Role, Mission, and Core Services

The role and mission of the Educational Service Unit No. 4 (the "ESU") is to serve as an educational service provider within Nebraska's system of elementary and secondary education and to improve student learning through a commitment to communication, accountability, and leadership.
The ESU shall:
1. Act primarily as a service agency in providing core services (as further described herein) and services identified and requested by its member school districts;
2. Provide for economy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in the cooperative delivery of educational services;
3. Provide educational services through leadership, research, and development in elementary and secondary education;
4. Act in a cooperative and supportive role with the State Department of Education and school districts in development and implementation of long-range plans, strategies, and goals for the enhancement of educational opportunities in elementary and secondary education; and
5. Serve, when appropriate and as funds become available, as a repository, clearinghouse, and administrator of federal, state, and private funds on behalf of school districts which choose to participate in special programs, projects, or grants in order to enhance the quality of education in Nebraska schools.
The ESU shall provide core services to all member districts. Core services shall meet the following standards.
1. Core services shall be within the following service areas in order of priority: (i) Staff development which shall include access to staff development related to improving the achievement of student in poverty and student with diverse backgrounds; (ii) technology, including distance education services; and (iii) instructional materials services;
2. Core services shall improve teaching and student learning by focusing on enhancing school improvement efforts, meeting statewide requirements, and achieving statewide goals in the state's system of elementary and secondary education;
3. Core services shall provide schools with access to services that: (i) the ESU and its member school districts have identified as necessary services; (ii) are difficult, if not impossible, for most individual school districts to effectively and efficiently provide with their own personnel and financial resources; (iii) can be efficiently provided by each educational service unit to its member school districts; and (iv) can be adequately funded to ensure that the service is provided equitably to the state's public school districts;
4. Core services shall be designed so that the effectiveness and efficiency of the service can be evaluated on a statewide basis; and
5. Core services shall be provided by the ESU in a manner that minimizes the costs of administration or service delivery to member school districts.

Adopted on: January 14, 2008
Revised on: Jan. 8, 2017
Reviewed on: April 11, 2011
Reviewed on: October 14, 2024

2001: Role of the Educational Service Unit, Mission, and Core Services