Pictures from yesterday's Winners for our 2nd day of Homecoming week!
Members of Cedar Bluffs FBLA chapter are attending the Nebraska FBLA Fall Leadership Conference held at Midland University today! The students will learn more about FBLA, develop leadership skills, and network with other chapters.
Just a few days until the 2025 SkillsUSA Wildcat Car Show on Sunday from 12pm-3pm! This year, we are excited to welcome Reinita’s Food Truck to provide concessions for our show. Also, we are introducing new divisions judged by our trades students. Cars will be grouped by model years into one of the following divisions: Pre-40’s, 40’-50’s, 60’s-70’s, 80’s-90’s, and Post-2000’s. We will also have divisions specifically for trucks, heavily modified vehicles, motorcycles, and People’s Choice! We can’t wait to see you there to support our skilled trades and SkillsUSA!
Reminder tomorrow is the last day to order a PINK OUT Shirt! The purchase of a shirt will help support one of our own Teachers! Also included is the QR code for Venmo.
Here are pictures from yesterday's winners for the 1st day of Homecoming Week and a picture of Ms. Smoot's 2nd Grade class showing off their favorite sports teams.
Good luck to the high school and junior high volleyball teams on the road today! HS competes at Omaha Christian at 6:00 & 7:00pm. JH travels to Heartland Christian for a C & B team game at 4:30 and 5:30 (no livestream). Go Wildcats!
HS livestream - https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ne/omaha/organization/14735/omaha-christian-acad-high-school
HS livestream - https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ne/omaha/organization/14735/omaha-christian-acad-high-school
Today was a good day at Grandpa's Woods!
Avery shot a 105 and Gracie a 113! Great job girls!
Help support our local FBLA chapter and provide a fun Halloween celebration for our students! Signup to host a table for this fun event!
Host a Table: https://forms.gle/BVzfCDSAEvfMqqNL9
Host a Table: https://forms.gle/BVzfCDSAEvfMqqNL9
Elementary families- September reading logs and Reading Bingo papers are due tomorrow, September 30th.
Just a Reminder!
Congratulations to our 2025 Homecoming Court chosen by their peers! With them being so active and busy, it was difficult to get them all in one picture!
LOTS of activities to start homecoming week! Good Luck to everyone competing! Come out and support all of our Wildcats! 5th & 6th Grade volleyball will be recognized at the High School Volleyball games tonight!
HS VB & JH Football Livestream - https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ne/cedar-bluffs/organization/32475/cedar-bluffs-high-school
HS VB & JH Football Livestream - https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ne/cedar-bluffs/organization/32475/cedar-bluffs-high-school
MONDAY JV FOOTBALL GAME CANCELLED: The JV football game scheduled for Monday 9/29 at 5:30pm vs. Twin River has been cancelled due to their low numbers. The JH game at 4:00pm will still be played as scheduled.
Remember to get your pink out shirts turned in by Oct 1st! The purchase of a shirt will help support one of our own teachers.
Good Luck to the football team tonight at Weeping Water! Kickoff is set for 7:00pm! GO WILDCATS!!!
https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ne/weeping-water/organization/168/weeping-water-high-school
https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ne/weeping-water/organization/168/weeping-water-high-school
Superintendent Press Release September 26, 2025
Dear Cedar Bluffs Families,
This past week Cedar Bluffs Public School was required to attend the Joint Public Hearing because our tax request exceeded the 2 percent plus real growth threshold—about 2.5 percent—set under LB 644, which was passed in 2021. This was the first time our district has been required to appear since that legislation was enacted.
The need to increase our tax request is driven by two major budget pressures. First, Cedar Bluffs lost $414,290 in state aid this year. Second, Blue Cross Blue Shield has raised our health insurance premiums by 7 percent. Because we already pay around $1.2 million in premiums, this increase alone adds about $84,000 to our budget. Taken together, these two factors amount to nearly half a million dollars in lost revenue and higher expenses.
To balance the budget, we are requesting a 3.2-cent levy increase or about 4%. This is the first time since 2007—18 years—that our levy has gone up, and our Board has worked hard every year to avoid increases whenever possible.
