Posted 11:22 PM by Susan Darst Williams

NEBRASKA ESU'S COULD TAKE A CLUE FROM IOWA

The Iowa Board of Education has approved the merger of three area education agencies, or AEA's, that are similar to Nebraska's Educational Service Units (ESU's) in a move that will save more than $700,000 in redundant administrative staff costs alone.

Iowa is consolidating the AEA's that provide special-education services and information and technology support in a 9,000-square-mile sector of east-central and northeastern Iowa. Currently there are headquarters in Clear Lake, Marshalltown and Cedar Falls, but Cedar Falls will be the headquarters of the consolidated agency.

It will serve 72,000 students in 85 schools.

On Oct. 29, Go Big Ed began calling for the immediate consolidation of Nebraska's 18 ESU's to one each of Nebraska's three congressional districts in light of the state's ongoing fiscal crunch.