WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative lawmakers across the U.S. are pushing to introduce more Christianity to public school classrooms, testing the separation of church and state by inserting Bible references into reading lessons and requiring teachers to post the Ten Commandments.

LINCOLN — Speaker John Arch of La Vista this week outlined the Nebraska Legislature’s biggest 2025 issue as lawmakers return to Lincoln: the state budget.

Arch, who is so far running unopposed to helm Nebraska’s legislative branch for two more years, said the budget would “without a doubt” be state lawmakers’ biggest issue in 2025 when they return for a 90-day session beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m.

LINCOLN — A new state law could lead to greater efficiency in setting rules, regulations and safety standards for some of Nebraska’s smallest school districts.

Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher reclassified or shifted roughly 80% of the state’s 245 school districts to new, smaller levels at the beginning of the year.