To help offset costs further, we froze our general fund operating budget at zero percent growth. While state-required hearing documents show a 33 percent increase in our operating budget, that number includes a $3.5 million FEMA grant application to build a security shelter. If awarded, we must budget for it to be able to spend it, but if we do not receive the grant, our general operating budget will remain flat compared with last year.
Even with more than $400,000 lost in state aid, $84,000 in higher insurance premiums, and at least a 2–3 percent increase in most other expenses, our request amounts to only $234,765—less than half of what we expect to lose or spend.
Some at the hearing asked why we could not simply cut the budget rather than raise taxes. I want our community to know that we have already made significant cuts. The levy increase is not about adding programs or expanding spending, but about maintaining the high-quality education our students deserve despite rising costs and falling state support.
For most property owners, the impact of this levy change is modest. A home assessed at $100,000 will see an additional $32 per year. A $500,000 property will see an additional $160 per year. If your pink postcard shows a larger increase, that is due to changes in property valuation as well as the levy adjustment. Schools and county assessors do not set valuations; they are determined by state law and by market sales. When properties in a community sell for significantly higher prices, surrounding valuations increase as well.
Across our district, valuations rose only 3.66 percent, compared with 7–10 percent in nearby districts. But each parcel is different. For example, one of my own properties had no valuation increase and was affected only by the levy, while another saw a 22 percent valuation increase, which combined with the levy added $382 in taxes.
That variation reflects how state law applies valuation changes across Nebraska.
The challenges we face locally connect to a larger issue. Nebraska relies heavily on property taxes to fund public schools, which especially burdens large landholders in smaller districts like ours. Cedar Bluffs has fewer than 1,300 total parcels of property with an assessed valuation under $400 million, compared to neighboring
districts with over a billion in valuation and far more taxpayers to share the load. This imbalance makes any levy or valuation increase harder on larger property holders.
Statewide, Nebraska’s tax policy continues to shift more responsibility onto property owners. In 2023, lawmakers passed LB 754, which reduces the top personal and corporate income tax rates from nearly 7 percent to just 3.99 percent by 2027. While that provides relief for the wealthiest households and corporations, it also reduces state revenue, leaving schools more dependent on property taxes.
Our goal at Cedar Bluffs remains the same: to provide a strong education for our students while being careful stewards of taxpayer dollars. We are committed to transparency about why this levy adjustment is necessary and how broader tax policy affects our district.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our students, teachers, and community.
Have a great weekend! - Wildcat Pride
Dear Cedar Bluffs Families,
This past week Cedar Bluffs Public School was required to attend the Joint Public Hearing because our tax request exceeded the 2 percent plus real growth threshold—about 2.5 percent—set under LB 644, which was passed in 2021. This was the first time our district has been required to appear since that legislation was enacted.
The need to increase our tax request is driven by two major budget pressures. First, Cedar Bluffs lost $414,290 in state aid this year. Second, Blue Cross Blue Shield has raised our health insurance premiums by 7 percent. Because we already pay around $1.2 million in premiums, this increase alone adds about $84,000 to our budget. Taken together, these two factors amount to nearly half a million dollars in lost revenue and higher expenses.
To balance the budget, we are requesting a 3.2-cent levy increase or about 4%. This is the first time since 2007—18 years—that our levy has gone up, and our Board has worked hard every year to avoid increases whenever possible.
To help offset costs further, we froze our general fund operating budget at zero percent growth. While state-required hearing documents show a 33 percent increase in our operating budget, that number includes a $3.5 million FEMA grant application to build a security shelter. If awarded, we must budget for it to be able to spend it, but if we do not receive the grant, our general operating budget will remain flat compared with last year.
Even with more than $400,000 lost in state aid, $84,000 in higher insurance premiums, and at least a 2–3 percent increase in most other expenses, our request amounts to only $234,765—less than half of what we expect to lose or spend.
Some at the hearing asked why we could not simply cut the budget rather than raise taxes. I want our community to know that we have already made significant cuts. The levy increase is not about adding programs or expanding spending, but about maintaining the high-quality education our students deserve despite rising costs and falling state support.
