LB753 Passes, Educators In Area Express Concern

By Gordon HopkinsLB (Legislative Bill ) 753, the Opportunity Scholarship Act, has been approved by the Nebraska Legislature. Opponents of the bill say it will take money from public schools and give it to private schools.It is the first time Nebraska has adopted a “school choice” bill.The bill was introduced by Senator Lou Ann Linehan (District 39) at the request of Governor Pillen. According to the bill’s statement of intent, “Under the Act, individual and corporate taxpayers would qualify for a non-refundable tax credit equal to the amount the taxpayer contributed to a scholarship-granting organization.”LB753 allows corporations, individuals, estates, and other entities to claim a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to 50 percent of their state income tax liability on contributions made to nonprofit organizations that grant scholarships to students to attend private schools.The final debate lasted two hours, after which Senator Linehan filed a motion to invoke cloture to end a filibuster and force a vote on the bill and any pending amendments. The motion succeeded, 33 to 11. The bill then passed 33 to 11.SupportersGovernor Jim Pillen has stated his intention to sign the bill into law, “LB753, the Opportunity Scholarship Act, is a huge step forward in giving Nebraska parents and students more school choice. I look forward to signing this bill.”Jeremy Ekeler, Associate Director of Education Policy for the Nebraska Catholic Conference, wrote in a column, “We call all who put the best interests of children ahead of divisive politics to advocate in both the immediate and the long-term. Your voices, your support, and your prayers are vital so that families in Nebraska have rights like those in nearly every other state. Furthermore, as we see dozens of states expand choice, and many move to fully universal choice (every student can choose the best school for them), we must acknowledge that Nebraska hasn’t gotten out of the starting gate even as other states are laps ahead in their work to put kids first.”Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha , Bishop James Conley of Lincoln and Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt of Grand Island issued a joint statement, “The passage of LB753 represents a profound affirmation of this fundamental principle that parents are the primary educators of their children. By providing scholarships opportunities to low-income families, LB753 will enable parents to exercise greater freedom in choosing the educational environment that best meets their children’s unique needs and aspirations.”OpponentsThe Nebraska State Education Association has already begun a campaign to repeal LB753, noting in a statement, “Voucher tax schemes like LB753 funnel money away from our already-underfunded public schools and children and give tax dollars to private schools, including those that discriminate against children and their families.”Local Educators have also expressed unhappiness with the bill’s passage. Mike Meyerle, Superintendent of Diller-Odell Public School was blunt in an email to FJN, “Was opposed. Still opposed. It will just end up costing public schools $$$$$…in my opinion.”Tiffanie Welte, EdD, Superintendent of Tri County Public Schools, said, “I remain opposed to this bill and am terribly disappointed in the fact that it passed the legislature, knowing that the Governor has expressed his intent to sign it. To be clear, private schools play a vital role in providing families options in our state and public districts have an outstanding working relationship with them. Our state also has a process in place that allows families to move from one district to another where space and support systems can reasonably accommodate such requests. Granted, neither of these in their current form are perfect solutions for every family’s unique situation, but public dollars remain in public revenue streams to support programs for all Nebraskans. This is not an us versus them issue where public and private schools should be pit against one another, but this legislation has created that narrative.”“This bill provides dollar for dollar tax credits for those who can afford to make contributions. The general Nebraskan won’t be the ones making these contributions. It will be the wealthy few and outside influencers contributing funds. Those tax credits take potential revenue away from all areas of our state budget that rely on state funding, so education is not the only area that will be negatively impacted by the credits. The bill also provides 10% administrative fees for ‘SGOs’ to manage the contributions. Again, this won’t be general Nebraskans benefiting, it will be a wealthy few and outside influencers reaping the benefits. Dollars that would have been collected in the form of income taxes are, in essence, public dollars and should support public services,” said Welte. “There are no safeguards in place to prevent tuition costs from skyrocketing (as we already see taking place in Iowa after they passed similar legislation), and no guarantee that private schools will have to accept any student who applies. Despite some arguments from proponents that private institutions have to follow the same rules as public schools, that is simply false rhetoric. There are different requirements in state department of education rules (Rule 10 for accrediting public schools is vastly different from Rule 14 for accrediting private schools) there and different requirements in state and federal law. Even legislation being passed this year has different requirements for public schools compared to private schools.”

Harvey Roger Jurgena

In Memory of Sacrifice

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