For most property owners, the impact of this levy change is modest. A home assessed at $100,000 will see an additional $32 per year. A $500,000 property will see an additional $160 per year. If your pink postcard shows a larger increase, that is due to changes in property valuation as well as the levy adjustment. Schools and county assessors do not set valuations; they are determined by state law and by market sales. When properties in a community sell for significantly higher prices, surrounding valuations increase as well.
Across our district, valuations rose only 3.66 percent, compared with 7–10 percent in nearby districts. But each parcel is different. For example, one of my own properties had no valuation increase and was affected only by the levy, while another saw a 22 percent valuation increase, which combined with the levy added $382 in taxes.
That variation reflects how state law applies valuation changes across Nebraska.
The challenges we face locally connect to a larger issue. Nebraska relies heavily on property taxes to fund public schools, which especially burdens large landholders in smaller districts like ours. Cedar Bluffs has fewer than 1,300 total parcels of property with an assessed valuation under $400 million, compared to neighboring
districts with over a billion in valuation and far more taxpayers to share the load. This imbalance makes any levy or valuation increase harder on larger property holders.
Statewide, Nebraska’s tax policy continues to shift more responsibility onto property owners. In 2023, lawmakers passed LB 754, which reduces the top personal and corporate income tax rates from nearly 7 percent to just 3.99 percent by 2027. While that provides relief for the wealthiest households and corporations, it also reduces state revenue, leaving schools more dependent on property taxes.
Our goal at Cedar Bluffs remains the same: to provide a strong education for our students while being careful stewards of taxpayer dollars. We are committed to transparency about why this levy adjustment is necessary and how broader tax policy affects our district.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our students, teachers, and community.
Have a great weekend! - Wildcat Pride
Welcome Jennifer Kiefer – Our New Director of Community Programs
Cedar Bluffs Public School is excited to announce that Jennifer Kiefer has been selected as our next Director of Community Programs.
Jennifer brings with her a deep and genuine connection to our school and community. She has proudly served on the Foundation Board, contributed to fundraising efforts that support our students, and has been a familiar face through her involvement in youth sports programs. As a parent, she has also entrusted her own children to our after-school program, giving her firsthand insight into the importance of quality care and enrichment for students.
Professionally, Jennifer comes with valuable leadership experience. In her role as a supervisor with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), she developed the skills necessary to guide teams, manage programs, and ensure quality oversight—skills that will serve her well as she oversees our daycare and community programs.
Jennifer’s dedication to Cedar Bluffs, both as a professional and as a community member, makes her uniquely qualified to take on this important role. We are confident that her passion, experience, and vision will strengthen our programs and help us continue to build opportunities for students and families.
Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Kiefer as she steps into this new chapter of service to Cedar Bluffs Public School!
Cedar Bluffs Public School is excited to announce that Jennifer Kiefer has been selected as our next Director of Community Programs.
Jennifer brings with her a deep and genuine connection to our school and community. She has proudly served on the Foundation Board, contributed to fundraising efforts that support our students, and has been a familiar face through her involvement in youth sports programs. As a parent, she has also entrusted her own children to our after-school program, giving her firsthand insight into the importance of quality care and enrichment for students.
Professionally, Jennifer comes with valuable leadership experience. In her role as a supervisor with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), she developed the skills necessary to guide teams, manage programs, and ensure quality oversight—skills that will serve her well as she oversees our daycare and community programs.
Jennifer’s dedication to Cedar Bluffs, both as a professional and as a community member, makes her uniquely qualified to take on this important role. We are confident that her passion, experience, and vision will strengthen our programs and help us continue to build opportunities for students and families.
Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Kiefer as she steps into this new chapter of service to Cedar Bluffs Public School!
Cedar Bluffs Public Schools Fall 2025 Assessments
Today our freshman JAG class and some of our other high school students sat in on a presentation from UNL representative Miguel. He spoke with the class regarding requirements for applying to UNL, cost, housing and the different majors and minors that are available. Some of our Junior and Senior students will also be attending RED Letter days in a few weeks to visit the UNL campus.
